Lose weight first and then build muscle/work on physique after?

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JDRN266
JDRN266 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! I've lost 17lbs since the beginning of September and have another 8-12 lbs more until I reach my goal weight (started at 150, currently 133, goal 120-125). I've done this by counting calories and doing Orange Theory Fitness 2-4 times a week. I've got a good routine down and want to keep it up for now because I'm really motivated and it fits my lifestyle really well. But I eventually want to start weight training to tone up. Is it a bad idea to lose the weight first and then focus on strength training for toning up later? Thanks!
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  • trwww
    trwww Posts: 14 Member
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    JDRN266 wrote: »
    Is it a bad idea to lose the weight first and then focus on strength training for toning up later? Thanks!

    It is not a bad idea. In fact, this is basically how you have to do it.

    While in a deficit, a person loses both fat and muscle. You can use resistance training to limit the amount of muscle you lose during the cut, but it impossible to eliminate muscle loss and still lose fat at a decent rate.

    Cut to your goal weight, then eat a protein heavy surplus to gain weight while doing resistance training (lifting weights). This is called a bulk. Yes you will gain weight, but it will be mostly muscle, not fat. Gain 5 - 10 pounds or so while doing this.

    Then start another cut to get back down to goal weight while continuing resistance training to eliminate the fat that was gained during the bulk.

    This will result in a tone body.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    That is certainly a good method of working out. I would however suggest that you incorporate fast-paced resistance training during your fat loss phase to work your muscles and reduce muscle loss. I lost 64 lbs with doing fast-paced resistance training 3 days/week. I didn't build much muscle on that calorie deficit, but it began to develop muscle tone and is a great way to lose weight. You shouldn't just be doing all cardio. Always work in resistance training.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
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    I think different people are at different stages . I would not let lack of exercise stop me from weight loss . Dont get me wrong exercise is good , but sometimes we want to loose some weight first.. the main thing is keep working toward your goal

    good luck
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    I would not wait. Exercise, whatever type you choose, is good to start now during your weight loss. As the above posters said, it'll help you retain, and even build muscle while losing weight. It'll probably even accelerate your weight loss and it'll certainly accelerate your fitness level. If lifting is what you want to do later on, then start it now. If you aren't sure, even cardio, light lifting, cross training, circuit training, body weight training, etc. will do just fine. Whatever you choose don't wait.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,369 Member
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    I agree that lifting while losing is a great strategy, rather than waiting.

    Two things, though, if you're contemplating continuing Orange Theory while starting to lift:

    First, I'm not very familiar with Orange Theory, but - from a friend who's done it - I had the impression that it included some resistance exercise. If so, and if that's still challenging for you (causing sore muscles), then consider the timing of your lifting in the context of the timing of your Orange Theory, so you don't over-stress some body part(s) and risk injury.

    Second, I hope you're adjusting your eating to fuel your exercise. Modest levels of exercise (low hundreds of calories) may be compatible with a modest calorie deficit, even if you're not eating back the exercise (you didn't say one way or the other). However, if you ramp up your exercise beyond that modest level, and your body's trying to do muscle repair besides, and you have a larger deficit (which you shouldn't with so few pounds left to lose!), then you need to be conscientious about eating back a reasonable fraction of the exercise calories in order to fuel your workouts. Just pay careful attention to your recovery time and overall energy level, and adjust accordingly.

    But yes, starting to lift sooner rather than later is A Good Plan.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    It's a lot easier to retain what muscle you have than it is to build it back after you've lost it. Strength training and adequate protein intake helps retain muscle as you lose fat.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    As others have pointed out, it's much easier to retain than rebuild later. While I lost weight slower when lifting from 265 to 185 (smaller deficit coupled with resistance training), my body composition held much better than it did when I hellcut from 190 to 150 while sedentary.

    Never not lift.

    That is all.
  • luckypony71
    luckypony71 Posts: 399 Member
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    Lift now. I regret putting it off. My plan was similar to yours.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,981 Member
    edited December 2016
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    trwww wrote: »
    . . . it [is] impossible to eliminate muscle loss and still lose fat at a decent rate.

    This is simply false.

    It is difficult but NOT impossible to gain LBM (including muscle) while losing fat "at a decent rate." My experience is proof of that.

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    sgt1372 wrote: »
    trwww wrote: »
    . . . it [is] impossible to eliminate muscle loss and still lose fat at a decent rate.

    This is simply false.

    It is difficult but NOT impossible to gain LBM (including muscle) while losing fat "at a decent rate." My experience is proof of that.

    I think a lot of the confusion on this comes from people equating LBM only to either skeletal muscle, water, or bone. Even the connective tissue and capillaries involved in fat storage qualify as LBM. As such, both statements are technically false.

    It is possible to slowly and consistently shed fat without sacrificing skeletal muscle. Well, up to a point; it gets harder, and eventually becomes impossible, after a certain degree of leanness.

    It is not possible to shed any appreciable amount of bodyfat without dropping some LBM.
  • Arizona_C
    Arizona_C Posts: 1,476 Member
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    Gor loosing weight, I did two hours of cardio a day, mainly running and rowing. It developped my muscles in terms of indurance but not in power or volume.

    I preferred putting all my energy and training hours into cardio, and only when I reached my goal weight I started to lift.

    It might not be the best way to do it, still it is what felt right to me.
  • eminaome
    eminaome Posts: 1 Member
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    I may not be an expert or know much from a scientific point of view, but from my personal experience weight lifting + adequate protein food intake + keeping the carbohydrates intake as low as possible did a miracle to my body. I didn't track the scale so much as I tracked the mirror. My body transformed beautifully - I had feeling that all my fat "turned" into muscles, but of course that's not possible from a scientific point of view. In fact, they've just switched places - but the result was a nice body which I was satisfied with. Food reduction alone could never do that to the body.
    P.s. I did combine the weight training with cardio/interval now and then.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Start strength training NOW

    DO NOT WAIT

    When you're in a caloric deficit for weight loss if you don't use your muscles with strength training your body will pull energy from both body fat stores and muscle to make up the deficit. You want to try to prioritize fat loss and preservation of muscle- this is achieved with strength training and proper protein intake (you need to do both). When you use your muscles (and provide enough protein for muscle repair/recovery) your body will be less likely to use muscle for energy and use more body fat instead.

    If you weight to "tone up" until after losing weight you will start from a place of having less muscle (and more fat) so it will take longer to build back up the muscle that you could have saved by starting strength training sooner while you were still losing weight. You will like your physique better if you start strength training ASAP.

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