Weight training expectations?

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bradmlucas12
bradmlucas12 Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started at 280, currently at 205 strictly from eating habits and walking/more activity. The last few months did 3 day splits, now I'm at 5 days a week weight training. Chest/back/legs/shoulders/tris&bis

My questions are mainly about rest and expectations. I'm still trying to lose fat, but I want to build muscle. Is this possible? Or am I going to have to get down to a goal weight/BF% and go on and off bulking and cutting? Also what are rest weeks? Do you lift at all during these weeks or literally take a week off from the gym?

Not looking to be a body builder or enter in contests or anything, just wanna look good on the beach and in a cut off. I have high intensity in the gym, sets go to failure, heart rate is decent. Workouts last between 60-75 minutes including a 10 minute light warmup

Replies

  • AverageJoeFit
    AverageJoeFit Posts: 251 Member
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    Yes you can build muscle while losing weight, but it will be super slow as building muscle usually takes a caloric surplus. If you want to Recomposition your body you just eat maintenence calories and your weight shouldn't change but you still lose fat but gain muscle.

    Rest weeks or what I think you are talking about are De-load weeks you still go to the gym but you cut the weight of your lifts to like 60 - 80%. You still work but not nearly as hard. Taking a true break like nothing at all you can lose some conditioning, but that isn't a de-load technically.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    Follow a program, and keep progressing. Are you trying to recomp at this point? If so, keep your calories at maintenance. I don't like to take off for a whole week, it makes returning so much harder. If you feel you need a break, do a deload. I also like changing up my rep schemes when I plateau or get bored.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    The main goal while there is still body fat to lose is to lift in order to maintain lean body mass. Some people can gain some muscle in a deficit, sure. It's not going to be physique altering...but saving muscle as you lose will be beneficial once you get down close to goal weight. You'll look better and be stronger.

    Training for this doesn't have to mean "going to failure"...in fact, that's not the best way to train. The best way to train is to incorporate a lifting program with a progressive overload. It can be a strength training or body building/hypertrophy program depending on your goals.

    Rest or deload weeks are used after fatigue is accumulated from weeks of lifting. Some people do it every 4 weeks, some every 8, some just when the time feels right. You should still lift during this week but decrease volume and intensity and don't try anything new. Rest is important. It is when the fitness you have been building is revealed.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Are you an experienced lifter with years of constant progressive training that benefits from 1 x weekly training of muscles that way?

    You can take a deload week, or a rest week. Many come back from a rest week doing other light activity stronger.

    But I'd suggest that your current program isn't going to be the best to reach your stated goals.

    2 x a 3-day split at minimum would probably give better results - like lower / push / pull.
    Or 3 x a 2-day split would be better if you don't have a couple years of lifting - like upper/lower - push/pull, ect.

    You just need more reps weekly, more time under tension.
  • POHarry
    POHarry Posts: 8 Member
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    I just change my routine regularly. I may go heavy one day with a routine (chest and back) and the next time go lighter. I may circuit train one week and just do individual excercises the next. I really change it up so I will not get bored. It may be weights one day and just body weight (pushups, squats, squat jumps and the like) the next. Just do what works for you.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Are you at goal weight? Near it? Probably switch to recomp if so.
    Also, you would still benefit from hitting each muscle more than once a week. At minimum I'd do an upper/lower rest upper/lower. But you could also do 3x full body without any problems.
    As mentioned above, training doesn't need to go to failure, at least not every set every day. If/when you need a deload week will depend on a lot of factors including intensity of the program you are following, age, recoverability, and other outside stresses.
  • bradmlucas12
    bradmlucas12 Posts: 15 Member
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    Can someone shed some light on body recomp for me? I didn't know this was possible. Not completely new to weight lifting, played high school football and powerlifted but didn't retain much knowledge about lifting (college partying really hit me hard lol). Going to be changing up my routine to hit muscle groups 2x per week, thanks everyone for that advise!

    I guess I'm very new to trying to get a certain physique. Never cared about body fat before but I gained a lottttt of weight in college. I have a way I want to look and I won't stop until I achieve my goal, kinda how I am in all aspects of my life. I think I just need to be led in the right direction
  • bradmlucas12
    bradmlucas12 Posts: 15 Member
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    Also should've been more specific about "going to failure". Sets are progressively heavier with failure happening at the last few reps of the last set
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    bradmlucas12 wrote: »
    Can someone shed some light on body recomp for me? I didn't know this was possible. Not completely new to weight lifting, played high school football and powerlifted but didn't retain much knowledge about lifting (college partying really hit me hard lol). Going to be changing up my routine to hit muscle groups 2x per week, thanks everyone for that advise!

    I guess I'm very new to trying to get a certain physique. Never cared about body fat before but I gained a lottttt of weight in college. I have a way I want to look and I won't stop until I achieve my goal, kinda how I am in all aspects of my life. I think I just need to be led in the right direction

    Recomposition is training at maintenance calories with the goal of losing some body fat and gaining some muscle, remaining about the same weight on the scale.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    There is a very long and detailed recomp thread in the maintaining section.
  • vnb_208
    vnb_208 Posts: 1,359 Member
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    This is exactly my concern. I'm currently down 67 lbs I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror so i was told maybe add some weight/resistance training to my cardio. My concern is should i get down to a healthy bmi then weight train? I am eating at a defect but since starting the training I've put on weight prob just (water weight for the sore muscles). I just want to do this correct way and do not where to start?
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
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    vnb_208 wrote: »
    This is exactly my concern. I'm currently down 67 lbs I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror so i was told maybe add some weight/resistance training to my cardio. My concern is should i get down to a healthy bmi then weight train? I am eating at a defect but since starting the training I've put on weight prob just (water weight for the sore muscles). I just want to do this correct way and do not where to start?

    By weight training effectively and eating at a deficit, you retain the muscle mass you would have lost if you didn't weight train and ate at a deficit.

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