Should you do cradio for a month then start doing lifting?
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mskarthy4
Posts: 4 Member
Hey, I very new to this. A little about I'm 220 lbs and I would like to lose roughy 50 pounds. My question is if it's better to lose most of the weight through cardio and then start lifting. I don't want to lift and gain based on muscle. I just mostly want to lose my belly and arm fat. If you can help that would be lovely. Thanks.
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Replies
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Do both ASAP. It's unlikely you'll gain muscle if you're in a calorie deficit, but it will help you retain as much muscle as possible as you lose. Just keep in mind that your loss will come from how much you're eating, and it will come off everywhere on your body.8
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Start lifting now.
Are you a woman? Don't wanna break your heart but women are lucky to put on 2 pounds of muscle a month, and that's in a surplus with progressive overload.
As a newbie, you will see some incredible strength gains and losing the fat will reveal muscle you couldn't see before.3 -
I do both! Lift lighter weights with more repetitions, lifting weights isn't all about bulking up. From my understanding, it helps convert fat to muscle quicker
good luck! 1 -
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Start lifting now.
Are you a woman? Don't wanna break your heart but women are lucky to put on 2 pounds of muscle a month, and that's in a surplus with progressive overload.
As a newbie, you will see some incredible strength gains and losing the fat will reveal muscle you couldn't see before.
Yes I'm a woman. Thanks for the tip. I rather lose the fat I guess I'm okay with muscle.0 -
I started doing both at 240 pounds - best decision ever. I bust my butt doing weights (cause I love doing weights) and have gained muscle but am toned not bulky. I do cardio for fitness and endurance (though I don't much like cardio) but a combination of both is perfect. 6 months on I'm down to 209 pounds (half way to my goal) but you'd think I'd lost a lot more because the shape of my body is quite toned and strong.1
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evergreenlake wrote: »Lift lighter weights with more repetitions, lifting weights isn't all about bulking up. From my understanding, it helps convert fat to muscle quicker good luck!
um, no...Find a lifting program to follow to start out so you don't injure yourself. Heavier (for you) weight, fewer reps. It does not convert fat to muscle... do some research.4 -
Start lifting now.
Are you a woman? Don't wanna break your heart but women are lucky to put on 2 pounds of muscle a month, and that's in a surplus with progressive overload.
As a newbie, you will see some incredible strength gains and losing the fat will reveal muscle you couldn't see before.
Yes I'm a woman. Thanks for the tip. I rather lose the fat I guess I'm okay with muscle.
okay with muscle?
don't worry, you won't bulk
btw... guys dig muscle on a woman1 -
As others have said I would encourage you to do both now. The number one "regret" I hear from people at the end of their weight loss journey was that they didn't lift weights until they got "skinny". It'll also do your physique wonders once you get close to your goal weight.1
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evergreenlake wrote: »I do both! Lift lighter weights with more repetitions, lifting weights isn't all about bulking up. From my understanding, it helps convert fat to muscle quicker good luck!
A person should work a variety of rep ranges, but should have a bit more focus on lower range ranges during a cut to help maximizing strength gains/strength retention. Since the OP is obese and new to lifting, she would be in a good category to be able to gain some muscle while losing fat. That would be pretty ideal, even though she doesn't realize it, because the more muscle you have, the leaner you will be and the faster that will occur.
OP, do both. Cardio supports heart health, while lifting supports skeletal health. And if you are lucky to gain muscle, be glad. It will help lean you out. And you can start as simple as getting on a dumbbell routine like the one of the ones found in the list; i'd recommend the Aworkoutroutine one, as it's the most basic one you can get and very effective.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
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Do both! Weight loss will occur mostly based on your calorie intake. Your exercise will make a difference in what that loss is- mostly fat, or fat and muscle. You want to keep your muscle by lifting. You mention your arms and belly- if you just do cardio, you may shrink and get lighter, but you'll likely have the same basic shape as you do now, just smaller. Muscle is great- as you lose fat, muscle gives you the firmer look you're probably going for, what people like to call "toned." If you're actively losing weight, there is pretty much zero chance you're going to start developing muscles that are too big for your liking. Check out some of the women trying to bulk on here- it takes a lot of effort and extra calories!1
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After 15 years of power lifting I was at or around 250 lbs with high BP & cholesterol. This year I lost almost 50 pounds of fat by lifting moderate weight for 4 sets of 15 on a split routine of 4 days per week. I'm still at 220 lbs but want to loose another 10. The plan is to increase cardio and reduce my protein intake to the minimum amount recommended by this app. Since I'm at 20% fat, the last 10 lbs must come from muscle tissue alone. The encouraging news is I'm off BP drugs and now light enough to ride a bicycle. From this experience, resistance & cardio along with a sensible diet is what will build fitness and a lean physique. I hope this helps.1
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Professor_Fate wrote: »Since I'm at 20% fat, the last 10 lbs must come from muscle tissue alone.
Huh?
Unless your goal is to remain at 20% bodyfat, why so? I'm somewhere around 15% and still have plenty enough fat I could stand to lose.1 -
Both. Why do you want to lose muscle? It shapes your body.0
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I am 55 yrs. old and new to all of this. 2+ years ago my weight was 387 lbs. , have dropped to 237 lbs. in a 18 months, most all the weight loss came from diet and cardio (doing speed walking and elliptical) until my weight dropped to 250 lbs. than I increased my cardio (10 K jogging and higher resistance in use of the elliptical), when I dropped to 237 lbs. I started to lifting weights three times a week. My weight increased to 269 lbs. however my belt size is a notch smaller and my pants are baggy. I am not happy with the weight gain and hope that some day it will would start dropping again. I never stop trying and I keep trying new things. I currently have been eating better more fresh vegetables, fruits, protein drinks and drinking organic non-GMO teas, which I find give me energy and helps in hunger control. This month I have now found my weight started to drop again down to 266 lbs. NEVER STOP, ALWAYS TRY NEW THINGS (this weekend I am trying tennis).0
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I certainly wouldn't wait until you've lost all your weight before you start lifting...however, I would recommend easing into fitness if you haven't been doing much.
I was basically a desk jockey by day and couch potato by night when I started...there's no way I could have just jumped into all of the exercise right away. I started out with daily walks...after about a month I started a C25K thing and signed up for a 5K. I started lifting in the gym again after about 3 months. I just eased into things and let my body get used to moving more.1 -
Professor_Fate wrote: »After 15 years of power lifting I was at or around 250 lbs with high BP & cholesterol. This year I lost almost 50 pounds of fat by lifting moderate weight for 4 sets of 15 on a split routine of 4 days per week. I'm still at 220 lbs but want to loose another 10. The plan is to increase cardio and reduce my protein intake to the minimum amount recommended by this app. Since I'm at 20% fat, the last 10 lbs must come from muscle tissue alone. The encouraging news is I'm off BP drugs and now light enough to ride a bicycle. From this experience, resistance & cardio along with a sensible diet is what will build fitness and a lean physique. I hope this helps.
20% fat (if accurate) @ 220 lbs is 22 lbs of fat.
Drop 10 of fat - 210 lbs @ 12 lbs of fat. 6% fat.
Yes, that is unlikely.
But so is dropping 50 lbs of fat and only 30 lbs of weight, implying a 20 lb gain in LBM in one year. Possible perhaps.
But there is more than just Fat Mass or muscle component to lose from. LBM is muscle, and water (blood volume and increase glucose stores with attached water), and everything not FM.
As there is less body that needs blood - blood volume goes down. So you likely will lose LBM, even if you kept all muscle mass.
But if less weight on the knees, or the bike because you enjoy going faster, means losing some muscle mass - could be a viable goal.
Like competitive runners don't need extra muscle upstairs, willing to lose it.0 -
Professor_Fate wrote: »After 15 years of power lifting I was at or around 250 lbs with high BP & cholesterol. This year I lost almost 50 pounds of fat by lifting moderate weight for 4 sets of 15 on a split routine of 4 days per week. I'm still at 220 lbs but want to loose another 10. The plan is to increase cardio and reduce my protein intake to the minimum amount recommended by this app. Since I'm at 20% fat, the last 10 lbs must come from muscle tissue alone. The encouraging news is I'm off BP drugs and now light enough to ride a bicycle. From this experience, resistance & cardio along with a sensible diet is what will build fitness and a lean physique. I hope this helps.
20% fat (if accurate) @ 220 lbs is 22 lbs of fat.
Drop 10 of fat - 210 lbs @ 12 lbs of fat. 6% fat.
Yes, that is unlikely.
But so is dropping 50 lbs of fat and only 30 lbs of weight, implying a 20 lb gain in LBM in one year. Possible perhaps.
But there is more than just Fat Mass or muscle component to lose from. LBM is muscle, and water (blood volume and increase glucose stores with attached water), and everything not FM.
As there is less body that needs blood - blood volume goes down. So you likely will lose LBM, even if you kept all muscle mass.
But if less weight on the knees, or the bike because you enjoy going faster, means losing some muscle mass - could be a viable goal.
Like competitive runners don't need extra muscle upstairs, willing to lose it.
20% of 220 is 44 not 22
44 lbs to 34 lbs 16%.
Totally achievable
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I certainly wouldn't wait until you've lost all your weight before you start lifting...however, I would recommend easing into fitness if you haven't been doing much.
I was basically a desk jockey by day and couch potato by night when I started...there's no way I could have just jumped into all of the exercise right away. I started out with daily walks...after about a month I started a C25K thing and signed up for a 5K. I started lifting in the gym again after about 3 months. I just eased into things and let my body get used to moving more.
This has been my approach too. I am lifting now and love it, but I definitely had to start small with walking. But don't wait until the end of weight loss to start! But suddenly increasing activity is a recipe for a potential injury, so ease into it. And enjoy the process!0
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