weight training to loose weight?

It's done pretty much as you described.. you're not going to gain muscle in a calorie deficit no matter what anyone tells you. You may gain a bit if you're new to lifting.. but thats about it.

Doing weights while doing cardio helps you retain what muscle you already have, and make those muscles stronger. Muscle also burns more calories then fat.. so the more muscle you have, the more you burn at rest without even doing anything.

I was wondering how this is done. I'd imagine its weight training and eating at a calorie deficit? I don't want to build too much muscle, just tone up and loose weight, but cardio that I enjoy comes quiet hard to me as I'm pretty new to the whole working out thing, so I want to start slow and move my way up.

Weight training and eating at a deficit will continue your weight loss (and really can help it explode) without building muscle under *most* conditions. It will help you to continue fat reduction while loosing less lean mass in the process. That being said, as a woman it is difficult to bulk up like a Bev Francis, so if this is your concern, it shouldn't be.

You cant build or bulk on a deficit. You will probably tone and shape whats underneath the fat but thats not the same thing as building bigger muscles.

Wait I am confused...I have MFP set to lose .5-1lb a week(a calorie deficit). I am also doing cardio, and Chalean Extreme (girl version of P90X). Does this mean I am strength training for nothing? Will I not gain muscle and become more toned? Should I just do cardio instead until I get to the maintenance phase? Confused now...sorry I am still a bit new here.

You cant gain muscle on a deficit, to gain muscle you need to provide the body with protein to build the muscles you aim to gain.
You will get toned as you burn of the fat and the muscles you already have will become visuable. Its not like you gained them doing the workout, they where always there, just hidden under fat.

It's done pretty much as you described.. you're not going to gain muscle in a calorie deficit no matter what anyone tells you. You may gain a bit if you're new to lifting.. but thats about it.

Doing weights while doing cardio helps you retain what muscle you already have, and make those muscles stronger. Muscle also burns more calories then fat.. so the more muscle you have, the more you burn at rest without even doing anything.

Wait I am confused...I have MFP set to lose .5-1lb a week(a calorie deficit). I am also doing cardio, and Chalean Extreme (girl version of P90X). Does this mean I am strength training for nothing? Will I not gain muscle and become more toned? Should I just do cardio instead until I get to the maintenance phase? Confused now...sorry I am still a bit new here.

No the strength training will maintain your current muscle mass. Without strength training, your body will look to use your current muscle as a source of energy instead of solely focusing on the fat as energy. If you are extrememly new to weight training you still have the opportunity to gain muscle but it rarely happens.

I've been weight training and cardioing to lose weight for the last few weeks, I can now see my biceps when I flex.. I know you don't gain muscle of a deficit, you will tone and keep the ones you have.

I'm doing this workout for fat burning using weights and cardio (I'm not following her cardio/days to the letter, however more her weight exercises) -> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/420062-jamie-eason-s-12-week-body-transformers

No, Loose weight while lifting is dangerous. Surely your gym has clamps to hold the wieght on the bar? :bigsmile:

beat me to the punch! :drinker:

So, if I won't gain muscle and it just tones the muscles I do have--- then do I need to worry about upping the amount of weights when I can? I just bought heavier dumbbells to use with my dvds. So, I am getting stronger obviously, but in the end will that really matter if I am not building more muscle? Does this post make any sense:laugh: ?

Lifting heavier = better muscle retention

I'm guessing you've never lifted before. I suggest you get your form down and learn to lift properly before you start lifting heavy. I'm also assuming you have no idea what you will be doing. Here is a site that will show you some basics in weight training. good luck and if the weight is loose don't use it you'll get hurt!

http://www.thetrainingstationinc.com/freeweightexercises.html

If the largest weight you have lifted is 8lbs then I'm sorry but you haven't lifted weights before.

Agree with everyone above - you cannot bulk up through basic weight training and more muscle will burn calories more efficiently.

I've been doing regular weights classes at my gym for over a year now and certainly don't have any bulk to show for it! Yeah, I get that it's not "weight training" as such, but I feel I get more out of this than I did when I was doing basic weight training out in the gym.

The classes kind of combine cardio in to it as well, so it's quite a high calorie burner in general. You do a full 5 (ish) minute track for each muscle group and it's pretty much continuous movement with the weights.

I do cardio classes on the days in between to even it all out.

I feel stronger and the weights I use now do prove that, so I am efficiently building muscle and toning up - I started MFP two months ago and am finally shifting the fat from over top of the muscle and toning up even more! So, everything combined is working well for me and I can only recommend it to others...

The classes are fun, which keeps me going back - nothing like motivation to push you to train!! :-)