Weight Loss and Strength Training

WishfulShrinking331
WishfulShrinking331 Posts: 244 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so during my whole weightloss journey I have been relying only on cardio to burn calories and help with my weightloss. This is due to the many misconceptions that I have about strength training i.e "I don't wanna look buff" "Ab workouts aren't going to work if there is a layer of fat on top"

So my question is, how much fat is acceptable to have on your tummy before you start ab workouts...or am I just being dumb and it doesn't matter? I just want to be able to do something and see a difference by the end of the summer.

Also what other types of strength training would you recommend to a 21 year old girl who does not want to be buff...just not jiggly?

Thanks =]

Replies

  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    Trust me, you will not get buff with weight lifting. I'd love to be buff and have been at it for 3 months now and although i'm getting a bit of definition, I am not buff. Weight lifting will change your body and help burn fat far faster than cardio. Use a combo of both cardio and weight lifting.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    There is no need to ever do direct ab work (unless you are a body builder going for a certain look). What you should be doing all along is strength training using a routine that is built around compound lifts, this way you core gets worked as a secondary muscle group every time you workout.

    What strength training does while you lose weight is help you maintain the muscle you already have. If you don't strength train or get enough protein some of your loss, maybe quite a bit of it, will come from lean muscle, not just fat. You will, I repeat, you will not bulk up at all due to strength training while in a caloric deficit, as muscle needs an excess of energy to grow, and you are in an energy deficit while dieting.

    All this being said, I would suggest you look into the programs Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5x5, or New Rules of Lifting for Women.
  • wedjul05
    wedjul05 Posts: 472
    I do that. LOVE LOVE LOVE lifting weights. I recently up'ed all my weights also.

    I warm-up for 15mins on cross trainer, do weights/core work for 40mins and then 20-30mins cardio. It's a great combo.

    I've real definition in my shoulders/arms. I think it would take alot for you to get buff. I don't think woman are built for getting buff anyway tbh!
  • MustBeTheRows
    MustBeTheRows Posts: 377 Member
    You won't get buff. It very difficult for women to get bulky. Takes a calorie surplus, hormone manipulation, or genetics.

    Pick up New Rules of Lifting - Women

    I wouldn't waste time on direct ab work.
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
    A girl can not become extremely buff. You do not have the hormones to cause that. (Unless you are taking male hormones). Gaining muscles would only do you good. They help to burn calories. Plus, as you lose the weight, you will look great. You don't want to lose and then find saggy skin all over you.

    I attend a strength class at the YMCA. I love the way my shoulders and arms look. And, my abs are a lot tighter. You do need to lose pounds for the shape to be there, but using weights will help you get there.
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
    There are many ways of doing an ab workout, it's not always the traditional crunch that you'd imagine. So the answer to your question about flab is: does not apply :) Just ask around for an excercise that works with your frame.

    One piece of advice I give - and this was incredibly useful when I first got started - is to balance your ab workouts with back workouts. Just a simple excercise of training ball: put the ball half a step away from a wall, lie on the ball on your stomach and balance yourself with your toes against the wall, then stretch your arms to the side/in front of you and raise your upper body from the ball. Repeat 15-20 times, 3 sets. It feels really weird to begin with, but trust me, it's worth it!

    The back excercises balance your ab excercises and strengthen your core muscles. This helps improve your posture AND it makes it easier on your spine. I used ot have constant back pain from sitting in the office all day and being way too heavy for my frame. The pain would stop me doing as much cardio as I could've managed stamina-wise... all in all a bit of a vicious circle. Rather surprisingly I also noticed that as I worked the upper back muscles I seem to be getting less headaches, maybe because the blood supply is now better?
  • amyy902
    amyy902 Posts: 290 Member
    you should do ab work outs if you have fat or not. it will help to strengthen the muscles them selves which can help improve posture etc..... :)

    a bit of strength training is fine, but remember its about getting the right load and right number of reps and sets which will determain what you work on over all..... like high weight low reps is going to work on strength and size, where as choosing a moderate weight doing aroun 15 reps or more will work on the muscles endurance.... light liftings good for ladies as by causing the muscles to work around the bone can have positive effects of offsetting osteoporsis as we age.... also yeah you wont get bulky because you dont produce enough testostttttttroneeee,..... :)
  • Jaxper
    Jaxper Posts: 23 Member
    What strength training does while you lose weight is help you maintain the muscle you already have. If you don't strength train or get enough protein some of your loss, maybe quite a bit of it, will come from lean muscle, not just fat. You will, I repeat, you will not bulk up at all due to strength training while in a caloric deficit, as muscle needs an excess of energy to grow, and you are in an energy deficit while dieting.

    Reiterating this point, the only way to "get bulky" is to strength train AND be at a caloric surplus. On the flip side, when you're at a deficit, you do not gain muscle. However, if you are strength training while at a deficit, it will tone your pre-existing muscle.

    As many of the others have said, you don't have to directly work your abs (it's not bad if you do though!), but you should definitely do exercises that include core work to help with your posture, core strength, etc.
  • raerae514
    raerae514 Posts: 171 Member
    Ok so during my whole weightloss journey I have been relying only on cardio to burn calories and help with my weightloss. This is due to the many misconceptions that I have about strength training i.e "I don't wanna look buff" "Ab workouts aren't going to work if there is a layer of fat on top"

    So my question is, how much fat is acceptable to have on your tummy before you start ab workouts...or am I just being dumb and it doesn't matter? I just want to be able to do something and see a difference by the end of the summer.

    Also what other types of strength training would you recommend to a 21 year old girl who does not want to be buff...just not jiggly?

    Thanks =]

    You know I asked pretty much this same question here yesterday and got a lot of good responses. I'm 23 and female so I bet we're looking for a similar physique. Apparently the best time to start weight training is NOW. It will build muscle and muscle burns fat, even when resting. If you have a fair amount of weight to lose, working out will help tighten you underneath so when you lose the weight you won't be flabby and have extra skin.

    I'm actually working on a workout plan for myself, it's 5 pages: Arms, Legs, Back, Butt, and Abs. Some have worded descriptions and some are just photographic visuals. If you're interested I can send it to you!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    you should do ab work outs if you have fat or not. it will help to strengthen the muscles them selves which can help improve posture etc..... :)

    ... light liftings good for ladies as by causing the muscles to work around the bone can have positive effects of offsetting osteoporsis as we age.... also yeah you wont get bulky because you dont produce enough testostttttttroneeee,..... :)

    For starers, there is never a need to do direct ab work if you are following a well planned and set up strength training routine, as the abs get worked from other exercises (you can ad them if you like but the benefits would be negligible).

    I disagree with the light lifting, heavy lifting will increase bone density to a greater degree which will have even better protection again osteoporosis. Don be afraid to lift heavy.

    I agree without the testosterone comment, no matter how you lift, heavy or mid-range, you will not bulk up do to this.

    That said even a man with testosterone will not bulk up in a caloric deficit.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    So my question is, how much fat is acceptable to have on your tummy before you start ab workouts...or am I just being dumb and it doesn't matter? I just want to be able to do something and see a difference by the end of the summer.

    Ab workouts are a very inefficient method for getting a good looking stomach (and basically just don't work for 99% of the people who use them). This is because they don't burn that many calories. Whereas, any good resistance training (or even running) exercise program will usually strengthen your abs secondarily while also burning far more calories than an abdominal muscle workout ever will.

    That said, I still include some leg raises or ab rollouts in my workouts b/c I feel that keeping my core stronger is beneficial in and of itself. But that's not the path to a flat stomach.
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