lifting weights for weight loss
if i lift weights 3 times a week and the only cardio i do is walking and i mean minimal walking, will this still work? there's been a lot of articles on supporting weight training for weight loss because it burns fat better than cardio, but i'm confused. is it because the toning and increase in muscle mass that burns fat? or is it because it raises the metabolism?
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:
Original Post by spirochete:
PFFT I wipe my butt with 40lb dumbbells35 reps in a row slowly?
And with regard to the 97 pound 'deadlifter'. The only girl i saw lifting dumbells in that video was a girl who had a bit more body weight than she did. Deadlifting is ergonomically quite similar to lifting one end of a heavy piece of furniture. And my 52 year old mother can do that with no training. just saying.
Okay then, you load up a bar with 2.5 times your bodyweight and try to lift it off the ground, then get back to me and talk about what you just saw Suzanna do in that dismissive tone of voice.
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:35 reps in a row slowly?
Since your so interested in training for function in real life, when is the last time you had to lift the same thing 35 times in a row slowly in real life?
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:35 reps in a row slowly?
Since your so interested in training for function in real life, when is the last time you had to lift the same thing 35 times in a row slowly in real life?
You obviously haven't seen me eat a grilled cheese sandwich (I take small bites). Although the sandwich gets lighter over time, so maybe not a good example.
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:35 reps in a row slowly?
Since your so interested in training for function in real life, when is the last time you had to lift the same thing 35 times in a row slowly in real life?
In this statement you are assuming I don't practice what I preach. That is why it is not worthy of serious response. I find condescending assumptions a waste of both individuals time.
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:35 reps in a row slowly?
Since your so interested in training for function in real life, when is the last time you had to lift the same thing 35 times in a row slowly in real life?
In this statement you are assuming I don't practice what I preach. That is why it is not worthy of serious response. I find condescending assumptions a waste of both individuals time.
I never assumed that you don't practice what you preach. I assume that you train with resistance bands and no dumbells over 40lbs and with the goal of muscle endurance in mind, you've stated all these things and I have no reason to assume that you aren't being truthful.
What I did question, was whether lifting anything slowly 35 times in a row has any practical real world applications. Since you seem to be of the belief that training should focus on preparing someone for real world activities, I'd like to know what real world activities involve lifting something slowly 35 concecutive times.
I'd also like to hear about why 40lbs is the maximum dumbell weight anyone should work with, but Melkor has already asked you to explain that on a number of occasions and you have yet to do so, so I won't hold my breath.
Some people just wish to remain willfully ignorant. I think we have found such a person.
Original Pos by amethystgirl:
Original Post by floggingsully:
Original Post by nameless_shape_shifter:35 reps in a row slowly?
Since your so interested in training for function in real life, when is the last time you had to lift the same thing 35 times in a row slowly in real life?
You obviously haven't seen me eat a grilled cheese sandwich (I take small bites). Although the sandwich gets lighter over time, so maybe not a good example.
mmm, i could kill for a grilled cheese now!
& back on the subject of weight loss, you have it right there amethyst, taking small bites, enjoying your food & eating it slowly works on a few different levels like lifting (just trying to stay on topic here).
im on stage 1 for the new rules thingy & doing 15 reps is kind of annoying, i miss my 6-8
Octo - yeah... grilled cheese is awesome. Maybe that will be dinner (fried egg on toast and grilled cheese is a perfectly healthy dinner, right?)
My fiance is (hopefully) buying me New Rules for Christmas, and then I'll start. I've been doing a 5x5 routine lately, so it'll be strange to do more reps at a time.
Original Post by amethystgirl:
Octo - yeah... grilled cheese is awesome. Maybe that will be dinner (fried egg on toast and grilled cheese is a perfectly healthy dinner, right?)
My fiance is (hopefully) buying me New Rules for Christmas, and then I'll start. I've been doing a 5x5 routine lately, so it'll be strange to do more reps at a time.
Oh that was a killer. I went from a 5x5 to NROLFW and wanted to die those first few sets of 15 then 12. So in conclusion I wouldn't go with "strange", I'm going with "torture"
yeah i get this mild form of add & lose count sometimes on the the lunges when i get interrupted from someone. "was i on 27 or 28??"
Oh that happens to me even when I'm only doing 5... I'm screwed.
yes, thank you octo-luv and amethystgirl for remember the op's question and they are still not being answered and i don't mean the ones that started this.
what happened?! i was gone for a day and all this started.
so, is it more important to do more reps or lift heavier weights? i do know that doing it slowly does help and breathing correctly too. any testimonies? remember the goal is to burn fat, if i wanted to build strenght i would do it later. and if weights help, how? raises metabolism or does the fat actually shrinks?
also is it important to eat after doing weigths even if it was for 30 mins?
if your up for a challenge & your fitness level is good then try the rffl (real fast fat loss on t-nation). i did that for 6 weeks before my wedding. i actually even built some strength from it. my shoulders got even a little more developed. its great for building endurance, i felt like i could move a mountain after 4 weeks. but its a bit hard core at first & i made sure to get enough nutrients so i didn't wear myself out. i only had maybe a 300 - 500 deficit every other day, while i didn't lose any significant weight, i managed to look a lot more defined. well i did lose weight the first couple of weeks then i stayed the same. & 3213 had some pretty good ideas.
Original Post by helpless:
yes, thank you octo-luv and amethystgirl for remember the op's question and they are still not being answered and i don't mean the ones that started this.
what happened?! i was gone for a day and all this started.
so, is it more important to do more reps or lift heavier weights? i do know that doing it slowly does help and breathing correctly too. any testimonies? remember the goal is to burn fat, if i wanted to build strenght i would do it later. and if weights help, how? raises metabolism or does the fat actually shrinks?
also is it important to eat after doing weigths even if it was for 30 mins?
I'd like to know this too please? I've started using 5lb weights to do reps using my arms (I've been doing 30 reps, three different moves using each arm?) Is this okay? I also have 10lb dumbells that I could use, but I thought they'd be too heavy for what I want? I want to tone up (not 'bulk' up iykwim?)as well as help raise my metabolism. Sorry if this is a stupid post- I'm a bit clueless where exercise is concerned, but some of you have been helpful with previous posts I made? (i.e. I'm holding off on the yoga/pilates for a bit and working with hand/ankle weights instead for a while)
Original Post by irishmum:
I'd like to know this too please? I've started using 5lb weights to do reps using my arms (I've been doing 30 reps, three different moves using each arm?) Is this okay? I also have 10lb dumbells that I could use, but I thought they'd be too heavy for what I want? I want to tone up (not 'bulk' up iykwim?)as well as help raise my metabolism. Sorry if this is a stupid post- I'm a bit clueless where exercise is concerned, but some of you have been helpful with previous posts I made? (i.e. I'm holding off on the yoga/pilates for a bit and working with hand/ankle weights instead for a while)
30 reps is WAY TOO MUCH. All you're doing is getting really good at flinging around a weight that is way too light for you. Also it's not a stupid question if you don't know the answer!
You can not bulk up of you're a woman. You certainly can not bulk up with a 10lb weight. But you're saying "spirochete, I know I bulk right up if I do so much as one squat". You don't. You can't.
What people mean by toning is "having some muscle while stripping away the fat so you can see it". You can't gain muscle by doing a million reps with something that weighs less than your purse.
Visit Stumptuous for lots of ideas about women and lifting and some programs to follow. Good luck!
Original Post by spirochete:
Original Post by irishmum:
I'd like to know this too please? I've started using 5lb weights to do reps using my arms (I've been doing 30 reps, three different moves using each arm?)
30 reps is WAY TOO MUCH. All you're doing is getting really good at flinging around a weight that is way too light for you. Also it's not a stupid question if you don't know the answer!
Visit Stumptuous for lots of ideas about women and lifting and some programs to follow. Good luck!
LOL! I told you I hadn't a clue! So what kind of reps would you recommend? I was doing that amount because it was taking that number to 'feel' a little burn? Then I'd swap arms and repeat. I'm using two 2.5lb weights. I'll take a look at that site for ideas too, thanks!
EDIT: Okay, had a quick look at that site- I love the way its written! One q though- when talking about reps squats etc. theres no mention of how heavy a weight (2.5 hand, 5lb hand, 10lb dumbell for example)to use- is it a personal choice, or should it be obvious (to all except me)? Sorry for all the questions?
Hehe, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask ;)
Anyway - Nameless' misunderstanding of basic physiology aside, for fat loss you want to lift heavy. It's more important to add weight than reps - in a calorie deficit your body will only retain as much muscle as you use on a regular basis, the rest it'll get rid of in an effort to lower your metabolism to match your calorie intake. If you do proper, heavy strength training your body will not get rid of any muscle since you're using all of it on a regular basis, but once you start using weights that are light enough that you can lift them more than about 12 times in a row (12 reps), your muscles pass a lower stimulation threshold and your body will not see a need for all of it.
Therefore, it's more important to add weight than it is to add reps - muscle is hard to build at the best of times. Well, unless you're new to training and exercise. There is such a thing as newbie gains where beginners to exercise who take up a proper training program for the first time can add 1-2lbs of muscle in the first few months of training even when they're dieting.
Muscle is also reasonably active metabolic tissue - untrained muscle burns about 5.7cal/day per pound. When you lift weights, this increases - after about 4 months of basic strength training, trained muscle burns 7.2cal/day per pound. If you have 50 pounds of muscle that means you burn 75cal/day more even when you aren't working out. If you have more muscle, training it increases that burn even more - 1.5cal/day/lbs, remember? So if you do proper strength training to keep the muscle you have - as opposed to straight dieting where about 45-55% of the weight you lose is muscle or just doing cardio where it's about 25-35% muscle, you will burn anywhere from about 100-200cal/day more than the dieter who lost muscle and didn't increase the metabolic activity of the muscle tissue.
That's on top of any exercise you do, by the way.
Which explains results like this where you can see the strength training group lost 3 times as much fat as the cardio group. And the cardio group would likely have lost just as much fat without any exercise at all, since cardio doesn't make (much) of a difference in the quality of your weight loss. (see Melkor Geeks Outfor a whole lot more detail on the science behind this)
In general the 8-12 rep range is a good compromise for someone starting a workout program from completely sedentary - you need a bit of time to have your body prepared for a 5x5 program or something similar, you don't neccesarily have the structural adaptations in your joints, tendons and ligaments to be able to use really heavy weights. If you've been keeping yourself active you can probably start on a 5x5-style program from the word go, but I think easing into it a bit is a good idea.
Phew...thats a lot to take in! 
So do you think I should use the 10lb dumbell and aim for less reps? I can lift this easily enough, but I reckon 10-12reps would be my limit? It doesn't sound like a lot though, but I don't want to cause any damage to my lazy-assed muscles by lifting heavier/more times than I should? Do I get rid of the 2.5lb handweights or keep them for using while on the treadmill? Hmm...
"Which explains results like thiswhere you can see the strength training group lost 3 times as much fat as the cardio group. And the cardio group would likely have lost just as much fat without any exercise at all, since cardio doesn't make (much) of a difference in the quality of your weight loss. (see Melkor Geeks Outfor a whole lot more detail on the science behind this)"
I just want to point out a couple of things in regard to Melkor's post above. The first link (like this) is to the study: Resistance Weight Training With Endurance Training Improves Fat Loss . This study compared two groups, one group did just cardio and the other group did a combination of cardio and weight training. The study found that the group that did the cardio and weight training had the best results. There was no group that just did weights. The other link to Fat Loss Depends on Energy Deficit Only, Independently of the Method for Weight Loss concluded that deficit alone, not amount or type of exercise, is responsible for weight loss.
So how is it that Melkor concludes that cardio is unimportant for the quality of weight loss? The group with the best results did cardio. How can Melkor ingnore this fact? Is this just his bias speaking? Neither study came to the same conclusion that Melkor did.
We've been over this before.
The group that did cardio and weight training did 15 minutes of steady-state cardio- and do you seriously suggest that 15 minutes of cardio - about 100-150 calories above RMR for an average level of effort, (possibly 250cal if we were talking interval training, but we're not, we're looking at steady state cardio)
Are you seriously suggesting that 300-500calories expended per week would explain why the strength-training group lost 10lbs of fat in the time the group that expended twice that number of calories through cardio lost 3lbs?
I really don't know how many different ways I can tell you this man. Cardio doesn't have no impact, but it's seriously overrated for fat loss.
