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Weights + Weight Loss

  • 21-10-2007 8:22pm
    #1
    Anthony_1980
    Closed Accounts Posts: 158 ✭✭


    hey i wanna lose weight and tone up

    is it better to lift heavy weights less reps + sets

    or light weights and plenty of reps + sets


Comments

  • #2
    Colm_OReilly
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,577 ✭✭✭Colm_OReilly


    Anthony,

    Weight loss will come down a simple formula of energy in versus energy out. If you're eating less than your body burns in a day you'll drop weight. You could eat feck all and just go about your day as normal and lose weight (not recommended but I'm trying to illustrate a point). Of course you could be very active, eat a lot, and still lose weight if what you're taking in is less than your energy expenditure.

    As for tone, tone is very loosely defined but basically it comes down to the muscular readiness to do work - which is a product of intensity. If you look at sprinters they're well "toned". Compare these to marathon runners at the other end of the spectrum.

    Sets of 3-5 will help develop strength and as a result - tone.

    Now, back to weight loss. If you're developing strength/hypertrophy through weight training this should enable you to be more active during the rest of the day. If you're more active, you're burning more calories, and as a result, should lose more weight.

    I hope this helps, let us know if you'd like more help,
    Colm


  • #3
    rubadub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,386 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    Say you used the same energy in an hour in the gym. Say it was twice a week for 1 hour each time and you burn 500kcal each time. If you did very light weights for high reps it is really just like doing cardio. If you did heavy wieghts in the 8-12rep range you burn the same 500kcal- BUT your metabolism is kick started over the next few days trying to build new muscle. Then once the muscle is made it takes more calories every day just to maintain it.

    So you burn 1000kcal while in the gym doing light or heavy wieghts. But on your days off you could be using energy to build the new muscle.

    I found fat fell off me when lifting heavy.- but I presume you want fat loss not just weight loss. You can be putting on muscle and losing fat at the same rate so your weight could remain the same.

    They reckon 1lb of muscle takes 35kcal to support. So if you put on 10lb of muscle it is 350kcal extra you can eat each day just to maintain it.


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