Can I really lose weight by, er, doing weights?

Einhard

It seems completely counter-intuitive to me that one can lose weight through pumping iron. I've lost about 50lbs in the past 8 months going to the gym. As my knees are knackered, I tend to restrict myself to the cross trainer, and so far it's working well. However, it's getting a bit boring, and I wouldn't mind bulking up slightly at the same time. However, I've always heard that muscle is heavier than fat, and as it can be a real kick in the teeth to work out all week, and not hit one's target, I never really used the weights for fear that it would interfere with my main goal of losing lbs.

Recently though, I heard that one can actually lose weight through weights. Not something that would have been obvious to me. Is it true? Through weights alone? Or in conjunction with cardio? And what would one suggest for me? I tend to go to the gym about 3 times a week. Would it be worth my while to turn one of those sessions into a weights session?

Thanks!

ragg

yup i lost about 50lbs training about 3 - 4 hours a week and only strength training, it only took a few months too.

Check out the diet plan on http://www.neilmct.com thats where i got the info for that

Zamboni

Einhard wrote: »

It seems completely counter-intuitive to me that one can lose weight through pumping iron. I've lost about 50lbs in the past 8 months going to the gym. As my knees are knackered, I tend to restrict myself to the cross trainer, and so far it's working well. However, it's getting a bit boring, and I wouldn't mind bulking up slightly at the same time. However, I've always heard that muscle is heavier than fat, and as it can be a real kick in the teeth to work out all week, and not hit one's target, I never really used the weights for fear that it would interfere with my main goal of losing lbs.

Recently though, I heard that one can actually lose weight through weights. Not something that would have been obvious to me. Is it true? Through weights alone? Or in conjunction with cardio? And what would one suggest for me? I tend to go to the gym about 3 times a week. Would it be worth my while to turn one of those sessions into a weights session?

Thanks!

Your calorie deficit will make you lose weight regardless of the exercise you do in those three sessions however weight training can improve your body shape.
I'd actually trade the three cardio sessions for three full body weight training routines based on compound exercises to maintain the muscle mass that you have.

PS: 1lb of muscle weight the same as 1lb of fat

gymsoldier

Zamboni wrote: »

PS: 1lb of muscle weight the same as 1lb of fat

Haha true, but I think OP was trying to refer to the fact that if a quantity of fat and muscle are the same weight, fat will have a larger volume.

Einhard

Zamboni wrote: »

PS: 1lb of muscle weight the same as 1lb of fat

And a tonne of coal is equal to a tonne of feathers!!:eek::P

I was talking about the volume of each.

Spunge

You will gain muscle mass by lifting weights and the right diet, but you will only gain fat if you eat more calories than your burn.

TimeToShine

If you lose weight without building muscle you will be skinnyfat, if you lift weights you'll build muscle which will improve your physique and posture a lot.

opr

Something which hasn't been mentioned is when you increase your muscle mass, you boost your resting metabolism which in turn means your body burns more calories.This is because muscle is ‘metabolically active’ and burns more calories than other body tissue even when you’re not moving.

Opr

Ki ki

My advice, if your main goal is weight loss, is to start your session with weight work, (big moves - dead lift/squats/presses etc.) and then do cardio (30mins MIN). Top up with some protein (any excuse to eat peanut butter, yuuuum!).

I've found since doing this combo my BF% has decreased and my energy level have increased big time.

Good luck in your goals

boomtown84

Spunge wrote: »

You will gain muscle mass by lifting weights and the right diet, but you will only gain fat if you eat more calories than your burn.

Hanley

Something to consider - In his book Escalated Density Training, Charles Staley says that for every pound of muscle you gain, you add 30-40kcals to your daily BMR, and after every lifting session, your BMR stays elevated by 4-7% for the 24-48hr period after the workout finishes.

I don't have the book beside me to look at references, but he's a legit dude, so I'm fairly sure it's true.

Mellor

Einhard wrote: »

And a tonne of coal is equal to a tonne of feathers!!:eek::P

I was talking about the volume of each.

You were talking about density.
But I think everyone knew what you meant.

Transform

Einhard wrote: »

It seems completely counter-intuitive to me that one can lose weight through pumping iron. I've lost about 50lbs in the past 8 months going to the gym. As my knees are knackered, I tend to restrict myself to the cross trainer, and so far it's working well. However, it's getting a bit boring, and I wouldn't mind bulking up slightly at the same time. However, I've always heard that muscle is heavier than fat, and as it can be a real kick in the teeth to work out all week, and not hit one's target, I never really used the weights for fear that it would interfere with my main goal of losing lbs.

Recently though, I heard that one can actually lose weight through weights. Not something that would have been obvious to me. Is it true? Through weights alone? Or in conjunction with cardio? And what would one suggest for me? I tend to go to the gym about 3 times a week. Would it be worth my while to turn one of those sessions into a weights session?

Thanks!

it would be worth your while turning all 3 sessions into a weights session e.g. spending 20-30mins hitting the weights in each session