I want to build muscle to be a more efficient calorie burner. But I want to know if its effective in weight loss... toning would be nice too but I have more weight to lose before I do that.
I am wondering about this as well. I have decided to try weight training 3x a week in addition to the elliptical/walking to see if it might help help me get my metabolism going as I am stalling and gaining/loosing the same 2 lbs right now (after gaining back almost 15 of the 40 I lost! )
I am hoping that building muscle will make me burn more even at rest, which might help me out.
Of course I also realize that weight training is something I really should incorporate into my routine for general fitness. I think being stronger would be good, especially my arms, I am so weak there! I am a little ways from being able to really see the effects of toning. I am still working on the cardio and building up time there.
I have been weight training and it is very effective for weightloss in my experience. I do some of everything, slowly increasing the weight that I use, and I have a personal trainer who gives me a new programme every 4 months or so so I switch it up. It builds muscle, which increases your "fat burning engine" essentially. So when you're sitting around not working out, you're burning more the more muscle you have.
I cant get my exact stats right now because they are on my other computer whose battery and power cord have died, but in the first month or so that I started seriously doing weights I took at least an inch and a half off my waist. It also helped break my plateau i think. So in my opinion it is great for weight loss. And it makes the gym more fun
If you arent sure what to do, ask at your gym to get someone to show you, they should be happy to. My gym does a "gym explorer" that goes around, showing you how to use the weight machines and gives you a workout at the same time. Or if that doesnt appeal many gyms have weights classes which are fun, and you can learn a lot about technique and eventually apply that to the machines on your own when you feel comfortable. Just dont be afraid to ask for help! Theres no sense in injuring yourself because you were embarassed to check
Last edited by Iconised Ghost; 03-31-2010 at 12:09 AM.
I have included weight training in my workouts since I started working out, and I think it's a large part of my success. My plan now involves three days of weight training (sometimes with light cardio like swimming), three days of jogging, and a day of Pilates. I've used free weights and resistance bands, but my favorite is definitely machines! The gym I go to has awesome instructions on every machine, as well as detailed pictures of what muscles are worked
In 12 weeks, I have lost 19 lbs. and 5.5" off my waist!
Last edited by stella1609; 03-31-2010 at 12:15 AM.
Weight training is ESSENTIAL to weight loss. I mean, normal BMI people have a layer of fat covering their muscles. We have a WAY bigger layer. Muscle sits there and burns more calories than fat. Plus, your body has to rebuild it each time your tear the muscle fibers, so more calories there. And, if you do body weights (squats, push-ups, pull-ups, tricep dips, lunges, etc.), you'll FOR SURE get your cardio in.
But, there's effective weight training and ineffective. If you're new to it, I'd recommend getting a trainer, just for proper form. You don't want injuries.
And, you might not see a loss in the scale every week, because muscle weighs more than fat. I have to keep telling myself this last part over and over because I get pretty discouraged when I don't lose a lot (or my GAIN last week) but in the last two weeks, my muscle percentage has increased by 2%.
Cool. I am going to do weigh training today at the gym. I go to a college gym so there really aren't any trainers or anything. I think I will do two or three rounds on all the machines and then maybe 15 min on the bike or something. Than when I get home I can make a more detailed plan. My weight loss has started to slow down a lot and hopefully this will speed things up a bit.
Sounds good. I'm sure there must be someone there for safety reasons? Either way, the machines are pretty simple and there are instructions on them most of the time- you can come back and google instructions on proper posture etc on the ones you like
You'll be fine without a trainer. I started out at my college gym—nearly 20 years ago now. I have been lifting ever since, and while I have never had a trainer, I am constantly complimented on my perfect form.
When I started out I read books. Now there's the Internet for form instruction. So you will do just fine.
It's important to learn about perfect form. It's useless to lift and do it incorrectly because you risk injury. If you CAN learn from a book and what not, that's the best, but a trainer can check your form for you. Or if you have a friend who you know is doing everything correctly (my friend does deadlifts incorrectly but won't listen to me when I correct him), then it's helpful when you're starting.
I would suggest not only doing the machines but free weights and body weight. Machines limit your range of motion and you aren't using all your core stabilizers. Squatting and lunges are SO good for you.
As for whether it helps with your metabolism or not, I am 5' 3 1/2" and 113 and I can eat between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day without gaining weight. I attribute that largely to weight training, as my metabolism was normal before I started lifting. I also burn quite a bit at the gym, but I only go three days a week, so muscle is also responsible for my metabolism.
In addition, I found it very easy to go from 129 to 113. I never stalled, and it took only three months eating 1,500 to 1,800 every day. I know that isn't gong to be true for everyone, but it does, in my opinion, suggest that muscle is effective for weight loss.
weight training....?
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