Did you notice a difference with strength training?
I can't remember if I noticed a difference in my weight loss last time when I added in strength training. I'm going to continue ST anyway but I'm just curious, did you notice a difference in your weight loss when you added in strength training?
Many people find that WEIGHT loss slows when beginning strength training. In part, it can be because your muscles retain water. And if you're doing it right, you will gain some muscle mass (though you need to eat right, too, and even then, women don't bulk up like men).
When I first started lifting seriously, I didn't lose any weight for the first few months, but went down a size in clothing. I had lost FAT but gained MUSCLE. A pound of muscle is much smaller than a pound of fat, so that's why I went down a size.
So, it's not about your overall weight, but about body composition.
Muscle is also more metabolically active than fat, meaning that every pound of muscle burns a few calories a day...
I've been noticing more of a difference in my endurance. The strength training exercises that I was doing before are coming easier, and I'm able to hold a plank longer, do more reps, etc.
I'm also noticing a slight difference in my arms, that as the weight is leaving the muscle is showing through a little more
I haven't been back it very long, but I got my leg "dimple" back. This excited me because it's where the leg "line" used to be at the IT band are.
Back when I was fitter I had a well defined line and more cut quads from biking and the gym.
I know from the past the dimple will get deeper and turn into a line the more I stick with it. So... I don't much care that my weight is creeping along slowly.
Well it depends on what you want. If you want to simply weigh less, then weight training may not be what you want, as muscle weighs more than fat. But if you want to lose fat and be healthy and look hot, then sure - doing weight training is great! I'm not sure if doing powerlifting to build strength will help so much, as most powerlifters are chubby. But if you were to take up a body builder's routine, which has little to do with strength, then I'm sure it'll help you to lose weight. Just be sure to focus on the larger muscle groups and do compound exercises.
Definitely NOT on the scale. It does not speed up the scale. But I definitely notice the difference in tone. And I especially love how much easier it is to do every day tasks like unload the groceries, load the car for a trip, and basically for lugging around anything. When I was at my peak a few years ago, I felt awesome to be able to really help DH move some furniture around as a near equal partner instead of the whiner I usually am. (You don't understand....I'm a woman...I'm smaaaaaaaller. )
I'm not strength training this time around yet, but I did notice things getting more toned and smaller when I have. (Especially my thighs and tush!) But if you add weight lifting to your routine then I would suggest you focus more on your measurements than your weight. Because as others have said more muscle = more weight. It does help with fat reduction and slimming and that is what we all really want right? Weight-schmeight.
I'm not sure honestly why anybody wouldn't want to do it. Yes it might slow weight loss, but it does not slow fat loss.
I did not want a shrunken version of my old body, I wanted a body with new proportions. I would much rather be 200 and well built than 180 and skinny fat.
I'm not saying that everybody should try to build a ton of muscle and get "ripped", but I think strength training should be a part of everyone's routine whether man or woman.
One thing I credit strength training with is that it seems that if I do slip up or even choose to maintain for a while, I seem to have a bit more leeway in maintaining my weight.
You won't see it on the scale but what a difference does it makes in your body compsition. A good sample I have a freind same height and she is two pounds less then me but I look a lot smaller then her and my pants size is also smaller then hers..
I was planning on getting to a healthy BMI, which for me is loosing about 30 pounds and then adding weight training. I'm afraid that intense exercise is going to increase my appetite. I guess I was thinking that at that point I would be at a "healthy" weight and I could work on cosmetic improvements like getting rid of the turkey wings that my arms are turning into with age.
I only do a little bit of strength training as part of an exercise dvd (unable to get to the gym at the moment) but I'm one of those people who builds muscle more easily. In the past I've only done cardo. Like the others have said yes it can make you heavier due to muscle being heavier than fat and due to water retention (especially when just starting). I find I lose weight differently when strength training - maybe none for a couple of weeks followed by a whoosh whiel with just cardio I tend to lose the same amount most weeks.
I also find if I've been doing plenty of strength training if I stop for some reason, eg. holiday I do still lose weight for the following week or two (eg last yera we were away for 2 and a half weeks, eating at maintainance yet lost 4lb).
It depends what you want - I will never look skinny due to my build so would like to imrpove my shape with more strength training. The fat will come off which is the main thing rather than the end goal weight. I like the muscular weight I'm slowly developing (some of it's still hidden by fat) so recomend adding some strength training I'm hoping to get to the gym at some point when my youngest daughter is full time at school.
I was planning on getting to a healthy BMI, which for me is loosing about 30 pounds and then adding weight training. I'm afraid that intense exercise is going to increase my appetite. I guess I was thinking that at that point I would be at a "healthy" weight and I could work on cosmetic improvements like getting rid of the turkey wings that my arms are turning into with age.
A lot of people take this route. I was going to do that as well. I was losing weight really well, 30 lbs in two months. Then I saw a couple people on here who were the same height, weighed the same but one was wearing 10's, the other was wearing 14's. The one in 10's was strength training. That's all I needed to hear.
Something else that changed my mind was learning that as we lose weight, as much as 40% can be muscle loss, not fat loss. By weight training our goal is not so much to gain muscle as just to retain it.
Oh yes I did. I did 80 pounds easily with cardio and strength. The second time, I did just cardio. I had NO inch lost at all. This time I will focus on strength and add cardio when I feel like it since I get 10,000 steps at work usually.
Did you notice a difference with strength training?
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I'm hoping to get to the gym at some point when my youngest daughter is full time at school.
