Gym & weights

[Buster1234]

I know that they say lifting heavy weights is better than cardio if I want to lose a bit of weight, but I don't get how.
I'm just looking to lose a "few" lbs aka about 3 stone but (and this isn't intended to be offensive to anyone but just an observation) I see a lot of bigger folks lifting weights, some of which i know personally who have always been big and still are...despite the length of time lifting these weights, i.e one is even a powerlifter but then I see the ones on insta who have shed a tonne and are now skinny minnies? Do I need to be doing cardio (other than walking) to see results??

Thanks, I'm a bit clueless really!!

Muscle burns calories even when you aren’t doing anything. So building muscle is good.

Cardio has its place, but cardio is very good at burning the most available energy sources. So if you do a load of cardio and hardly eat anything, it will burn muscle. So lots of people who eat nothing and do cardio end up with very little muscle tone and are “skinny fat”.

Cardio IS brilliant in lots of ways. Do HIIT or walking combined with heavy weights and you’ll get that nice defined “toned” look people like.

Lifters who care about what they lift rather than what they look like can be on the large side, because they will eat to fuel muscle growth and that generally means eating in a slight calorie surplus, which means you put on a bit of fat along with the muscle. Even bodybuilders, who need to be lean for competition, will generally run "bulk" cycles where they eat in a calorie surplus, and then run a "cut" prior to competition to get the fat layer off. For them it's the most efficient way of getting where they need to be.

You really need to find what works for you. Resistance training is fantastically good for you in many ways. Muscle is your friend and weights help strengthen your bones. Cardio can make some people ravenously hungry - if you eat back all your lost calories you're no further forward.

Muscle is much denser than fat, too, so someone with a lot of muscle will look in better shape than someone of the same weight who has mainly fat. And unless you care about the number on the scale, I'm guessing what you actually want to lose is size, not necessarily weight. Building muscle helps with that.

If you want to lose a bit of weight then look at your diet first and exercise second.

Maybe the bigger people lifting weights aren't trying to lose weight.

Do I need to be doing cardio (other than walking) to see results??

Cardio's good for your lungs & heart.

But losing 3 stone will be about diet. Everything else - lifting, cardio - will help you develop & harden up your muscles.

But you can't out train a bad diet.

You need to sort out a programme for calorie deficit - consistently over each week, consume fewer calories than you expend.

I find I need to use my FitBit app to record what I eat, and I'm accountable to myself to stay in the calorie deficit I'm aiming for (500 cals per day).

I'm already counting the calories with nutracheck but haven't had a lose in well over a month so is why I'm back at the exercise! It's so frustrating 😤

Thanks all for the advice so far!

Forget lifting heavy weights for now.

Get a personal trainer to show you exercises with weights that will give you muscle tone.

You will do things like triceps raises and dips. bicep curls, chest flyes, chest raises, squats and lunges. You will probably start off with small weights, but you'll soon move on to bigger ones, and you will see results.

I'd also look at pilates, body pump and spinning.

You won't lose weight from exercise alone, but a careful eating routine and a toned body will help you feel better about your weight and you will look better too.

Eat a calorie controlled diet, @KerryLacy.

Exercise will help you look and feel better.

You will do things like triceps raises and dips. bicep curls, chest flyes, chest raises, squats and lunges. You will probably start off with small weights, but you'll soon move on to bigger ones, and you will see results

In fact, you can achieve a lot just with body weight exercises, no weights. If you're 3 stone overweight that's just under 20 kg. That's the weight of a proper bar bell, without added weights, so if you're just squatting with body weight, it's the equivalent of me doing my warm up squats with just the bar (which is how I do warm up for lifting heavier weights - I then go up to squat around 40 to 50 kg in training).

Working on press ups, and plank, and squats and lunges, even without extra weights, will start to tone your muscles, and help you with achieving a calorie deficit.

Also, muscle is more dense than fat, so your overall measurements may reduce, while your weight stays much the same.

Have you got a CrossFit gym by you?

It’s a combination of weights and cardio and is the best thing I ever did exercise wise. You can scale it to any ability.

With the weight training the results are quick. You could see results after as few as 4 or 6 classes. You do the exercises every other day.

You can do them at home using a small plastic bottle of water as a weight, but going to a class or PT two or three times a week is better, and you cannot miss a class because it will be so much harder the next time.

But you can't out train a bad diet

This is often trotted out on these threads (and by some PTs to be fair) and it's just not true.
Define "bad diet." And define what you mean by "train."
For example, you can't "out train" a daily takeaway with a daily Bodybalance class. But you can "out train" a daily chocolate bar with a daily 5 mile run.

It's about calories in vs calories out, but also more than that. Exercise is good for your mental health, builds muscle, and keeps your body fit and well. So there are myriad benefits to running/cycling/walking and eating a little more to fuel that, compared to being sedentary and on a restricted diet.

From a pure calorie POV though, as an average height, average build woman I burn around 100 calories per mile I run. I stay a size 8-10 through running and the odd bit of cycling/walking/gym classes, while also enjoying the occasional takeaway and liking a pudding.
The truth is, most people aren't prepared to exercise enough to out train their diets, but it can be done. You just need to get used to getting up before dawn to run!

In short...
Any exercise will burn calories. Muscle tissue burns fat whilst you're resting.
It's about calorie defecit... eat less calories move more.
If it's not working reduce by 100 - 300 calories per day.
Don't eat less than 500 calories per day unless you're fasting
Be patient... it takes time.
Quick weight loss = quick weight gain
Slow and steady wins the race
I'm a qualified PT ... good luck 👏

@KerryLacy, you do a few sets of exercises very slowly using the heaviest dumbbells you can manage. You could do 10 or 20 minutes a day, or 40 mins 3 times a week, leaving a day between exercising each body part.
You need to do the opposite muscles to the ones that you use in daily life. For example, your biceps might be strong from things like lifting your toddler, but the triceps might be less used, so you do both and soon have defined arms.

I would recommend:
chest raises, chest flyes,
triceps raises and dips, bicep curls
squats and lunges
calf raises
Plank
Crunches

If you don't know what you are doing, you could hurt yourself so a PT is recommended.

Hi Kerry, If you want to have a go, get two identical weights - water bottles will do to start with. Look up the exercises online and you'll find videos. You won't bulk up, just toned.

Do three slow sets of eight of each. Be very careful, and if you can, stand where you can see yourself in a mirror.
Don't use heavy weights if you are on your own, in case you drop it.

Don't be distraught if you find it hard. You will be working muscles that don't get used as much as others.

If you are doing crunches, make sure that it's your tummy you are crunching not your neck.

If you do it properly, you will know about it in a couple of days.

The good bit is the 'burn' - you get a warm feeling in your muscles.

Les Mills body pump is what you should try. It's a weights class (mostly women at my gym) and it really burns the calories and tones. They have an app so you can do it at home as well with a couple of weights (or filled 4 pint milk containers etc😁)

Lifting weights isn’t better if you want to lose weight.

However.....if you’re goal is fat loss rather than weight loss lifting weights is incredibly important. Generally, an individual will lose about 75% of their weight as fat and 25% as muscle. If your goal is fat loss than you can decrease the amount of muscle loss by lifting weights and eating enough protein. This is the effect that you are looking for if you want to be “toned” rather than “skinny fat”. The metabolic impact of having more muscle mass is negligible. A pound of muscle only burns about 5 calories a day.

The benefit of cardio for weight loss is that it increases calorie deficit. And honestly, for optimal results you want to do both. Lifting weights requires skill though so you will need to learn how to do it properly to get results. If you are looking for a good body weight program (for free) I would suggest the Nerd Fitness one. It’s very accessible and easy to progress.

This is often trotted out on these threads (and by some PTs to be fair) and it's just not true.
Define "bad diet." And define what you mean by "train."

@fellrunner85 if the OP says she's about 3 stone (20 kilos) overweight, then there's obviously a problem with diet, in that there's a regular excess of calories ingested over calories expended. So your example, as someone who is clearly very active, and not in the least overweight, is not a good one.

A "bad" diet is too many "empty" calories which aren't of the best nutritional value, usually. At a guess, too many refined or processed foods which have a lot of hidden carbohydrates (such as fructose - corn syrup, for example).

Yes, if you are capable of running/walking long distances and do it regularly, this will keep weight in control, as the exercise will balance the calorie intake (and overuse injuries are not likely to occur). But for someone quite overweight, attention to calorie intake is usually very necessary, and it's not helpful to think otherwise.

You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. How you achieve that is up to you. There is no special type of exercise that makes people thinner than another - people in calorie deficit will lose weight and people who aren't will not.