??s RE: Weights for weightloss

Underground S&C Underground
1

Whats up guys. I want to start going back to the gym mainly to lose some weight. I plan on eating smarter and doing some cardio but my question is regarding my weight routine. Im thinking for weight loss you want to go lower weight/higher reps. Am I right in this assumption?

Also should I go for a whole body workout like a circuit or stick to the normal 1 or 2 bodyparts per workout.

The latter is the way I have always worked out but I have not always wanted this same goal. I have in my mind to maybe do a 40 minute nonstop whole body light weight, high rep workout.
Kinda like cardio and weights in one.

Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated.

2

There is no need to do a light weight workout. I am guessing you want to lose some fat, not just any weight.

So...lift hard and heavy and clean up your eating.

Lose fat not muscle.

TAKU

3

Thanks for the reply Taku, I would like to get down to 205 (230 now) I was just thinking that(the heavy lifting)would still keep my weight up. The whole muscle weighs more than fat thing.

And should I switch that up after a few weeks or just keep going heavy?

4

"The whole muscle weighs more than fat thing."

Muscle does not weigh more then fat because a pound is a pound. Muscle is more dense then fat so a pound of muscle takes up less space.

As I said, lose fat not muscle. Otherwise you are a smaller fat guy.

TAKU

5

Weights can be used for fat loss, if used for conditioning purposes.

Using some of Bob Gajda's PHA training ideas as a base, when I do complexes (which I've been doing a lot of in the past year or so), I like to keep the weight high, and reps low to medium, and rest periods short. Cycle 4-6 exercises with reps of only 5-8.

Check out Coach John Davies' "Bear" program. Go to Renegade Training.com and find his article on it and the "1:2, 2:1, 1:3, 3:1" training protocol. It's a great mix.

Wiggy

6

Taku speaks the truth.

When I first started working out I went from 225 to 195 using just a stationary bike. I still had a pear shaped body it was just a smaller pear.

After hitting the weights I actually lost real fat and look and feel way better.

7

I have had good success losing fat with a proper weight training routine. I do a very intense circuit type of workout with lots of compound movements 2x per week, this combined with some good cardio in the form of spin classes and bike riding outside has helped me lose 15% of my body fat while losing around 10 lbs. I started in September. I am a big guy, 5'9" 260 so i had a lot to lose but it has worked for me.

I have also been told about the positive effects on your metablolism via having more muscle.

8

Here's some great figures from the T-Nation site.

Cardio at a decent pace burns about 10 calories per minute more than sleeping during the excercise and virtually nothing the rest of the day.

Sitting on your arse watching TV burns about 2 calories per minute more than sleeping during the 'excercise' and virtually nothing extra the rest of the day.

Therefore you burn almost as many calories by getting up an hr earlier each day and watching TV as you would doing 30 mins of cardio 3 times per week.

I thought that was fun anyway.

The point being that lifting decent weights for 45 mins will have you burning calories all day!