Posted: 5/29/2006 9:28:08 PM EDT
| Why is this recommended? I see everywhere people recommend to strength train while on a weight loss plan. My understanding of strength training is that you build muscle by eating more calories than you burn (Why body builders and power lifters eat thousands of calories a day). So I was thinking that while on a calorie restricted diet, doing cardio and lifting weights you would actually lose muscle mass. What is the real answer here? People also claim that if you don't strength train while losing weight you will lose muscle mass. How is this possible, if at all? |
When you limit your caloric intake your body saves fuel (fat). To keep it running it uses 'nonessential' material (muscle) for fuel. To keep this from happenning you need to convince your body that the muscle tissue IS important, thus lifting heavy shit. Also, it costs your body more to run muscle tissue (on a cellular level) than fat. Lean muscle burns calories which ultimately assists in weightloss. Strength training is always a good thing, diet or not. |
what are you doing by tearing down your muscles (when strength training) and not receiving adequate nutrition (not enough calories, protein)? |
| You will burn muscle first if you dont lift. Scientific fact. You will grow less or even get smaller and weaker when dieting and lifting. However if you dont lift your muscle will whither away to nothing pronto and your BMR will be totally whacked and you will gain back your weight if you go back to eating normal calories after the diet. DONT LIFT HIGH REPS EITHER. Lift HEAVY. |
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Being on a diet doesn't mean eating a stick of celery a day. If you just upped your excercise (calorie burn) per day i.e. lifted waits and perform cardio-resperitory excercise you could probably eat the same as you are before the diet...maybe change out some junk food for more nutritional but that isn't necessarily a factor in simply dropping pounds... Key note: being healthy and being fit (or having fitness) are two different things. Just work out more and you'll drop the fat. |
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Building muscle means you burn more calories. While doing a lifting/carido/eating routine you could easily gain weight, but lose fat and be more slim. I am 6'0" 193 pounds now and have a smaller waist and am more trim than when I was 173 pounds before I started lifting and eating better. Don't let the scale fool you. |