Im overweight and want to start lifting - a question

[BindMlown]

im 6ft and around 200lbs i want to build mass but i am also wanting to lose fat.
Should i concentrate on building mass then 'cut'? or try and lose weight then lift to build mass? or both?(is that possible) im a complete newby

[anahnymus]

im 6ft and around 200lbs i want to build mass but i am also wanting to lose fat.
Should i concentrate on building mass then 'cut'? or try and lose weight then lift to build mass? or both?(is that possible) im a complete newby

You could can muscle and lose weight at the same time depending on your Body fat % but you will only gain little muscle. Lost weight, Build mass, Cut

[BindMlown]

You could can muscle and lose weight at the same time depending on your Body fat % but you will only gain little muscle. Lost weight, Build mass, Cut

Ok so while im losing weight through a caloric defecit and cardio, lifting weights wont create a lot of mass - so do you think it would be worth doing at all while im losing weight?

[Universal64]

My advice would be to post some pics so we can see where you are at and what kind of build you have then we can give some better advice. Best of luck!

[anahnymus]

Ok so while im losing weight through a caloric defecit and cardio, lifting weights wont create a lot of mass - so do you think it would be worth doing at all while im losing weight?

Lifting weights while on a caloric deficit will help you maintain whatever muscle you have already while losing weight. Light weights would be ideal for this type of program. In order to gain muscle mass not only do you have to intake alot of protein, fat and carbs your caloric intake will be probably double maybe even triple your caloric deficit for losing weight. Its best to diet, exercise (cardio plus weight training) and then began your body transformation (muscle mass) after your desired weight is lost.

Remember the more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism. Thats why just about every single guy on here can eat whatever they want without gaining a single pound.

[BindMlown]

Ok thankyou i will follow the simple weight routine thats stickied at the top of this forum

[otiskii]

Well, I would say lift as heavy as you can. But, since you are new it really won't be that heavy but you'll progress quickly. I've had better luck losing bodyfat by lifting than by cardio alone. In fact my best results were from lifting on a beginner 3 day program and doing cardio right after. I couldn't do that at first but after about 3 weeks I could. So if the workout was 40 minutes I did 20 of cardio. If the workout was 51 then I did 9 cardio. In other words I kept my heartrate up for an hour.

I have only lost a few pounds but if i had before an after pics you would see why. I lost 4% bf in about 2 months and I can tell. So can others. Of course, unlike you, I have another 30% to go but I found this to work best for me instead of 3 days lifting and 3 days cardio with 1 day off.

[xBUSBYx]

You will drop weight just by lifting, period. If you hit the weights hard enough and you workout correctly you will drop weight. If you are looking to get big then the best bet is to try and convert what you have into muscle, its is 10x easier to convert fat to muscle than to gain lean muscle mass. Ive been hard at it about 5 months now and ive lost 30 lbs total and about 10 inces off my waist, if i were to calculate it Ive prolly lost around 60 lbs of fat and I just started doing strict cardio this month.

[BindMlown]

You will drop weight just by lifting, period. If you hit the weights hard enough and you workout correctly you will drop weight. If you are looking to get big then the best bet is to try and convert what you have into muscle, its is 10x easier to convert fat to muscle than to gain lean muscle mass. Ive been hard at it about 5 months now and ive lost 30 lbs total and about 10 inces off my waist, if i were to calculate it Ive prolly lost around 60 lbs of fat and I just started doing strict cardio this month.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=125840373

I was wondering what i should do calorie wise? without putting lifting into the equation if i eat less than 2300 calories i will lose weight - so should i eat at a deficit? should i eat 2300 cals a day or eat even more? and is it 1lb of protein for every 1lb i weigh?

[zephed56]

Ok so while im losing weight through a caloric defecit and cardio, lifting weights wont create a lot of mass - so do you think it would be worth doing at all while im losing weight?

Yes. There is rarely a reason not to lift weights, for anyone. It is good for appearance, health, strength, mobility, injury resistance, joint strength, etc. Just keep on lifting while you're losing weight and don't worry about it not making sense to you.

Lifting weights while on a caloric deficit will help you maintain whatever muscle you have already while losing weight. Light weights would be ideal for this type of program. In order to gain muscle mass not only do you have to intake alot of protein, fat and carbs your caloric intake will be probably double maybe even triple your caloric deficit for losing weight. Its best to diet, exercise (cardio plus weight training) and then began your body transformation (muscle mass) after your desired weight is lost.

Remember the more muscle mass you have the higher your metabolism. Thats why just about every single guy on here can eat whatever they want without gaining a single pound.

1) Wrong. Light weights are really not very useful at all, in any situation. They just don't provide enough of a stimulus. Lifting heavy is important while losing weight, in order to keep strength and provide a stimulus that will make the body adapt by holding on to or adding muscle. If you're a fat rank novice, you will get bigger and better looking muscles while losing weight at the same time. Eventually as you become a more advanced trainee, this won't happen, but it will still be important to lift heavy ass weights while cutting.

2) It's best just to lift heavy ass weights at all times.

3) The increase in metabolic rate due to adding muscle is insignificant. No one should worry about this issue. Get bigger muscles to look better and be stronger. And the last sentence is just utter retardation.

[bigcrita]

im in the same postion man i started to lose the weight and now im gaining muscle and its working

[Koaia]

Welcome to the club, bro. I'm 220 and need to lose weight. I started lifting weights again about one year ago, and I've maintained my bodyweight while getting stronger. I'll start cutting once I achieve my strength goals.

[SuffolkPunch]

Gaining strength and losing fat works until you get down to around 13-16% BF.

Just be vigilant and make sure that you are either losing scale weight or gaining strength. If neither is happening, you are spinning your wheels

[varundbest]

You will drop weight just by lifting, period. If you hit the weights hard enough and you workout correctly you will drop weight. If you are looking to get big then the best bet is to try and convert what you have into muscle, its is 10x easier to convert fat to muscle than to gain lean muscle mass. Ive been hard at it about 5 months now and ive lost 30 lbs total and about 10 inces off my waist, if i were to calculate it Ive prolly lost around 60 lbs of fat and I just started doing strict cardio this month.

So fat is converted into muscles?
I guess protein helps in muscle building and fat can help in getting calories (which are required in this process, otherwise protein will be used to get calories which will be a wastage of protein) while it burns.

[Koaia]

So fat is converted into muscles?
I guess protein helps in muscle building and fat can help in getting calories (which are required in this process, otherwise protein will be used to get calories which will be a wastage of protein) while it burns.

No, I don't think that fat can be converted into muscle tissue.

[varundbest]

No, I don't think that fat can be converted into muscle tissue.

So what i am saying is correct?

[SuffolkPunch]

No, I don't think that fat can be converted into muscle tissue.

It can insofar as fat cells can supply energy to support hypertrophy. Whether the body will do that or not depends on hormones - most people's bodies will not allow this if they are already quite lean.

[Nick1971]

IMO, 6' and 200lbs isn't a bad weight. You could maintain your weight, but train solidly for a couple years, and totally change your physique. Also, the process of adding muscle over time will have you burning more calories over time. Not just from the workouts you do, but from the extra muscle you'll be carrying down the road. Someething to think about.