Burn Fat & Build Muscle - High Rep/Lt Weight & Low Rep/Hvy Weight In Same Week?

[imposslimbo]

My main priority is to burn a lot of fat, but I also don't want to lose any muscle or strength? Will doing 2 days high rep/low weight and 1 day low rep/heavy weight with cardio in between days allow me to burn the fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible? I'm doing a full body routine 3 days a week, mixing it up as described in the previous sentence. Ideally, I would like to gain muscle and strength while burning fat, but is that even possible? I have to burn this fat before anything else so if all that is possible is maintaining muscle and strength, I'll gladly take that. I just don't want to lose any muscle or strength. Also, I'm not a bodybuilder or looking to body build, fat loss is my main goal with some muscle gain or at the very least maintenance. Thank you!

P.S. As the fat has been dropping, I have noticed a slight decline in strength. That's what prompted me to ask questions. The loss in strength is discouraging though the visible results in the mirror are encouraging. I thought possibly it could be from muscle fatigue, 3 days lifting, 3 days cardio for a total of 6 days working out every week. I rested for 2 days doing nothing and did an active recovery day of light cardio, yet my strength didn't increase back to previous levels. I should note that when I first started my current routine, I had a big spike in strength then it declined but not back to where it was before I started working out. So overall I'm still stronger than before I started, but have come down from a peek I experienced about 5 or 6 weeks ago.

Any help, advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[napa1m]

If I were you I would train exactly like I train in offseason. I dont see any reasons to train differently when dieting than when bulking. Maybe a little less volume though as you dont want to get burned out.

The strength drop is normal but thats because you re not eating those extra calories you used to eat

[imposslimbo]

If I were you I would train exactly like I train in offseason. I dont see any reasons to train differently when dieting than when bulking. Maybe a little less volume though as you dont want to get burned out.

The strength drop is normal but thats because you re not eating those extra calories you used to eat

Thanks. I've heard many times "lower the weight and increase the number of reps" for fat burning workouts, "increase the weight and decrease the number of reps" for bulking workouts. Is that not true? Also, I think you're right about the missing calories having an impact. Maybe I can add more lean meat and complex carbs (vegetables and whole grains) to up my calories a bit without adding back fat or simple carbs like sugar. That might help me maintain strength while continuing to burn fat. But again I don't want to gain a lot of muscle, I'm actually aiming for a net weight loss of burning a lot of fat and either maintaining or adding just a little bit of muscle.

Any more advice on fat burning workouts that help maintain muscle?

[Vaylor]

Thanks. I've heard many times "lower the weight and increase the number of reps" for fat burning workouts, "increase the weight and decrease the number of reps" for bulking workouts. Is that not true? Also, I think you're right about the missing calories having an impact. Maybe I can add more lean meat and complex carbs (vegetables and whole grains) to up my calories a bit without adding back fat or simple carbs like sugar. That might help me maintain strength while continuing to burn fat. But again I don't want to gain a lot of muscle, I'm actually aiming for a net weight loss of burning a lot of fat and either maintaining or adding just a little bit of muscle.

Any more advice on fat burning workouts that help maintain muscle?

This is false.

Gaining muscle is about eating at a calorie surplus and increasing the weight of your lifts over time.
Losing fat is about maintaining the weight you were using during your bulking phase with less reps and sets as well as eating at a calorie deficit.

[imposslimbo]

This is false.

Gaining muscle is about eating at a calorie surplus and increasing the weight of your lifts over time.
Losing fat is about maintaining the weight you were using during your bulking phase with less reps and sets as well as eating at a calorie deficit.

Wow, this is the first place I've heard it put like that. I've always gotten the opposite advice and for a long time I've believed that high rep equals fat burn while heavy weight equals muscle growth.


Furthermore I've always been told that longer cardio (45 minutes to an hour) is for fat burn and shorter cardio (30 minutes) is for when you are trying to bulk. The two seemed to go hand in hand, high reps and longer cardio for fat burn; heavier weight and shorter cardio for stacking on the muscle. It sounds logical. *shoulder shrug*

[Ralikar]

My sig link 1/2.

You can't effectively do both. The bb.com diet is for 1-2 pounds/week to retain muscle -- if you want to drop some/a lot of weight do the math it will take a year+. IMO cardio your ass off, eat a HEATHY amount of food like 2000/2500 (sig) and get a huge caloric deficit and cut the fat off first, suck up the strength loss and move to a bb/com diet/lifting plan. -1000 cal/day=2 pounds a week, more will cut fat much faster with some muscle. Pound out the cardio and just do 1bp/day with strip sets: chest bench 200, strip to 190, strip 180, 170, 160 and done in 5 min. Weightlifting on a huge deficit will fatigue you, you won't retain the muscle and it's a waste of the cals you could be burning doing cardio or long biking/walking sessions. Ramp up the cal burning, DON'T drop cals too low in food and worry about lifts/strength later. You're wasting time/efforts trying for both at once.

[Vaylor]

Wow, this is the first place I've heard it put like that. I've always gotten the opposite advice and for a long time I've believed that high rep equals fat burn while heavy weight equals muscle growth.


Furthermore I've always been told that longer cardio (45 minutes to an hour) is for fat burn and shorter cardio (30 minutes) is for when you are trying to bulk. The two seemed to go hand in hand, high reps and longer cardio for fat burn; heavier weight and shorter cardio for stacking on the muscle. It sounds logical. *shoulder shrug*

The only thing cardio does is burn calories and help improve cardio fitness.