Lifting weights and fat loss

[jwpjr]

Hey all,

So I’m looking for a little advice.

I seem to go up and down with fat loss. Never ever lift when losing weight, mostly cardio and some body weight stuff.

I know the advantages of lifting weights for fat loss, but every time I start using weights, I hurt myself and derail my whole program.

I should say I’m not seriously hurting myself, but what happens (for example) is that I’ll find a workout on BodySpace, go to the gym, and complete the workout. The next day I’m sore. Like really really sore. I know soreness comes with working out, but this lasts a couple of days and when I go for my next workout (after a rest day) I’m so dang sore that i can barely lift a thing.

I’m pretty sure I’m not lifting too much. I can get through 3 sets 8-10 reps on each workout just fine, and I always feel good when I leave the gym.

Could it be my form? Maybe I’m not doing the excercises right. Maybe it’s what I’m eating afterwards/before? Does food pre/post workout really make that much of a difference?

Thanks for reading this long post. Any advice would be appreciated. I’ve never been the best with weights and I’d love to get better.

[spradish]

It's not your food. It's either your form or the weight you're lifting (overdoing it as a beginner) or you're being a bit of a baby about being sore. Starting and stopping is not going to help either.

Get on a good program that starts you with a weight that allows you to practice good form and then follow the progression as written. If the program doesn't tell you what weight to start with, I'd probably use 80-90% of what you think you should use, simply because of your history of feeling too sore and quitting. Even if that is lower than necessary, a beginner program would have you adding weight frequently enough that a few sessions with too little weight isn't a big deal.

[jwpjr]

Thanks for the reply.

Maybe I am lifting too much. I just know that when I’m in the gym lifting, the amount of weight feels perfect. If I go any less, it really feels like I’m doing nothing of benefit.

I’ll try and find a good program and go at 80-90% of what I think is good, and I’ll try and progress from there.

Thanks again!

[JSim83]

You'll get pretty nasty DOMS if you are new to lifting or start lifting after a break. If the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is your issue as it sounds, just start training very lightly and gradually start going heavier. You need to accept that especially at the beginning there will be some muscle soreness no matter what. In my experience the more often you lift the less soreness is in your muscles in the long run. Therefore I would suggest to you that you start doing some full body workout with relatively light weights paying extra attention to right form. The muscle soreness issues should be gone in couple of weeks if you stick with it.

EDIT: just to add to this, you can find some beginner workout programs from the Workout Programs section: https://forum.bodybuilding.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8

[Mario875]

As above really, you need to man up a bit. What you are experiencing is known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which is 100% normal and happens to EVERYONE. Do a google search on DOMS for more info if you like.

However there is not much you can do. As you get stronger and more used to the training your body will adapt and it won't be so bad, but it will never 100% go away. Also, certain supplements like Omega-3's from fish oil (specifically EPA & DHA Omega-3's) have been shown to aid muscle recovery and reduce soreness. So that might help a little, but it will never get rid of all your pain. Again, stretching after or foam rolling after exercising can help, but you will always, always, always have some pain.

So really....just deal with it, stop making excuses and keep doing.

Oh, and this is why people train different body parts on different days, because if they split their muscle groups into 3 days, they won't be re-working the same muscles until the following week. So on Wednesday their arms and chest might be sore from the workout on Monday, but it's fine because they will work legs on Wednesday to give their arms and chest time to recover until next Monday.

[xsquid99]

You'll get pretty nasty DOMS if you are new to lifting or start lifting after a break. If the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is your issue as it sounds, just start training very lightly and gradually start going heavier. You need to accept that especially at the beginning there will be some muscle soreness no matter what. In my experience the more often you lift the less soreness is in your muscles in the long run. Therefore I would suggest to you that you start doing some full body workout with relatively light weights paying extra attention to right form. The muscle soreness issues should be gone in couple of weeks if you stick with it.

This is pretty much spot on. If you went from lifting no weights at all to doing 8-10 reps to failure or near failure you can expect some massive amounts of soreness in the beginning. When I first started I just wanted to curl up in the fetal position the next day, but after a few weeks of continuous lifting the DOMS wasn't nearly as bad. Now I actually look forward to it, it lets me know that what I am doing is working.