The gym & weight loss question

[KatieRabbit]

Can anyone help me please? I am trying to get fit, and healthier and lose weight. I have been jogging but then it got too hot so I joined the gym 6 weeks ago. I really love weights but not so keen on cardio at the gym (but love jogging etc outside but haven't in 6 weeks). My problem seems to be the slowing down on weight loss. I didn't get my measurements taken which I should have but will next time but I was wondering how resistance training helps move fat. I have asked 3 instructors at the gym and they have given me 3 diff answers. I want to know if weights will help move fat? Thanks in advance...

[kristy J]

for me when i used to go to the gym every day (lol many years ago) i always did the body pump class with the weights and thats when i lost the most weight. one instructor got me onto it cause he said i was fat / fit. meaning i could run a long way but still fat. a low carb diet and body pump helped me to lose weight. man i would kill to look like that again lol im too lazy these days.

but that was years ago.

[paradise lost]

When you use your muscles you use the energy stored in them (glycogen). In order to replace that energy (which your body does continuously every time you move, lift, whatever) you need calories. Your body will either use what is in your system (excess blood glucose) or, if there isn't any excess, will access your fat stores to replenish your muscles.

In addition it costs more calories for your body to maintain muscle than for it to maintain fat (the magic of fat, from an physiological POV, is that it's easy to store, provides insulation, and costs little from the body to maintain, all of which is v. handy if you're about to face a long lean winter in an unheated cave). So the more you lift the higher muscle mass you will have (women tend to find it very hard to "bulk up" because growing bigger muscles depends rather heavily on androgens which women have in sparse supply, so you end up toned and strong rather than bulky) and the higher muscle mass you have the more calories you can eat without gaining weight.

Resistance exercise is what your body is built to do and it's extremely good for you. It's great for your muscles, your bone density, the cardiovascular systems and it lowers stress levels.

Bx

[KatieRabbit]

Thanks Hoobley and Kristy.
Hoobley:

the more calories you can eat without gaining weight

But will weight loss occur even if I am on a restricted calorie diet (not too restricted- weight watchers)? I know I have increased lean muscle mass but still unsure if despite being toned, I will eventually weigh less kilos on the scales? Thanks again.

[paradise lost]

That depends on how much you weigh now, how much you have to lose. If you only have 4kg to lose and work very hard at weights it is theoretically possible you could end up the same weight but much smaller and more toned. If you have more than a few kg to lose it's unlikely that you wouldn't lose weight too. It would be very hard for a woman to gain 20kg of muscle for example.

Weight is not a problem, excess fat is. Being 80kg with a bodyfat % of 20% is incredibly healthy. Bing 81kg with a bodyfat % of 35% is not. The number of kg isn't an issue, only the composition is.

If you're doing WW i'd suggest you tell the leader you're engaging in a resistance-based exercise programme and ask them to either measure your bodyfat (there are a number of ways to do it but it needs to be done in the same way by the same person each time because the margin of error can be broad if they mix methods/measurers) or use a tape measure to take bust, waist, hip and upper arm and thigh measurements to monitor your loss as well as weighing you - they will show the real situation when the scales aren't. Stay focused on your goal, to lose FAT, not just weight.

Muscles need water to repair themselves. This can be slight or marked. For example the day after a long run (15-20km) i can weigh as much as 4kg extra, my muscles grab as much water as possible to repair themselves, but it comes off over the following few days. These things need to be borne in mind if you're doing a difficult weights session or running a long way the day before a weigh-in.

Bx

[KatieRabbit]

Excellent information thanks Hoobley. It is all much clearer to me now. I have about 5 kilo to go to get to my goal weight but I realise that I may be smaller but not weigh less. I am sure I had my body fat measured at the gym 6 weeks ago so I will check that again and get on with my measurements. thanks again for your invaluable help!

[belfie]

interesting thread - i just googled it, because I've always had a fuzzy understanding of why it's good, but i wanted to better clarify my thoughts... found the following (which I've cut a smidge, but sums up my vague thoughts in a coherent way, and is along the same lines as what's been previously said);

Cardiovascular exercise on machines such as treadmills and exercise bikes burns more calories than lifting weights, so is it just a waste of gym time to add strength training to your workout?
The simple answer is no. Working your muscles as well as your heart and lungs can improve your health and help you drop a clothes size faster.

"I only exercise to lose weight and get thinner. I can burn far more calories doing light cardiovascular work than heavy lifting, shouldn't I just stick to the treadmill?"

• While cardiovascular exercise is a great way of burning the fat, adding a little strength training to your workouts will earn you extra calories every day. You'll even be burning extra calories while you're sleeping or sitting on the couch watching Eastenders.
• Aerobic exercise may burn a few hundred extra calories for dinner, but for every additional pound of muscle you gain, your body burns around 50 extra calories every day of the week.
• Research has shown that regular resistance training can increase your Basal Metabolic Rate by up to 15%. So for someone burning 2000 calories per day, that's a potential 300 extra calories, more than a Mars bar, burned every single day.
• Do not be disheartened if initially you seem to be staying at the same weight or gaining slightly.
• Muscle weighs more per square inch than fat, so whilst your weight might not be dropping very quickly, your clothes are feeling baggier and you are seeing a healthier, slimmer and better toned you in the mirror. That's far more important than anything those nasty scales have to say, any time.

"I'm not getting any younger, shouldn't I just stick to low resistance exercise to avoid injury?"

• No in fact building a little extra muscle can actually reduce the risk of injury.
• Strong muscles, tendons and ligaments are much more capable of withstanding stress, and the improved flexibility gained by strength training also reduces the likelihood of pulled muscles and back pain.
• Weight training is an excellent way of combating several symptoms we all face as we get a little older.
• Resistance exercise can reduce bone deterioration and build bone mass, preventing osteoporosis.
• Working your muscles can also inhibit the affects of sarcopenia, the age related loss of muscle mass, strength and function. After the age of thirty there is a loss of 3-5% of muscle mass per decade, making day to day tasks gradually harder to perform and slowing down metabolism - increasing the risk of weight gain.

"How can weight training make me healthier?"
Recent research has shown that weight (or resistance) training can greatly reduce a number of health risks.
It has been proven to have a positive affect on insulin resistance, resting metabolism, blood pressure, body fat and gastrointestinal transit time, factors that are linked to illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

[KatieRabbit]

Excellent info Belfie- thank you. Funnily enough I was at the gym yesterday and remembered that they had scales which send little pulses (can't feel them!) through your body to measure body fat. I had it done when I first joined. Now I had done very little cardio in the past 6 weeks but have done resistance training every 2 to 3 days but my body fat had dropped 8 percent in that time which, as I understand, is a decent amount. On their scales my weight had only dropped about .8 kilo (WW scales said 2 kilo) but a big drop in body fat. So that demonstrates that you Belfie and Hoobley are spot on!

[C~Q]

Hi there, what everyone has said is spot on!

Are you aiming for any kind of areas to be toned with your resistance training or are you just using it to increase your lean muscle mass? The reason I ask is if you want to reduce your body fat % the quickest way is to work the bigger muscles (back, quads, hammys) using compound exercises (exercises where you use more than one muscle over more than one joint) ie squats, lunges. Where as exercises like a bicep curl which is an isolation exercise will result in a relatively small muscle gain.

If you're wanting a bit of both I recommend doubling up on your exercises eg lunging bicep curls. Lunge holding weights, as you go into the downward phase of the lunge, perform a bicep curl. Another example is a squat/press. Squat holding weights then as you come up push dumbbells together over the top of you head. If you need any more let me know

Did your gym give you an initial exercise plan? Most gyms will do that for free every 3 months. What gym are you with?

For weight loss/toning etc you should combine resistance training with cardio training - they are both as important as each other. Have you tried any classes?

Good luck with everything

[KatieRabbit]

My gym is a new local one run by the local council- it's not a big chain one. They did give me a program which will be reviewed down the track. Classes? I haven't been to any because a) they terrify me (especially spin) and mostly b) I am on limited time arrangements with bubs. I wait until DH comes home from work (which varies) and then I head off, so the chance of making a class is slim. I don't want to use the creche as I have never left my DD with anyone, let alone strangers, so that isn't an option.
I mostly want to increase lean muscle so as to lose fat but I also like the toning aspect. I am interested in the compound exercises as what I am mostly doing sounds like isolation exercises. More examples would be great but will also talk to an instructor at the gym. I also really need to get back into cardio work by the sounds of it as I have been slack with this over the past weeks. Thanks for your reply CQ!

[C~Q]

So what sort of resistance exercises are you doing? How many times a week are you going to the gym?

[KatieRabbit]

I go three times a week and I do a very short stint on the cross trainer or treadmill, then 2 leg machines (leg press and leg curl) and 4 arm machines (row thing, lat pulldown, and 2 others??) and then 4 arm exercises with weights (3 to 4 kg) (side raises, hammer curls and 2 others??) then 2 x 30 lunges and 2 x 30 things where a fit ball is at my back on the wall. I am really sorry but do not know the tech names for what I do but it is written on my prog which stays at the gym. Do you need more info than what I have provided? Thanks! PS I am not allowing myself back to the gym until I have gone for a 30 min jog (this weekend).