the same time? I've heard the theory bantered about but would like to get your professional opinion. If it is true that you canNOT, then the people who suggest doing mostly circuits during weight loss appear to be correct. I also notice that in all your fat loss rotations you have endurance weigiht workouts and no PS or SH ones. Yet in the post several months ago about a woman who wanted to work twice per day for 2-3 months to lose weight , the program you made for her was heavy on SH and PS series. I'm confused!
Cathe, is it possible to lose weight and build muscle at
- Thread starter Cbelle
- Start date
Cbelle, I'm not Cathe, but the answer to your question is that it depends upon what you mean by "lose weight." If you mean lose fat and or inches, it is absolutely possible, and if you're doing cardio and weight training, it's actually likely. As muscle weighs more than fat, as you tone up and gain muscle mass, you will gain muscle weight while your cardio will help you lose the fat. You're scale could actually go up, while your measurements will go down and the shape of your body will begin to change. Good luck!
Well, the point of circuit training is partly to increase your endurance and give you a cardio-boost. Personally, I would mix it all up. Strenght train, straight cardio and circuits. I personally would do heavy weights 2-3 times per week, depending upon how you break up your splits (upper/lower, push/pull, or total body). I would do a good, solid hour of cardio about 3 times, and then maybe do circuits twice. Obviously, you may do some cardio on the same day you are doing heavy weights (do weights first - you'll get the most effective burn and it will ensure you have not fatigued yourself during your cardio, so your form won't be sacrificed). You can also mix this up a bit, depending on how you're feeling, etc. I'm no expert, but this approach has worked for me in the past.
RE: Cathe, is it possible to lose weight and build musc...
According to Tom Venuto, author of "Burn the fat, feed the muscle", in order to make new muscle gains, you have to eat more, and to lose fat you have to eat less. So, you can lose fat while *maintaining* muscle.
I suppose it depends on the level of fitness of the person. For instance, very unfit people might gain muscle and burn fat at the same time because they will get muscle benefits from anything that challenges their muscles. If it doesn't make sense it's because I'm kind of mentally lazy right now. I hope I didn't confuse you more! }(
According to Tom Venuto, author of "Burn the fat, feed the muscle", in order to make new muscle gains, you have to eat more, and to lose fat you have to eat less. So, you can lose fat while *maintaining* muscle.
I suppose it depends on the level of fitness of the person. For instance, very unfit people might gain muscle and burn fat at the same time because they will get muscle benefits from anything that challenges their muscles. If it doesn't make sense it's because I'm kind of mentally lazy right now. I hope I didn't confuse you more! }(
RE: Cathe, is it possible to lose weight and build musc...
Mareila, thank you for quoting Tom Venuto..that's exactly what I'm talking about. Also, didnt Cathe recently say that circuits are mostly just for maintaining both cardio and strength, and that they don't provide enough of either to make any gains in those departments? So to me, circuits are only for when you have reached your goal, or are taking a break.
Mareila, thank you for quoting Tom Venuto..that's exactly what I'm talking about. Also, didnt Cathe recently say that circuits are mostly just for maintaining both cardio and strength, and that they don't provide enough of either to make any gains in those departments? So to me, circuits are only for when you have reached your goal, or are taking a break.
winsomehill
Cathlete
RE: Cathe, is it possible to lose weight and build musc...
Wait a minute.... I am more confused now than when I read through this thread. If your focus is losing, and your cutting your calories, is it better to do circuit workouts alternating with cardio. Or, is it better to do cardio alternated with PS or SH???
Heather
Wait a minute.... I am more confused now than when I read through this thread. If your focus is losing, and your cutting your calories, is it better to do circuit workouts alternating with cardio. Or, is it better to do cardio alternated with PS or SH???
Heather
RE: Cathe, is it possible to lose weight and build musc...
Now you can see why I'm confused...it seems like people are split between endurance/circuits combined with cardio and lift heavy with cardio for weight loss. Based on the rotations I've seen Cathe make for weight loss, I'm guessing she follows the endurance crowd.
Now you can see why I'm confused...it seems like people are split between endurance/circuits combined with cardio and lift heavy with cardio for weight loss. Based on the rotations I've seen Cathe make for weight loss, I'm guessing she follows the endurance crowd.
Bobalita229
Active Member
RE: Cathe, is it possible to lose weight and build musc...
I'm not Cathe either but I have to chime in. In my personal exp. I had to stop cutting calories. I was a habitual dieter, looking for that QUICK FIX. (1700 cal and below and exercised like crazy,low fat, low carb etc.. and got little and slow results. I have raised my calories slowly,and weekly to about 2500 calories (about 7 weeks Yummy) and did no cardio strictly lifting weights used all of Cathe's Endurance, S&H, Pyramid, pure strength, and now Hardcore dvd's. Got my metab roaring and rotated calories down and then back up with clean eating. The trick is not to let your body go into starve mode and stop burning fat. I dont want to confuse you more than you are, exercise is great period, but when you want fat loss and lower body fat % you have to be patient and listen to your body don't kill yourself.
~Theresa
I'm not Cathe either but I have to chime in. In my personal exp. I had to stop cutting calories. I was a habitual dieter, looking for that QUICK FIX. (1700 cal and below and exercised like crazy,low fat, low carb etc.. and got little and slow results. I have raised my calories slowly,and weekly to about 2500 calories (about 7 weeks Yummy) and did no cardio strictly lifting weights used all of Cathe's Endurance, S&H, Pyramid, pure strength, and now Hardcore dvd's. Got my metab roaring and rotated calories down and then back up with clean eating. The trick is not to let your body go into starve mode and stop burning fat. I dont want to confuse you more than you are, exercise is great period, but when you want fat loss and lower body fat % you have to be patient and listen to your body don't kill yourself.
~Theresa
I'm sorry if I caused more confusion. Cathe said that circuits workouts are good for maintenance, but she also said that they are also great for an extra calorie burning or metabolism boost. (I don't rember her words exactly and couldn't find the link.)
A fat lost rotation, in my opinion, should include some kind of weight training, circuits, AND cardio. The muscles should not be neglected or excluded by doing exclusively cardio. I think that is the most important point.
I think that people that already has a decent amount of muscle mass could do a rotation with circuits and cardio only, to shred fat, since circuits are good for maintenance. That also depends on how light in weight is the circuit.
I hope Cathe sheds light on this.
A fat lost rotation, in my opinion, should include some kind of weight training, circuits, AND cardio. The muscles should not be neglected or excluded by doing exclusively cardio. I think that is the most important point.
I think that people that already has a decent amount of muscle mass could do a rotation with circuits and cardio only, to shred fat, since circuits are good for maintenance. That also depends on how light in weight is the circuit.
I hope Cathe sheds light on this.
I'm back. I did fail in my earlier posts to mention diet - sorry, my bad. It is true that you "feed muscle, starve fat." That is why weight training is so important. As you lose weight, if you don't build muscle (i.e. weight train) you will lose it right along with the fat. So it is critical that you weight train, whether you do S&H type workouts or circuits or whatever, you must do something. Like I mentioned earlier, it's best to mix it up. You really do need the S&H type stuff to see real muscle and strength gains, but adding circuits in your rotation is fine (saves time, shortens your workout, provides variety which aids motivation, etc.). Diet is also ultra important. Lots of water, lean protein (a must for muscle building, but don't go overboard because it can also cause weight gain), complex carbs (vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc.), and good fats (again, don't go overboard). Minimize your sugar and sodium intake. No soda (not even diet - yuck). No high-fructose corn syrup (in just about everything processed). These will sabotage your efforts. Minimize your processed food intake as much as possible - this is the "American diet" problem because virtually all processed food is high in sugar, sodium and refined flours, none of which does you any good. Eat as much of your food in as close to its natural state as possible (eating "clean"). When you shop, stick to the outside aisles of the store. I try to fill my cart/shopping needs halfway with the produce aisles alone! You do need to eat enough to maintain your metabolism because, as a previous poster indicated, if you don't your body goes into starvation mode and starts to burn muscle and your metab will drop. It's actually relatively easy to do, just read labels every time. Don't eat unless you are hungry. Drink a glass of water about 15 minutes before every meal. Hope this is helpful and not more confusing.
