Heavy weight training in a fat loss rotation?

G

Golfingirl

Cathlete
Hi Cathe,

My favorite mode of weight training is the heavy, each muscle group one time per week type. I love Slow & Heavy and Pure Strength, and I'm sure I'm going to love Gym Series too! My question is, I know these are designed for building muscle; but can they be used effectively for other goals as well? I am currently aiming more for fat loss rather than muscle gain. Can I still do a rotation based primarily on the heavier weight training workouts? If it matters, I'm working on losing that "last 5-10 pounds" to get really lean and defined. I know that cardio and clean eating are important but I'm just unsure of the role of weight training in this.

Thanks for your help! :)

Martha
 
oh, this is a GREAT question!!
I want to know the same thing as I want to do the same this as you. I hope Cathe sees this and replies...maybe w/ a rotation???
take care:)
Gloria
 
EXCELLENT question! Many of us struggle to lose the last stubborn 5 or 10 pounds of fat that prevents us from seeing the real results of our hard work. Where does heavy lifting play into the equation?
 
I was also wondering about this. I know that circuit training burns more calories than traditional weight lifting, but it also doesn't promote as much muscular development. Would the additional muscle growth from heavy lifting be more beneficial than the greater calorie burn from circuit training? I also read in the "Getting in Shape After the Baby," that Cathe utilized circuit training to lose those last few pounds. I would be very interested to know her opinion on this!
 
Excellent question and one I wold really love to hear the answer for too. I have more than those last 5-10 pounds to lose :) and would like to know if heavy training is as good or better than circuit.

Thanks!

Lisa
 
Obviously, I'm not Cathe but it can be done. On another board I frequent (www.theelitephysique.com -- the main page reads like an infomercial but there is a link to the board there) a woman gained a few pounds of muscle and cut her bodyfat to 14 percent or maybe even lower by now. It takes a lot of careful nutrition planning and discipline (the workouts are the easy part, LOL!). Also, it doesn't hurt that this woman has good genes.
 
Obviously, I am not Cathe but will post an answer which will bump your question up too.

I was NOT losing weight & had hit quite a plateau. Then I got sick & couldn't work out for several days so lost interest in the rotation I was doing. So I went back to an old favourite: S&H 1 body part a day, plus extra cardio...an hour in the morning & a half hour in the evening. It's been one week & I've already lost 3 lbs.

HTH,
Ruth:)
 
>Obviously, I'm not Cathe but it can be done. On another board
>I frequent (www.theelitephysique.com -- the main page reads
>like an infomercial but there is a link to the board there) a
>woman gained a few pounds of muscle and cut her bodyfat to 14
>percent or maybe even lower by now. It takes a lot of careful
>nutrition planning and discipline (the workouts are the easy
>part, LOL!). Also, it doesn't hurt that this woman has good
>genes.


So much good info on Elite Physique! Lots of advanced trainers on there who will answer your questions quickly. I get e-consultations from the woman who runs that site (Karen Sessions, aka 'MsFit')and gave her my idea of doing CAthe for 14 days, then switching back to my heaviest lifting in the 4-6 reps range for 14 days. She thinks it may be just the shock my body is looking for. She's in charge of my nutrition, and has planned my calories and macros accordingly for the next 4 weeks. We're excited to see where I will be at that time!
 
Hey there, Ruth!
I was thinking of doing Slow and Heavy and doing 1 body part per day. Are you doing an hour and a half hour of cardio in the morning and evening or does that include the weight work?
TIA,
Debra;)
 
Hi Debra,

I do my one body part...which takes about 30 minutes...then an hour of cardio in the morning. Then I do a half hour of cardio in the evening. Sometimes I do an hour in the evening if I'm feeling feisty;-) , but usually half an hour.

Not only have I started losing weight again, but I'm really impressed with how heavy I can lift when I only have to concentrate on one body part at a time.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck! Let us know how you do.

Ruth:)
 
Hi Ruth,
thanks for the insight! I LOVED doing PS Series and did it with extra cardio. I am looking to build strength AND blast off this bit of fat (8 pounds).
I will let you know!
Thanks,
Debra;-)
 
I would like to see Cathe's opinion too. I have wondered about this for quite a time. It is being said that the best program is the one you would stick with. But I wonder if muscle building workouts are detrimental for weight loss (fat loss, that is) goals. I have found that I am hungrier when I do this kind of workouts.
 
I'm glad to know others are wondering about this too! I know Cathe is really busy now but I hope she will log in when she gets the chance and let us know whether we can use her heavy muscle building workouts in a fat loss rotation (and if so, how should we use them), or whether we'd be better off sticking to circuits and more endurance-type weight training when fat loss is our main goal.

Martha (expecting my Hardcores today! :) )
 
I sure think you can. Basically, my goals are right now to lose about 2% (pure guestimate of mine) of bodyfat and get back some lost muscle. These tapes aren't "heavy" lifting in the sense of only 4-6 reps to failure, either. I plan on lifting 3x a week, breaking it down for the first month into legs and butt, then chest, shoulders and triceps, then back and bi's. Eventually I will give my intsy bitsy triceps their own special day. (yeaaa for them??? :p ) Now, I will also do cardio about 5x a week, for 45-hour long sessions, varying between interval sessions and more moderate sessions.

I managed to gain some muscle and burn fat at the same time once before..a huge amount of fat but not a huge amount of muscle, what many would refer to as "toning". My strength and "functional fitness" certainly increased. I think that gaining the muscle and burning fat becomes more mutually exclusive when you are talking about a serious amount of muscle and that misunderstandings arise from bodybuilders' cycling applied to more causual people.

But, I realize that everyone works differently. Some people also have had great fat loss from "heavy" gym style lifting and more moderate cardio. From my experience, my body needs the cardio to burn fat. I expiremented the first time around to find the right combination for me.....and I hope it hasn't changed and the same formula works again. :p
 
I would love to hear Cathe's input too. I sure hope it doesn't take an hour and a half of cardio per day for me to lose some body fat. I'm trying to increase my cardio, but 45 mins. to an hour 3 times per week is about all I can manage! I lift on the other 3 days. I also love S&H but I understand its important to rotate the type of lifting you do for good muscle development.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top