The most frequently asked question I get in real life and online is: “If I am trying to lose weight, should I just do cardio until I get to my goal weight and then start lifting weights? I don’t want to start lifting weights and then build muscle over my fat”
1: Do not let your goals be defined by the scale- focus on your body fat % (because that’s what matters). Let’s say you just do cardio and diet to get to your “goal weight” (in this example we will use 130lbs) and then you start lifting weights. And then? YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE GAINING MUSCLE. In 5 months you might be up to 135. So then what- you have to be stuck in this perpetual lose more weight to get back to some magical number that has no meaning whatsoever? no.
2: Weight loss comes from being in caloric deficit. That means you eat less, move more, or a combination of both (while still remaining above your BMR). You burn calories alllllllll day long, not just on the treadmill. Weight lifting burns calories. Digesting food burns calories. Sleep burns calories.
3: Your BMR (basal metabolic rat) makes up roughly 60-70% of your total calories burned per day. That means your ACTIVITY aka your cardio and training only makes up 30-40%. Less than HALF of your total calories burned per day actually comes from training. So- the best way to lose body fat is to increase your BMR, right? Right.
4: Increasing your BMR comes from increasing muscle mass. More muscle = more energy needed to move those muscles = more calories burned = more weight loss! Cardio WILL NOT increase your BMR
5: Cardio is still important, don’t get me wrong. And I think BOTH weight training and cardio should be incorporated along with a healthy diet when trying to lose body fat. But please- don’t think you will “build muscle over your fat”. That’s not how the human body works. It’s not like you are placing something permanent over your fat cells and then your fat cells can’t shrink because you are weight lifting. It’s just not true
6: Measure progress by body fat percentage, take comparison photos every 2 weeks, go off by how your clothes feel, and measurements- NOT THE SCALE
So, in short- do not be afraid to lift weight
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If you need a training program, please checkout bowmarfitness.com!
