It’s not uncommon for people to think they need to go on a treadmill, cross-trainer. Perhaps doing some group exercise classes. Getting a good sweat on and feeling out of breath to burn some calories. The thinking is you need to focus on losing weight first before “toning” up by doing some resistance training.
Lifting weights before or after weight loss?
Well, the answer is we should start doing some resistance training as soon as we start an exercise routine. It doesn’t have to be lifting weights in terms of dumbbells and barbells. But can also be kettlebells, resistance bands, sandbags, or even bodyweight. Sorry, body pump-style classes do not count. Simply because the weight is not challenging enough and it’s hard to track if you are getting stronger.
When you start to think about it there is really no reason we can’t do strength-focused workouts while we are trying to lose weight. We need to realise that planned exercise does not make as big of a contribution to losing weight as we think. Because we don’t burn as many calories from planned workouts as we think. It makes up to 5 – 10% of calories burned in a day. So instead of trying to rely on that tiny amount, we could put more of that time towards lifting weights.
Benefits of strength training
There are many reasons we should be strength training. First, getting stronger is rarely a bad thing. You will improve your shape and get the “toned” look many people are after. So when body fat does reduce, you will be able to see the shape in the areas you want to see. For example, areas like bum, arms, thighs.
When we lose weight we can lose muscle tone, which is where weights can come in. So if you’re lifting some kind of weight, you will make this less likely to happen. You will hold into muscle tone, potentially improve it. To learn more about the importance of focusing on reducing bodyweight, rather than focusing purely on weight loss. Have a read of this blog on the difference between weight loss and fat loss.
There are health benefits like helping to reduce bone loss which happens as we age, again we can control this by lighting weights. If you go out shopping, you’ll make fewer trips to the car. Because you will be stronger and be able to hold more bags. We will be more resistant to falls and injuries, for example, hip fractures. You will have increased confidence from being able to lift heavier weights and from body confidence due to improved shape.
How much weight lifting?
You might wonder how many times should you be doing strength training workouts per week? The minimum I would suggest is 2 times per week. Make sure to train all your main muscle groups or movements like legs, hips, back, chest, and shoulders. Aim to exercise those areas for between 2 – 3 times per week. The length of time to spend on this kind of training depends on your exercise experience. How much available time you have in your day and week. If you are less experienced you won’t need as much time to start to work your muscle groups.
So although I would encourage you to do exercise that you enjoy. Doing some form of strength training to assist with losing body fat, physical health improvements, and maintaining longevity in your body.
