Why should I strength train if I want to lose weight?

Often, when wanting to lose weight we embark on a calorie-controlled diet and choose to exercise more. Perfect! But does exercise choice play a part in how successful the outcome is? It certainly does. When it comes to exercising to lose weight, our first thought is often cardio. Taking up running, swimming, HIIT classes… Getting a sweat on, and chasing that big calorie burn! In the grand scheme of things, any exercise is great, especially if it is something you enjoy and will continue long term.

So why should I lift weights and build muscle?

I want to get smaller, not bigger!

Firstly, muscle burns more calories than fat

Think of fat cells as batteries. They store energy but don’t require much energy to function. Movement however, requires energy. Moving our muscles uses energy. So bigger muscles = more energy used, aka more calories burned.

Further, the more muscle a person has, the more calories they will burn at rest. Someone with high muscle mass will be burning more calories sat on the sofa watching Netflix than someone with lower muscle mass sat next to them.

Therefore, strength training and building or maintaining existing muscle whilst dieting allows you to stoke your fat burning furnace more efficiently, allowing you to reach your goal quicker. Big win!

Looking toned vs ‘skinny fat’

Diet and exercise without strength training means you lose both fat and muscle. If you’re relying on just cardio for your exercise, that 5lbs you’ve lost so far is quite likely made up of fat, muscle and water. When you get down to your desired weight, your reflection may not be the toned bod you’d hoped for. Whereas if training with weights, you are more likely to retain or build muscle and burn more fat, which when stripped off will reveal newly sculpted lean muscle tone underneath!

And as described above, more muscle = a greater calorie burn, so if you aren’t strength training and building muscle you may actually be hindering your calorie burn, and slowing down your progress.

Increasing that burn!

Don’t worry about not burning as many calories as you would with cardio. You will still burn plenty when resistance training. By keeping rest periods short and intensity high, your heart rate will be up and you’ll be out of breath, all without a treadmill in sight! Plus, your body will burn extra calories in the hours after a workout, as it breaks down and builds new muscle cells. There are numerous ways to increase your calorie burn during your workout:

Supersets (two exercises performed back-to-back with no rest between).
Choosing weights that challenge you will leave you needing that rest between sets!
Keeping your rests between sets short.
Train with a purpose and keep focused! You’re there to hit your next goal, not to socialise between sets.

At the right intensity, you’ll be
out of breath, sweating
and wanting more!

But will I get bulky?

You won’t get bulky from lifting weights! Female hormones mean it’s extremely difficult for women to pack on huge amounts of muscle. Unless you’re eating and training like a beast and supplementing with anabolic steroids, you will not look like a female bodybuilder! And even then, it takes years. Now it is possible that your newly acquired muscle may slow down your loss according to the scales. If this happens, don’t despair! Muscle is more dense than fat meaning it takes up much less room. Instead of focusing on the scale, keep track of inches lost, clothes becoming looser and fitting better, and your reflection in the mirror.

And finally,

If your end result is to look lean and toned, I promise you that including resistance training as part of a weight loss plan will speed up your results, but only if your nutrition is in order and you are in a calorie deficit (you are consuming fewer calories than your body requires). Check out my other blog post ‘What is the best diet?’ if you’d like to know more on this topic!

If you would like to incorporate resistance training into your weight loss plan, increase your body confidence, get fitter, and get stronger, please contact me for a free no obligation consultation at karen@transformtrainingpt.co.uk

Personal trainer in Haslemere, Liphook, Hindhead, Fernhurst, Grayshott, Surrey, Hampshire, West Sussex.