If you haven’t added weight training to your fat loss efforts, maybe I can throw a couple of studies at you that might help you consider it.

Demling and colleagues (1) reported that adding resistance training and increasing dietary protein (and with LC you ARE) during a fat loss plan significantly increased muscle mass and strength vs. those who only made dietary changes.

Another study by Geliebter and associates (2) showed that the test subjects that weight trained during their fat loss programs lost less muscle mass than those who followed an aerobic training program.

These findings and others show that weight training may serve as the best form of exercise to conduct when attempting to lose body fat because it helps maintain or even possible increase muscle mass -- which is important since more muscle equals a faster metabolism.

References:

1. Demling RH, Desanti L. Effect of a hypocaloric diet, increased protein intake, and resistance training on lean mass gains and fat loss in overweight police officers. Ann Nutr Metab 44:21-29, 2000.

2. Geliebeter A, Maher MM, Gerace L, et al. Effects of strength or aerobic training on body composition, resting metabolic rate, and peak oxygen consumption in obese dieting subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 66: 557-563, 1997.

Hey Trainerdan,
I see that you are bulking up until next month and I was wondering how much of your gain do you expect to be muscle and how much fat? I am currently trying to bulk up now and seem to be doing good at not adding to much fat wile adding about a half a pound of muscle a week.

Well, bulking didn't go as planned ... I basically just maintained what I had and built a little on it ... It's all a long story with a bad ending, but I have it all on straight now and I am back on track.

In the past, I bulked from 205 to 238, and then dieted down to 225 with visible abs ... so I added 35 and kept 20.

There is a chart I have around somewhere that can tell you what to expect based on what weight/bf% you were at before buking ... I'll see if I can dig it up.

In several experiments, subjects were overfed to varying degrees in order to produce weight gain. Here are the results of these experiments

These studies have shown that when overfed, initial body fat level is also important:

Those with an initial body fat content of 10 kg (22 lbs) gained 70% lean mass, and 30% fat mass.

Those with an initial body fat content of 20 kg (44 lbs) gained 30% lean mass, and 70% fat mass.

Those with an initial body fat content of 40 kg (88 lbs) gained 20% lean mass, and 80% fat mass.

These striking differences in the ratio of LBM gained to fat gained illustrate the need to start an overeating phase while lean.

In the leanest subjects, there was a 2 1/3 pound muscle gain for every 1 pound of fat gained.

However, for the fatter subjects, 4 pounds of fat were gained for every 1 pound of muscle gained.

Thanks Dan,
Those are some amazing results. I guess I lucked out by waiting untill I was lean before trying to bulk up.

Yeah, looks like you have good things to look forward too.

Keep us posted.

Dan.
I have been reading some of your posts over the last few weeks. As a former runner exercise to me has always been cardio.
My coaches never wanted me lifting because they always wanted me to loose a few pounds of fat rather than gain any muscle. They also had me packing the carbs away constantly...which is probably why I needed to loose the weight in the first place. Any how that is all ancient history and I am now LC'ing and exercising. I have been trying to get 20 to 45 min a day on my eliptical machine. I am working out within my target heart rate range and dropping pounds.
My thoughts at first were to drop the weight with the cardio and then tone and firm with weights as I approach my goal weight.

Question? Does your experiance suggest that I should alternate the cardio and weight training? I think it does.

If so can you recomend a stripped down weight training program? I do not have any equiptment so I would like to build a weight gym peice by peice.

I was thinking of starting a program of: push-ups, crunches, pull-ups, and getting some dumbells.

I know I am rambling but I would appreciate any comentary.

Three things I would like to get from weight training:
Burn fat
Ballance my upper body with my stron lower body


THANKS-
Shane aka MaineDaddy
Find my Ab's

To lose fat, I find it best to do cardio in the AM ... and then weight train in the PM ... and mroe cardio after weights if you have too.

Your weights-free approach looks good to start from. When you are ready to add another piece of equipment, for about $125 I would add an adjustable incline/flat utility bench. This will allow you do do a variety of dumbbell exercises to hit chest/back/etc.

Hope I helped. If you need any other help along your way, feel free to ask me either here or e-mail/Private Message.

New to exercise:

I am on a little bit of an on again off again run in LCing and am hoping that by adding/increasing exercise it will keep me more honest - as I will see the results faster thereby giving me encouragment to continue.

Unfortunately though the thought of attending a gym (or getting up a sweat) gives me a chill, I was wondering if you could give me some advice of how I can build up my strength, lose fat and enjoy it!!!!

My exercise at the moment consists of :

Weekdays walk to and from work (approx 35 mins each way) and Swimming for approx 20 mins about 3-4 times a week.....

Not much I know - just need to get a routine going but am unsure of where to begin ....

We are lucky enough to have a lap pool and small gym where I live and I also own a gym ball (although I am not sure what to do with it.)

Sorry to ramble, I just need some help and a lot on encouragement.......

Jaxx

Hello Jaxx ...

That's a good, sound cardiovascular program you have. The thing that you need to know is that over time, your body will adapt to the level of work that you are placing on it, and that is when results will stop.

A good way to keep that from happening is to change something in the program to make it harder on your body. Ever few weeks or so, maybe add a little speed to a portion of your walk (homeI would think, since you don't want to get to work all sweaty and all ...)

Or, increase the time you are swimming. Go for a little longer every few weeks. Increase it by 2 minutes each week until you are going 30 mins or so.

Of course, I am also going to tell you to incorporate some form of reistance exercise. Push-ups, pull-ups, Crunches are all good and require no equipment (well, a bar for pull-ups). The exercise ball can be used for crunches, as well as a makeshift exercise bench. Add some dumbbells, and you can do chest presses, or kneel on it for one-arm rows.

The best thing abour just starting an exercise program is that you will see results rather quickly, and you will DEFINATELY feel a difference in your body.

Keep in touch, and feel free to ask any more questions ...

Thanks - Thats unreal!!!

For some reason I hate getting out of bed at 6am for a swim (even though it was 22 degrees c today) but always feel fantastic afterwards. I do try to increase it by 5 laps (it's only a 15m pool)every 3 or 4 days and alternate between breaststroke and freestyle. I WILL make myself get out of that nice snuggly bed....

Thanks about the gym ball - it was pumped up in out lounge room for 10 months without being used - I put it away in Dec - out it will come again tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!! - how heavy should the hand weights be ??? - bearing in mind I am not used to lifting anything other than a pen~~~

Thanks again - no doubt I will be in touch!!!!!!!

Jaxx

I would say for you to start light, especially if you are using the ball as a bench. You will be getting a good workout with your core muscles (abs/lower back) since you will be doing a bit of a balancing act while you are laying on the ball to do, say, chest presses.

Start with light weights and progress from there. 2 sets of 12 for each execise, and if it feels easy, increase the weight.