Help with Strength..

[ltc503]

Hey everyone,

I'm pretty new to the board and "working out" in general. I don't really know much except the basics...

Neways, for the past 3 months I've been exercising regularly to decrease my weight/body fat. I'm 17, 5'3'', and around 140 now.. back 4 months ago I was around 180. Now that my weight has decreased, I've felt myself getting weaker. my aerobics/breathing control/stamina etc. has increased dramatically but my strength has gone down though... I'm still trying to get my weight down to 130... but is there any way I can do that without decreasing my strength, and rather increasing it? I don't wanna get buff, I just want cuts. What exercises can I do? What should I eat? I don't really have a daily nutrition/eating routine...

Any positive advice will help
Thanks

 

[Prometheus]

It doesn't sound like you're doing any strength training which is a mistake no matter what your goals are. Even if you're trying to lose bodyfat you need to do some form of strength training (preferably mainly free weights). If you don't you will lose muscle as well as fat, which is not only unhealthy, but it's counterproductive even for fat burning goals. So start lifting. There are many ways you can do it effectively but I think full body or upper/lower body splits are the better ways to go. If you dont know much about that then feel free to ask questions. I would start with higher reps (like 12-15 per set) for a few weeks and then I would drop the # of reps per set and increase the weight. Don't worry about getting huge. It's not going to happen (I'm assuming your a girl. If you're a guy, it might happen, but not easily).

Also, don't go by your bodyweight so much. It's better to go by your bodyfat % or even how your clothes are fitting and how you look in the mirror (provided you aren't too hard on yourself). When you gain or lose weight the scale doesnt tell where it comes from. It could be fat, muscle, water...