I’m 6’2 and currently weight 175lbs, down from a decadent 230 last September. I’m happy with my weight loss progress and have been very adamant with my routine. My original goal was simply a flippant weight loss and fat reduction. I’ve achieved this through cardio-only exercise---miles and miles and miles of running. I would like to start weight training soon, but bulking seems really unnecessary at the moment since my BF% is ~17. There is a lot of room for BF loss before I consider serious muscle gain as an option. Since I am trying to lose weight, yet a caloric surplus is required for muscle gain, what are the advantages of weight training over cardio-only exercise?
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Why incorporate weight training?
- Thread starter Robc
- Start date
because weight training burns a lot of calories, it builds stronger muscles, and even if you aren't on a bulking diet, if you keep your protein intake at 1g per pound of lean body mass (weight minus body fat) you'll still put on a minimal amount of lean mass while you're burning fat.
basically, it gives you a well rounded level of physical fitness, and the stronger muscles will be less prone to injury from cardio and/or weight lifting.
basically, it gives you a well rounded level of physical fitness, and the stronger muscles will be less prone to injury from cardio and/or weight lifting.
Will I need to adjust my diet any? Since it burns more calories, should I increase my eating to make up the difference? On a normal day, my diet looks something like this:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Splenda, two pieces of whole wheat bread
Lunch: Brown rice, a piece of chicken either grilled or stove-cooked in about ½ tablespoon of olive oil, one piece of whole wheat bread
Late afternoon: a piece of steak/chicken/sometimes pasta; corn/beans/some other vegetable, half of a grape fruit
Evening: Fat-free plain yogurt with Splenda
Before bed: whole grain cereal with skim milk
Running is the first thing I do when I wake up, and the last thing I do before I go to bed. I realize my diet is not perfect, especially to incorporate weight training into my routine. There’s enough resources between these forums and t-nation to clean it up, however.
Also, how do you calculate your lean body mass? I found a calculator at but I have no clue how accurate it is.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with Splenda, two pieces of whole wheat bread
Lunch: Brown rice, a piece of chicken either grilled or stove-cooked in about ½ tablespoon of olive oil, one piece of whole wheat bread
Late afternoon: a piece of steak/chicken/sometimes pasta; corn/beans/some other vegetable, half of a grape fruit
Evening: Fat-free plain yogurt with Splenda
Before bed: whole grain cereal with skim milk
Running is the first thing I do when I wake up, and the last thing I do before I go to bed. I realize my diet is not perfect, especially to incorporate weight training into my routine. There’s enough resources between these forums and t-nation to clean it up, however.
Also, how do you calculate your lean body mass? I found a calculator at but I have no clue how accurate it is.
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Honestly, I kept a decent diet, regular diet and worked out for about 5 months and didn't see any gains at all. I was at 165 that entire time. The only thing that happened is that I built a lot of muscle and burned some fat by just lifting. So I looked a lot more built, my shoulders got broader, but I kept my weight. But after that I started bulking and my build looks almost the same, except just bigger. So basically you'll look more built because you will be stronger. Of course when you're stronger it prevents you from other injuries as well. It's fun, and you can really shape a nice body by doing both weight training and cardio, and keeping that good diet.