Lifting weights to lose weight is a very popular concept. It has been around for a long time. It is also a very effective way to lose weight. The idea behind this method of losing weight is to overload your body with an excess of calories (weight) in order to cause it to break down and ultimately to drop the excess weight. This is often called "starvation mode".
Most people understand the concept behind the concept. They know that when lifting heavy weights, they will put on lean muscle mass and burn up calories. The challenge is that most people don't understand that the calories burned up during this process are not necessarily fat. Their strength and stamina are lowered because they are using the energy from their muscles to lift weights. Thus, their bodies are using the fat that they have instead of using their strength to create the energy to move their bodies.
So back to the original question: Is there a difference between resistance training and simply exercising? The answer is that while you are building your strength, your metabolism will be raising. Resistance training, by definition, requires resistance. This resistance can be defined as any force that causes an imbalance in a person's weight.
For example, someone who is 200 pounds could easily increase their height by adding twenty pounds of lean muscle mass to their frame. However, they may find that their metabolism has been lowered during the course of the workout, and this could be blamed on their lifting weights. The actual calories used may be much higher than the amount of calories burned during the workout. This is where adding weight training into the equation makes all the difference. By putting more resistance on the muscles, the body will use the fat loss as its own source of fuel.
So back to the original question: Are you losing fat or gaining muscle? In short, the answer is neither. You will gain lean mass while you are strengthening the muscles, which will then create a larger frame. You will also burn calories, even while you are lifting weights, which will negate the lean mass gained.
Now you may be thinking, if I'm not losing weight, why do I need to add resistance to my weight lifting routine? If I don't want to be lifting weights, shouldn't I just do some push ups or sit-ups? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Most people fail to reach their goals because they don't have a good weight lifting program.
Think about it for a minute. When you lift weights, the weights create a muscular effect, which is the calorie burning. When you lift, you must also move your body through a full range of motion in order for the calories to burn. Therefore, when you lift, you must use all of your muscles even the ones that aren't making you big muscles! Therefore, you must use your entire body for the lifts, and this creates a much greater calorie burning effect than doing the same areas with lesser weights.
Finally, your muscular effect is maximized by using resistance to increase your metabolism. Resistance is your easiest way to increase your metabolic rate while building lean muscle. So, whether you are lifting heavy weights to lose weight or doing some light resistance like push ups, you must increase your metabolic rate in order to stimulate this transformation (metabolic effect). Without increased metabolism, you will not build the maximal amount of lean muscle mass.
So, now that we know how to maximize our efforts, let's talk about the optimal number of reps for the weights you use in order to burn fat and lose weight. We have already established that when you lift weights, you create a muscular effect (calorie burning), which burns fat (calorie intake). But, when you lift heavy weights, you also create an active lifestyle, which requires you to move your body at a minimum of 2 hours per day. This active lifestyle requires a lot of calories (you may have guessed, lots of calories).
So, now that we know how to maximize our efforts, let's talk about the best way to reduce overall body fat. In order to reduce body fat, you must create an inactive lifestyle that does not include any heavy lifting. This inactive lifestyle consists of walking around, taking stairs instead of elevators, and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. You will still need to perform cardio exercise and some strength training (through weight lifting) to keep your muscles strong. The goal of these exercises is to build a calorie deficit, which will cause your body to burn off fat.
After you have created this calorie deficit, it is important to maintain it by eating regularly and consistently (even if you eat less calories than you expend). This is the only true long-term solution to losing weight. There are no shortcuts, so don't think that by training hard you can reach your goal faster. If you do these exercises correctly, you will get stronger, faster, and burn more calories and fat than ever before. If you stick to it, your efforts will be rewarded by a solid foundation for lasting muscle mass and increased strength.
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