First lose fat, then get muscle.

[Ghost]

I've been hearing so many conflicting arguments on everything to do with fitness.

I have been on NF for a while now, and I've learned so much yet so little.

I've decided to instead of just going for sheer strength I should first lose as much fat as I reasonably can.

And while I've made leaps and bounds in both departments, now I need to focus one.

I'm trying to write this without seeming like someone asking 'how do I lose fat?'

So there are some guidelines I need set out.

Some people say high rep, low weight.

Some say low rep, high weight.

Then they say do circuits, then don't do circuits.

I'm so confused.

Can someone clarify what I can do to maximise the effects of fat loss?

If you need to ask questions, ask away. And I probably sound really uneducated, so teach me

Thanks!

[Mad Rocker]

I don't think I've ever seen 'high rep, low weight' recommended on NF. I've seen medium reps - say up to 12 or 15, but never higher than that and most people here seem to be repping below 8 for the most important lifts. That should tell you something.

I'm no expert, but what I've gained from lurking on NF and other sites has been the fat-loss wisdom of: eat better, stay on a calorie deficit, exercise regularly and ideally intensely.

[notanartmajor]

It's going to be easier to gain muscle first, and THEN worry about losing fat.

Regardless, my vote is that you do high weight/low reps for your main strength work, and at the end of your lifting do some kind of high intensity cardio. This can be barbell complexes, sprints, rowing intervals, swimming, etc. Lots of options. A good place to start might be with barbell complexes, as they are very intense and relatively quick. Google "The Bear" and try to do five sets of that with just the bar after your next workout, with minimal rest between sets (you'll have to be the judge on this one, but push yourself).

Also, and I'm sure you know this already, but to lose weight you're going to have to maintain a caloric deficit through whatever manner you choose.

[Caution]

Google "The Bear" and try to do five sets of that with just the bar after your next workout, with minimal rest between sets (you'll have to be the judge on this one, but push yourself)..

Holy cow that looks awesome. I'm going to to have to find a way to get that into my routine.

[msuroo]

It's going to be easier to gain muscle first, and THEN worry about losing fat.

As a newer trainee, it's likely going to be easier to go the other way around. You can lose fat while still gaining a lot of strength (since there will be so much unused potential).

I'm so confused.

Can someone clarify what I can do to maximise the effects of fat loss?

Eat a high protein diet that keeps you at an overall caloric deficit. The programming is largely irrelevant - just do something.

[Waldo]

Losing fat is a byproduct of calorie deficit. No special training plan will make it faster. Training burns calories, that is the important part.

Strength train and keep your protein up to protect your muscles as you lose.

I don't agree with the build muscle first then lose sentiment. Muscle is easier to build at a lower BF%. The higher your BF%, the greater % of weight gained goes to fat. The metabolic effects of muscle mass are minimal and generally greatly overstated.

Cutting sucks, especially if you have a lot to lose. Whether you do it now or later will not change how long it takes. Though if you get strong first you'll have do deal with getting weaker as you cut. With noob gains in your pocket you can get stronger as you cut.

The other thing is you will look better faster by cutting first. I would personally rather be skinny with a 6 pack than fat with some muscle.

[chairohkey]

My strong but fat opinion is if aesthetics are the goal and you have the patience then cut first. Think sub 12% BF before you begin to bulk. Then do it smart and clean using a moderate caloric surplus at first (+500 cal/daily). If you're gaining too slow/stalling up it. If you're gaining too fast, BF creeping to 15-18% lower it.

[rtalencar]

I respectfully disagree with notanartmajor. I think it's easier to lose fat first and then work on building muscle (note: I said building muscle not strength).

When you first start lifting or come back from a long layoff, you benefit from newbie gains. Essentially, anything you do will net results. It's such a huge difference from sedentary life that even bad programming will yeild positive results, and good programming *should* have you making big progress quickly. Additionally, at first, you are able to gain a very small amount of muscle while cutting weight. It's minimal, but it's there. Finally, a lot of what you're doing, especially up front, is conditioning your CNS to recruit enough muscle fibers to do the work. You can get stronger while cutting fat. I think it's best to take advantage of these newbie gains while cutting weight. If you burn them on a bulk, your first experience with cutting is going to be a lot harder.

If you've got some fat to lose, in my opinion, cut down first and then bulk up.

Either way, that is entirely related to diet. Your workout routine shouldn't change too much between a bulk and a cut. The only difference, potentially, is volume. If you do high rep sets like widowmakers or whatever, there's only so many you can do while cutting. The main meat and potatoes of your workout should stay intact, just doing potentially a little less of it on a cut is all.

My $0.02

[Amazon Grimm]

I think just how weak or fat you are makes a difference. I'm severely obese and extremely unfit. (Although better than 2 months ago!) I found that as weak as I am, I couldn't comfortably do cardio or other things with sufficient intenstiy to assist the calorie deficit. I'm using strength training to develop to the point where I can move my bulk better, then I'll probably level off and move in a conditioning direction. That Bear complex looks awesome.

[rtalencar]

I think just how weak or fat you are makes a difference. I'm severely obese and extremely unfit. (Although better than 2 months ago!) I found that as weak as I am, I couldn't comfortably do cardio or other things with sufficient intenstiy to assist the calorie deficit. I'm using strength training to develop to the point where I can move my bulk better, then I'll probably level off and move in a conditioning direction. That Bear complex looks awesome.

Don't give up on strength training! It's the bee's knees!

[Tola Seng]

Ghost, losing fat and building muscle isn't something that is mutually exclusive. You can do both at the same time!

Many people have the misconception that your body cannot lose fat and build muscle at the same time. This probably has to do with body builders who, under time constraints and other factors, "bulk" for a period of time, then "cut" for a period of time.

But in fact, it is very possible to do both simultaneously.

As a general rule, your diet is more important when it comes to losing body fat. You can train all you want, any way you want (high reps, low reps, med. reps) but if you don't have your diet in order, your body fat will not come off. Likewise, someone can just go on a diet and lose body fat without doing any training at all.

But when you combine a PROPER diet and training program, you CAN lose body fat and build muscle concurrently.

So to answer your question, for you to lose body fat, it is more important that you focus on your diet instead of your training.

Good luck,

[Evicious]

Relevant little article from LiveStrong.com

While it is challenging to lose weight, it can be done with diet and exercise. However, your fat cells only shrink, they don't disappear completely.

Lipid Metabolism

Lipid metabolism is the series of complex metabolic processes that break down fat in your body so that it can be used as energy, according to MayoClinic.com. Lipid, or fat, is what is inside the fat cells of your body. Each gram of lipid can yield about 9 kilocalories of energy, compared with carbohydrate and protein, which only yield 4 kilocalories of energy. When you burn more calories than you consume, your fat cells release lipid into your bloodstream. It is then broken down to yield the energy needed for function. The cell itself does not disappear, but simply shrinks in size.

Fat Cell Function

Fat cells increase or decrease in size depending on diet, exercise and lifestyle. While you may believe that all fat is bad, you in fact need some fat in your body. Its primary function is as a source of energy. You store about 600 kilocalories of energy in the form of carbohydrate, but you can store 100,000 kilocalories of energy in fat, according to Elmhurst College. It also acts as an insulator against heat loss for your body. Body fat also serves as a cushion and support for the vital organs of your body.

Effect of Exercise and Diet

Exercise and diet play a vital role in controlling/losing excess fat from your body. When you exercise, your body needs energy above and beyond what is necessary for normal function. Its first choice for fuel is carbohydrate, or glycogen, because it is easily broken down. However, body fat is also contributing. Lipid metabolism contributes to exercise whether you are doing cardio or strength training, thereby reducing stored fat and contributing to weight loss. Diet provides the necessary calories for life. Calorie consumption is a balancing act. Eat too much, and you gain weight. Eat less, and you lose weight. Eat what you burn, and you maintain weight.

Considerations

Not only do diet and exercise affect your body fat, but so does your health and age. Certain medications may alter the hormones in your body and change the rate at which fat is broken down. Depending on the medication, it can slow down or even speed up the process. Aging can also affect body fat and weight loss. As you age, you naturally lose lean muscle tissue. This leads to a lower metabolism, and increased body fat and body weight. Stay consistent with your diet and exercise plan and discuss your medications with your doctor to control weight.

[Kirkor]

Cut first while continuing to lift, then bulk slowly. Check leangains.com and rippedbody.jp for more info.

[aj_rock]

Do what you're doing, just cut back on the amount. If you were doing 5X5, then do 3X5 or 2X5. It all depends on how hard the cut is. Generally speaking, you can cut volume by A LOT and still keep most gains you've gotten from your workouts so far. As long as you maintain intensity.

High rep workouts *can* have a place in a cutting diet. It's more complicated though, involving carb back-cycling and what not. Let's keep it simple for you, just cut the volume, keep protein higher (higher than normal even), and be prepared to be hungry.

That being said, you really can't lose weight at any appreciable rate and not lose a bit of strength along with it. Just be prepared for reality that way. That's also why the usual recommendation is lose fat first, then build strength; because you tend to have lost strength on a cut anyway, thereby putting you in a two steps forward, one step backward situation.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

If you are looking into cutting fat first, there have been numerous studies that show that High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the best bang for your buck to lose weight. Google it and find a HIIT program that has you doing a weight lifting exercise at a high intensity for a time interval that gives you a short break then moves you to another exercise. It'll put you through a circuit that kicks your butt with a full body workout. This is what programs like P90X and Insanity are based on.

Planet Fitness, though it uses machines, has an area and system dedicated to HIIT. A green light goes on, and you go all out on one machine. It turns red and you move to the next machine in the circuit and take a breather until it turns green, then you repeat. There's something like 12-15 stations. I know quite a few people who just melted the fat off doing it a few times a week and eating healthy. My sister, who isn't athletic, dropped 30+ lb in a few months doing the circuit twice in a row 3-4 times a week while maintaining a healthy diet.

When I shift to dropping the weight once I hit my short term lifting goals (probably this spring), I plan on utilizing some sort of HIIT program to drop 25 lb over 3 challenges or so.

Currently, I'm having success losing weight while increasing my gains (and I'm an intermediate lifter at this point, so no beginner gains) by eating at a small deficit day to day but 1-2 hours after my lifting workouts, which occur 2-3 times a week, I drink a quart of whole milk with about 50g of whey protein. I'm losing weight most of the time but giving my body the fuel it needs after working out to build muscle. It's my twist on lean gains to make the intermittent fasting principles work around my schedule.