Weight lifting opinions

Just wondering what the B+B fitness gurus think, to lose some pounds by lifting weights should one:
A: lift heavy in a lower rep range with the idea that having extra muscle burns calories.

B: Lift somewhat lighter in say 12 rep range thereby burning more calories while doing exercise and still maintaining the muscle and strength.

Previously was somewhere in the middle. Going in to December I was doing a 10 rep per body part workout hitting all body parts one day and running the next. As I'm not too fond of running in the snow and dark and totally messed up with the holiday season and start of clinical time for my EMT-Critical Care I let fitness fall into the ditch. So am looking to burn some calories and shape back up minus my big calorie roaster which was running. Just wondering what y'all would do. I also plan to increase my time on the heavy bag.

I think you will have trouble losing weight with either of your options.

Lifting heavy adds muscle which weighs more than fat yeilding a net weight gain.

Lifting high reps lighter weight will increase you metabolism, but very slightly not enough to make a huge difference.

Biggest loss will come from consuming less, not working out more.

Like your power bill the best way to save is not by changing from a incadesant to a CFL. Its by turning off the light.

Airplanedoc,
I forgot to mention I intended to go back to eating a balanced diet with a nod to high fiber and all the good cancer fighting benefits you get from it. Anyway you slice it though I think lifting is good. I might have phrased it wrong though. I guess I'm looking to lose fat. Currently passed Army PT at 248 lbs, so I usually carry a good bit of muscle and actually only gained 8 lbs. during holiday season . Looking to lose that 8 and then some and seeing as I haven't exercised in a month either would be an improvement as they will create a calorie deficit. Just was wondering what B+B'ers thought would be more efficient.

Heavy weights will just bulk you up which will make you gain weight.

Low weights/high reps will do more to tone you up and boost metabolism. I would do this with cardio added in. Run, bike and swim!

Well it really depends on what your going for, low rep high weight builds bulky quick twitch muscles that guys like me who throw shot put and discus need but it doesn't really do anything in terms of getting in shape. I would also definitely not recommended lifting all muscle groups on one day, the only muscle group i work every day is my core. Also just going out and running s great but it can be pretty frustrating to go run the same route and not see much progress in terms of physical conditioning.

With out seeing whatever you have been doing in the weight room id recommend Circuit Training, Interval training, Super sets plyos, kettle bells, dumb bells, medicine balls and ab core every day.

Circuit Training is pretty brutal, set up 10-15 "lifts" get a stop watch and start working your way through the circuit. Each lift doesn't have any rep requirements just times you perform the lift for.
Here is a circuit work out i pulled out of the my track teams work out plan for the winter break. Each lift goes for 1:15 seconds followed by a 30 second break. You can make up your own just as long as your moving the whole time during the lift.

Circuit #1

Drop Push Ups
Kettle Bell Swings
Kettle Bell Squat
Kettle Bell Windmill
Paratroopers
Jump Rope
Sit up Get ups or Turkish Get ups
Mountain Climbers
High Plank
Plyo Box Jumps
Lateral Bag Jumps
Landmines
Trunk tosses
Seated KB punch
Barry Sanders drill
Repeat circuit twice, end with Satan 60

Interval Training
Pretty simple stuff, gets you in shape very quickly. Get on a track if you have one, sprint the straights and walk/jog the curves for a mile or so. Take as much time as you need on the curves so you can sprint the entire straight.

Super sets
I like this allot. Go from a Major lift (bench squat clean incline) directly into a minor lift that supports the major group you just did. If i do squats ill normally super set it with kettle bell swings or pl yo box jumps or something like that, bench press gets pull ups or dips or whatever.

Plyos
No weight, just keep moving. Works best at the end of a work out. Step ups are a good example. Stand on a 1.5 foot box on one leg and squat down slowly keeping all the weight on that leg, as soon as your back foot touches the ground slowly push your self back up on the other leg and repeat for about 30 seconds, switch legs and repeat for another 30. Works great as a super set.

Kettle Bells, Dumbbells, Medicine Balls

If you have access to this stuff great! If you don't no big deal, i like DB bench more then regular bench because you have to balance the lift more then a barbell requires you to. Medicine ball push ups do the same thing too.

Ab core

Absolute essential to any fitness program. A good core will keep you from getting hurt, helps build endurance when you run, makes all your lifts better ect... its good stuff

If you want a work out or something just pm me i have tons of them from Playing college football and track and field and ill happily share them.
Also, swimming distances is probably the best workout i can recommend as far as weight loss goes, its good stuff.

I'm assuming you want fat loss, not weight loss, in which case it doesn't matter exactly how much or what kind of muscle you build, only that you're building it while watching your diet. Whichever type of routine you like to do best is what you should do, because you will be more likely to stick with something you enjoy.

Euclid,
I have olympic weights and bench with high uprights to do squats , etc. As for the lifting for all bodyparts in a session I got the idea from The New Rules of lifting and their theory was it keeps everything in balance. Has seemed to workout( no pun intended ) pretty well. I pretty much figured the high reps+ lighter weight was the way to go. Just have read in Muscle and Fitness and a few others that by lifting heavy you can burn a whole bunch of calories while doing the exercise and while resting as it takes more calories to maintain the muscle. I will most likely keep hitting all the body parts in a session though as it helps kill the boredom of working out in my garage in addition to the aforementioned benefits.

A-man,
I agree was just looking for other opinions and experiences. As for the running I'm missing it. Was doing 5 miles every other day. Than with shorter days and the fact I work day shift has left me with not much in the opportunity in the run dept. in addition to feeling like a lump even my sleep schedule is off.

Euclid said:

Interval Training
Pretty simple stuff, gets you in shape very quickly. Get on a track if you have one, sprint the straights and walk/jog the curves for a mile or so. Take as much time as you need on the curves so you can sprint the entire straight.

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This did wonders for me for weight loss and general fitness. I use a stationary bike and crank the resistance and sprint all-out for .25 mile and then drop to an easy pace with relaxed resistance for .75 mile to recover. It doesn't sound like much, but those sprints really get the heart rate up and push your fitness levels.

I ride a five-mile warm-up, and then will do the intervals for 10 miles or so, sometimes further if I'm feeling up to it, followed by a few miles for cool down. The beauty is that if I'm not feeling worn out after a while, I can extend the sprint for a bit and push myself or add in a few more miles.

How you eat and what your build is like will influence how much muscle you'll gain, moreso than your training regime. I actually use a lower weight, high rep scheme to try to build muscle. If you cut down your calories and eat healthy, you should feel free to lift weights however you like.

Worried about boredom? I perform complex training, when I choose to skip body part specific training. Check one article here

I hear you on the missing running. I'm in the same boat. Used to run at least 4x a week, between 5-10 miles. Now i'm basically a weekend warrior. Same reason, short days, day shifts at work. Can't wait to spring ahead.

As far as the weightlifting programs, +1 on the circuit training. Adds a bit of cardio to your lifting at the same time. Just go exercise to exercise. Too many times at the gym I've seen these big guys lift a million pounds a couple times, then sit around for a good 5 mins either downing some protein shake or reading a muscle mag. They may be big, but they are not in good shape.

One more workout to add is jumproping. But use a couple ropes. One speed rope, and one weighted rope/weighted handles. You'll be surprised how quick your arms can feel the burn while working out your legs.

if You're NOT on a treadmill..there is NO weight to visually see in 1 month other than using some muscle

Weighlifting like all physical activity is a dangerous risk.

Each human is born with a set number of heartbeats and the faster you use these assigned heartbeats up the sooner you will pass on to be with your ancestors.

Running, hard work, sex, being frightened all shorten your life so the more you sleep and just sit around in an easy chair the longer you will live.

Do not be fooled by "experts" who tell you otherwise because they are only peddlers of workout videos or doctors who will profit from your demise.

Wp

Diet is definitely 70% of the battle. That said, I think a well rounded routine should be your goal. If you are happy with your current strength/muscularity I'd avoid high weight low rep exercises. Low weight/high rep will be good for tightening and toning muscles, but you are going to need some form of Aerobic activity to shed weight. Cycling, running, swimming are all good options. Depending on what kind of equipment you have access to you may be able to accomplish most of this with a total body circuit.

Best of luck!

I'm with sandmountainslim here. I used to work out a lot, now I sit on the couch and I can tell you that my body still looks great (unless I look at it), I feel great (except when I try to do anything requiring an effort), and I feel like I'll live forever... Except for this recurring cough, weird pains in my chest, and general fatigue, I love this regiment

EDIT: I forgot to mention that to further relax, you should add a pipe to your nightly routine (most relaxing thing ever)

richmondesi said:

I'm with sandmountainslim here. I used to work out a lot, now I sit on the couch and I can tell you that my body still looks great (unless I look at it), I feel great (except when I try to do anything requiring an effort), and I feel like I'll live forever... Except for this recurring cough, weird pains in my chest, and general fatigue, I love this regiment

EDIT: I forgot to mention that to further relax, you should add a pipe to your nightly routine (most relaxing thing ever)

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Actually that nonsense posted by SMS might be the most ridiculous thing I've read in a very long time. Classic!

SlagleRock said:

Actually that nonsense posted by SMS might be the most ridiculous thing I've read in a very long time. Classic!

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I'm guessing it was a joke.






It had to be a joke, right?

Obsessed said:

I'm guessing it was a joke.

It had to be a joke, right?

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I'm sure he was joking.

Obsessed said:

I'm guessing it was a joke.


It had to be a joke, right?

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It's just a message from the forward guard of the self-thinning herd.

The Nid Hog said:

It's just a message from the forward guard of the self-thinning herd.

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/thread! Best response ever!!!!