Exercise question

[Droopy]

I started working out 1.5 months ago. I bought a membership to a gym and went to town lifting weights and walking. I've seen a lot of improvement over the the last month and a half, but I've still got a long way to go to reach my weight loss goal. I weighed in at 258 yesterday.

Over this long weekend I started walking twice what I had been. The last two days I put in 7.5 miles a day and today I will walk 9 miles. I'm thinking that I should just walk and give up the weight lifting until I get down to my target weight- about 200 pounds.

What would you do? Stay with the weights and walking shorter distances? Or go for the marathon walks? It should be noted that I like walking better than lifting weights. :)

[doc03]

1. I would stick to the weights and do lighter weights

and more reps this keeps you from losing muscle mass while your losing weight. If you can I would suggest a more strenuous exercise than walking, since you belong to a gym try the elliptical, stationary cycle or my favorite the stairmaster. Another machine is the old Nordic Track ski machine, I bet if your gym has any of these they are hardly ever used once you get on to using them they give you one of the best workouts. I joined a gym about 7 years ago when I was 50 I weighed 235. I have got my weight down to 200 and am in better shape now than when I was 20. Good luck.

[seemunkee]

2. Light weight and high reps builds mass

heavy weight and fewer reps builds strength.
Read up on the two types of hypertrophy.

[doc03]

3. If you cut back on your calorie intake to lose weight

you will lose (some) muscle mass but weight training will help you retain it. You want to build or retain as much muscle mass as possible while losing weight since muscle burns more calories than fat does. Light weights and more reps also burns more calories and you are not going to lose weight unless you burn more calories than you consume. This came from a lifetime of fighting my weight not a book. I lost and gained probably 100's of pounds over the years, but have finally got it under control by doing the weight training, cardio and watching my diet.

[Droopy]

4. I'm already pretty muscular and strong

If you saw me you'd probably guess my weight at about 230 instead of nearly 260. I stumped one of those weight guessers that you see at amusement parks. He was 30 pounds off.

I think some of it is due to genetics and some is due to carrying around a lot of extra weight for a long time- ever since I was a child. Plus I've also had periods in my life where I would work out for a while. I've done the yo-yo thing a couple of times.

When I lift now I do three sets of ten of everything I do. It is not an easy workout. I'm really pushing it to get that last set in. Somebody told me when I posted this in a different forum that 3 sets of 10 is sort of half way between lifting for strength and lifting for mass.

What I've been hearing from everybody is that I should keep lifting weights. Now for another question. Walking 3.5 miles in an hour is strenuous to me. Walking 9 miles in a day is hard. I really enjoy my walks and I do not want to give them up. I've heard more than once on here that you get just as good a workout from walking 5 miles as you do running it. Should I lift weights and keep walking at the 3.5 miles that I have been doing? Or should I lift weights and up my mileage?

[seemunkee]

5. strength vs mass

I believe that anything over 5 reps starts to put you in the mass building range. A lot of powerlifters and weightlifters do sets of singles and doubles even. Find what your one rep max is and knock back to 80% of that for your workout weight.

Like it's already been said if you just do cardio you will lose muscle mass. Losing muscle mass will drop your metabolism down making it harder to lose weight.

[MemphisTiger]

7. Good post

although I've heard to gain mass the magic number is 8-12 reps per set. I guess it depends on who you talk to.

To the original poster, don't give up on the weight training. You'll lose weight on the scale, but it will most likely be more muscle, NOT FAT.

[MissMillie]

6. I think it's important to do some form of weight training

You don't have to do it every day, but building some muscle will help you increase your metabolism and thus help you w/ your weight loss goals.

I probably spend about 15 minutes a day on weights, versus the 30-60 I spend on cardio and/or stretching. Of course, I never work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row.

[flvegan]

8. What do you want a 200 lb Droopy to look/feel like?

That's the real question here.

Hell, you want 58 pounds of weight loss? I can recommend a tinfoil wetsuit, 75 minutes of brutal cardio a day and a dandelion diuretic that'll make your kidneys scream for mercy. Give me 2 months, I've got time.

I kid, of course. Do NOT give up the weights. It's the second best thing you can do for your body. So...what do you want a 200 lb Droopy to look/feel like?

[Droopy]

9. I just want to look fit

When I was about 20 I was in the 190-200 range and I looked good. All I did to drop the weight then was eat right and jog 2 miles a day. I didn't look like I could deadlift the back end of a Volkswagon, but I also did not look like a softie either.

Like said above, I'm naturally somewhat muscular. I think that's why I look good at 200 when some other people my height look good at 175. I've got a large frame- big boned I guess, broad shoulders.

I just want to get the weight off. I know lifting weights is good for me, but I thought if I put that energy and time into walking I'd lose weight quicker. Then I'd worry about strength training when I got down to my target weight.

As far as the way I feel goes I already feel wonderful. I've got a spring in my step and a positive attitude. I gave up smoking and drinking when I went on my health kick and I feel better than I have in years. Sometimes I almost feel manic I have so much energy. I think losing the weight would give me more confidence and give a boost to my self esteem, though.

[flvegan]

11. Does the walking that you do raise your heartrate?

To ignite that calorie-burning furnace, you have to get your heart rate up there. You probably know the very basic forumla of (MHR-Age) x .8 gives you the "optimal" calorie burning zone (max heart rate or MHR is 220, subtract your age in years, multiply by 0.8 which gives you 80%). I'm not the biggest fan in the world of this formula, as each body differs, but it's the standard. You want to keep your pulse in this zone for at least 20 minutes straight to get your metabolism fired up.

As for lifting weights, mass v. strength and reps v. weight, I hate this divisive topic. Mass is a relative term, as you can only get so big. Genetics, hormone levels, etc play a much bigger role than reps and weight. In your situation, I say do both, as it seems your genetics should help you out. One workout, high reps with less weight. Another, low reps with heavier weight. Just take each set to failure (or as close as you can) each time. Form, focus and intensity matter more than numbers. Your end goal isn't to be a powerlifter nor a bodybuilder, so don't consider the means one would use to reach one of those different, specific goals.

Hope this helps. Congrats on your "health kick" and it's obvious rewards.

[Droopy]

12. Thank you

Yeah my heart rate gets up there when I walk. It gets up to about 135 after a few minutes of brisk walking and stays there as long as I keep the same pace. I checked out that formula on a different site and it said that 135 is right about where I want to be for an effective workout. I walk for an hour with my heart rate at 135.

Thanks for the weight lifting advice. I've been working out on machines, but after a couple of months it has become obvious to me that the machines aren't as effective as free weights. I've worked out with free weights in the past, but I really didn't know what I was doing. I will take your advice as far as weight and reps go then I will ask the fitness expert at my gym to show me the different exercises and proper form. I know a little, but I really need to ask somebody in order to do this right.

[NMMNG]

10. I'd recommend power walks and modified weight lifting

Muscle mass burns fat, as does cardio exercise. If you give up the weight lifting completely you'll lose the benefits of the muscle mass, which burns fat even when you are resting. It also helps you look more toned, which is an added bounus.