Progressive Resistance Training

[Fruitbat]

I was fairly overweight about 15 weeks ago. Since then I have weightlifted religiously and always concentrated on pushing it every time. It’s classic lifts, squats, dead’s etc and other than that a few long walks and a small amount of cardio. Kind of a classic bodybuilders approach.

I’ve been losing fat so can’t expect to gain tons. I’ve lifted before but retuning after a few years.

Before I’ve lost weight through intense circuits and extreme diet. This time I followed the advice and done it slow, maintaining lifts and a good deficit.

However, my results are not as good as I had before with circuits/cardio. I would not keep much muscle before but boy the weight came off quick. I’ve only lost a pound a week, but I def got a LOT stronger and my arms and shoulders and legs look slightly more muscular. There is fat covering everything so I don’t really look much better after 15 weeks. On a cardio cut by now I would be noticeably thinner.

I did this route to try to do it properly.

Am I doing the right thing long term or should I swap up and just start hitting the bike and high rep circuits?

 

[dogsta]

No replies?! Can't have that now can we!

Now listen, I'm just an average guy. I'm no fitness guru or nutritionist expert and the swath of often conflicting information out there is mind-boggling... And without making any assumptions, let's see what we can do.

My first question is: what is your goal? Your goal could probably be broken down into smaller goals to make things manageable if needed. But you need a goal - something to aim for and a means to measure that success.

And the thing about fitness and health - it's a lifestyle. Or, that's how you should approach it. I read 'extreme diet' and thought, oof.

Slow and steady wins the race. Consistency. Habit-forming. Lifestyle.

So you were/are overweight. Identify what caused that. Cut it out of your life (or at least minimise it).

If you're carrying lots of excess fat, just eating good and the required calories (for you at a normal weight) will see the ugliness drop away - and that would happen without heavy exercise or extreme diets.

They do say you need to be in surplus of calories if you're trying to build muscle - not crazy amounts for us average guys. Slow and steady.

Listen to your body, monitor results, and work out what works for you.


Case in point: last year I was working hard, although I generally had a good diet (90% wholefoods), but I was slipping into some bad food choices and the worst of all: to 'switch off' so I could sleep, I'd have a couple of ales - every night!

BOOM, 2022 rolled around and I'd fatted up well over a stone and then some - had titties and everything.

Identify - booze! And some crappy food. Cut it.

Diet is also important - the mix of carbs, protein, fat (as a side note, in my 20s I got really anal about nutrition and had a spreadsheet breaking down everything I ate into carbs, protein and fat! Yes, I know). I dropped carbs a lot (especially processed carbs (breads are the devil) - kept eating spuds/veg and rice, though) and fat, natural fats are good - chomp that stuff, 'tis the energy of gods...

I do exercise, though, but not cardio. Anyway, fat is gone, upped carbs again. Lifestyle is as it should be. Balanced.

Hope that was helpful in some way. What a waffle. Is anything I've said 'right'? Well, I don't have titties anymore!