And since muscle burns more calories than fat does, our metabolism slows down. In women, who start out with proportionally less muscle than men, this process takes a bigger toll on the waistline. The average female gains around 20 to 25 pounds of fat between the ages of 20 and Weight training can also raise a person's metabolic rate for as long as 12 hours after exercising. That means that if you lift weights, your body will burn calories faster. But whether regular exercise generally increases your metabolism over the long-term remains controversial, says Glenn Gaesser, an exercise physiologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
One study in the Netherlands found that 18 weeks of weight training by young men sped up their metabolism by 9 percent. Other studies haven't found such a benefit. Nonetheless, Gaesser and others believe that by maintaining muscle, weight lifting can help minimize the metabolic downturn that occurs as you get older.
Here's the math: A pound of muscle burns five to 10 calories daily, even if you're lying on the couch. With a moderately strenuous weight-lifting regimen, women can gain one to two pounds of muscle after three months; men rack up about twice as much.
Weight Lifting to Lose Weight
Two extra pounds of brawn would thus consume 10 to 20 calories daily. That seems like small change, but over months and years, it can really add up. Over 20 years, that extra bit of muscle could keep you from putting on 20 pounds. Indeed, nutrition researcher Miriam Nelson, director of the Center for Physical Fitness at Tufts University, often sees weight lifting open the door to a trimmer body.
In one study, she put 10 overweight women on the same diet, but half of them lifted heavy weights twice a week. Both groups ended up around 13 pounds lighter on the scale. But that wasn't the whole story.
Lift to Lose Weight
On average, the diet-only crew lost only 9. Which points up a neat thing about strength training: You may not necessarily lose more weight, but you can still gradually slim down as you trade fat for brawn. Contrary to female fears, crunching dumbbells won't turn women into the Incredible Hulk. If anything, it'll make them smaller as they replace jiggly fat with compact muscle, says Nelson. Even more gratifying, people who pump iron notice striking improvements in strength fairly quickly, giving them more stamina for walking or biking.
Two more major long-term bonuses, especially for older women: You get stronger bones and better balance. Based on her research, Nelson lays out a program of diet plus aerobic and strength exercise in her book, Strong Women Stay Slim, and on her Web site, StrongWomen. A pound person can burn calories after a half-hour of circuit training and a pound person can burn calories. An average of calories burned in 30 minutes amounts to a loss of 2. No matter what workout you choose, you're going to have a hard time losing weight if you don't make changes to your diet: Unfortunately, exercise is just one part of an effective weight-loss plan — and diet is a major piece of the puzzle.
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A person who burns calories a day through weight-training exercises and slashes calories every day from his diet can expect to see a 2-pound reduction in weight after just one week. That's a good thing, because healthy adults should limit their weight loss to 2 pounds a week, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Any more than that isn't sustainable and could have negative health consequences, including slowing down your metabolism. About two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, according to the U. Department of Health and Human Services , and exercise, including weight lifting, can help you prevent weight gain and reduce your chance of developing a potentially life-threatening chronic illness such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.
It might also help you attain the sculpted look you're striving for. But how fast will you burn fat and lose excess weight? That depends on how much work and discipline you choose to put in. Leah Groth. Leah Groth is a writer and editor currently based in Philadelphia. Connect on LinkedIn. Weight lifting to lose weight is a healthy approach that will help you sustain your weight loss in the long run.
Lifting Weight to Lose Weight. When you're weight lifting to lose weight, upping the intensity of your workouts can help you see results faster. Go Hard, Burn More.
The 6 Rules Of Lifting For Fat Loss
Your food choices are the most important part of your weight-loss plan. Strength training affects dozens of hormones directly or indirectly, but here are a few of the key players:. Different approaches to strength training, from high reps to low reps, heavy weights to light weights, and everything in between, all elicit slightly different responses from your endocrine system. Mike advises clients to stick with a general resistance-training program. In addition to biochemical benefits, a progressive strength-training program also keeps you operating at maximal in efficiency.
The problem with many repetitive exercise programs is that they require progressively less energy the more you do them. Your body will naturally use less energy to move your new, lower weight. Your best bet, then, is to find ways to make your exercise program more ineffi cient. With aerobic exercise, you can mix it up: Alternate longer runs, rides or swims with some intermittent training — intervals in which you go hard for a short burst 30 to 60 seconds , then slow down to an easy pace for a minute or two.
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Do sets for time instead of stopping at a predetermined number of reps. Adjust your rest time between sets, do your exercises in a different order, or do different exercises altogether, and you have a new set of challenges to which your body has to adapt. Tweak your program regularly, and you can continue improving for as long as you keep up your strength-training efforts. Many people find that the variety and progression inherent in strength training keeps the activity engaging, which is an advantage in itself.
This article has been updated. It originally appeared in the September issue of Experience Life magazine.
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Metabolic resistance training, a system popularized by Alwyn Cosgrove, MS, CSCS, coauthor of The New Rules of Lifting for Life , is one of the best forms of exercise to build muscle, rev up your metabolism and burn the most fat in the least amount of time. Your email address will not be published. City and state are only displayed in our print magazine if your comment is chosen for publication. This article is very useful for who want to lose weight. Great read! Thank you. Absolutely amazing, well written, to-the-point great article!!!!!!!! Thanks, I needed this confirmation. Thanks for sharing excellent information on one of the reasons I am finding it challenging to loose weight.
By lifting weights, you will burn a few calories and prevent your metabolism from slowing down, which is a common side effect of losing weight. Hi Andrew Heffernan! From my experience, In order to lose weight and build muscle you have to focus on three key elements: diet, cardiovascular exercise, and strength training. It will require hard work and determination. Lately, I have resorted to strength training to lose weight and I gotta say, the results were awesome.
A month ago, I started strength training 4 days a week at my local gym. I do my cardio on the in between days. I walk 3 miles a day outside at a brisk pace on those days. I count calories and write everything down-sticking to calories a day on a high protein, moderate carbs and fat approach. So despite the weight issue, I am grateful my overall health is excellent and that I have the motivation and mobility I need to keep working towards my weight loss goal.
Lift to Lose Weight - Experience Life
I was in a similar situation. Luckily at 42 my dr found this out. I have been doing resistance training. And def have more muscle tone. But my jeans are tighter and I have gained weight.