Weightlifting belongs to resistance training, also known as anaerobic exercise. Actions such as weighted squats, dumbbell rows, deadlifts, bench presses, shoulder presses, pull-ups, etc., are activities that cannot be sustained, primarily relying on anaerobic supply.
So, can people lose weight by only doing weightlifting training?
Weightlifting training can effectively increase muscle dimension, and muscles are the “energy consumers” in the body, constantly burning calories to maintain their active state.
Fat, on the other hand, is an energy-storing substance with relatively low calorie consumption. 1 kilogram of fat only burns 4 to 10 calories a day, while 1 kilogram of muscle burns three times the calories compared to the same weight of fat. This means that people with more muscle have a higher metabolism level, burning more calories each day, which is beneficial for weight loss.
Additionally, when you replenish energy by eating, most of the energy is broken down into glycogen. Muscles can store some glycogen and water, making it less likely to be converted into accumulated fat.
At the beginning of weightlifting training, muscle growth may make you appear more bulky because muscle tissue is under the layer of fat, making visible weight loss results harder to notice.
However, after persisting with weightlifting training for some time, as your basal metabolic rate increases, fat begins to break down gradually, body fat percentage decreases, and your body gradually becomes leaner and firmer, with muscle definition becoming more pronounced.
So, how should people looking to lose weight schedule their weightlifting training? It is recommended that beginners start with compound exercises:
Exercise 1: Squats (exercise for glutes and legs)
Exercise 2: Lunges (exercise for glutes and legs)
Exercise 3: Dumbbell straight-leg deadlift (exercise for glutes and lower back)
Exercise 4: Push-ups (exercise for chest and triceps)
Exercise 5: Mountain climbers (exercise for core muscles)
Exercise 6: Russian twists with dumbbell (exercise for core muscles)
Do 4 sets of each exercise, 15 repetitions per set. Learn the correct trajectory and focus to enhance training effectiveness.
Of course, the premise of losing weight through weightlifting training is to manage your diet simultaneously, rather than overeating and consuming excess calories. Otherwise, no matter how hard you work at weightlifting training, weight loss will be difficult to achieve.
Imagine sweating it out at the gym every day, engaging in intense weightlifting training, but having an uncontrolled diet and consuming excessive calories.
When you eat too much and have excess calories, stored glycogen in muscles and liver will lead to fat accumulation. Proper diet control is equally important as exercising in the journey of weight loss.
