Waiting to strength train until you’re at your goal weight seems like a good plan in theory, but in reality you’re holding yourself back from even better results by waiting.
If the only thing that matters to you is the number on the scale, then go ahead and just do cardio and diet. Just know that it’s going to get harder and harder to lose those “last 5 pounds” and LOOK the way you want to without muscle.
There’s 3 main benefits to strength training when your goal is fat loss:
1. Weight training boosts your metabolic rate for longer than cardio alone does. This means you burn more calories for 24-48 hours after a strength training session than you do after a cardio session.
2. When you lose weight cardio and/or diet alone, you lose muscle along with fat. This causes your metabolism to slow down more and more, so you have to eat less and less or increase your cardio continually to keep losing weight. This is why you end up eating very little and still aren’t able to lose weight.
3. If you want to look “toned” you have to strength train. With (relatively) heavy weights. There’s no difference between toning and muscle building. It’s all the same. When you lose weight without strength training, you usually end up the same shape you were when you were overweight, just smaller. You need weights to change the shape of your body!
Don’t waste your time doing just cardio and diet now- it will just make things harder for you later! If you want to get started with strength training, but you’re feeling lost or intimidated, email info@strengthcollectivegalesburg.com to schedule a strategy session to help get you on the right track.