Lifting weights can be an excellent way to slim down while getting toned. There may be times when you’re putting in a lot of work in your daily routine and not achieving the results you’re looking for. Today, we’re here to explain why you’re strength training but not losing weight. The number on the scale is only part of the equation and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not making any progress.
Why You’re Not Losing Weight When Strength Training
A common reason why the scale’s not budging when you’re seemingly doing everything right with your strength training routine is that you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning. “You can lose fat as long as you burn more calories than you take in,” explains Domenic Angelino, CPT with International Personal Training Academy (IPTA). “This means that you don’t necessarily need to do a specific type of exercise to lose fat.”
In addition, in any weight-loss journey, it’s important to understand the difference between losing weight and losing fat. “When most people think about weight loss or gain on a scale, they think it automatically equates to fat loss or fat gain,” Angelino points out. “This isn’t necessarily the case. The scale weight that you see is made up of all types of mass in your body. It can be influenced by the amount of fat you have, the amount of muscle you have, and even the amount of water you’re holding onto.”
Another culprit that’s keeping the scale from moving in a favorable direction? Muscle gain—which is certainly not a bad thing! “Building muscle means adding new tissue to your body and/or increasing the size of existing muscle tissue,” says Amanda Capritto, CPT with PTPioneer. “All body tissues have weight, so if you’re not simultaneously losing body fat, gaining muscle is gaining weight. Even if you [simultaneously lose] body fat, it’s absolutely possible—and okay!—that you experience a net gain in weight.”
Common Mistakes When Combining Strength Training With a Weight-Loss Goal
In most cases, lifting weights with a weight-loss goal in mind isn’t the most efficient way to train, warns Capritto. Individuals exploring a certain form of exercise for the first time can absolutely experience muscle gain, body fat loss, and weight loss simultaneously. That being said, “they shouldn’t expect that to last forever, or even for a really long time,” Capritto explains.
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“This is especially so if the person is actively intending to build muscle and lifting heavy weights with progressive overload,” Capritto adds. “The two goals—build muscle and lose weight—conflict greatly, [likely leading] to frustration and potentially quitting the exercise program. It’d be more apt to focus on one thing at a time, or at least to focus on building strength and losing body fat (not body weight).”
Rather than depending on body weight to measure progress, Capritto encourages you to utilize body fat percentage and gym stats, like your max squat or deadlift. Angelino agrees, saying, “Using other tools to evaluate your body composition—either directly or indirectly—can help provide you with [a better] context about what’s happening.”
