Do you need to lose weight or lift weights to get muscle tone?
So you want to get some definition in your muscles and you’re a woman in your 40s or your 50s. Here’s the killer question:
Do you need to lift weights or do you need to lose weight, as in lose body fat, in order to see definition in your muscles?
Losing weight and lifting weights aren’t mutually exclusive. You can do both together but in the quest for muscle definition, or ‘toning up’, we’d always advise leaning more towards resistance training first.
Changes in muscle mass
Every year over 40 we are programmed to lose muscle mass, so we
have to protect against that loss. Muscle mass affects our metabolic rate, which affects how much body fat we’ll burn at rest.
In our fat loss programs that we run with our clients, one of the main things we look at for women in their 40s or 50s is actually to gain more muscle rather than think about cutting calories.
The negative impact of calorie cutting
If people are cutting calories too quickly because they want to just focus on body weight and body fat, it’s probably there’ll be insufficient calories for muscle growth. This is what we need when we’re trying to build lean tissue.
Cut the junk out of your diet
You definitely want to cut the junk out of your diet which will automatically reduce your calorie intake but is unlikely to leave you with a calorie deficit. Cutting processed or junk food will cut excess calories floating around your body. Processed and junk foods could add up to 500 calories a day, that’s 3,500 each week. That’s a pound of fat just by taking junk out of your diet.
Pay attention to your protein levels
Another risk if you are trying to cut calories is you might drop your protein intake. It’s the protein that you really need to to build muscle and get that definition you’re after.
Where to start?
Getting lean, building muscle and getting tone or definition are related but definitely lean into resistance training and cutting junk out of your diet before dieting.
Cutting junk food tends to cut enough calories in the first instance at least to help correct overeating.
This should put you in a sweet spot to work towards your goals. You’ll also be more likely to stick with it, which should get closer towards the results you’re looking for.
Stick with it for six-weeks
Whatever you decide to do today, stick with it for at least six-weeks make that commitment to yourself. Do this and we promise you’ll begin to see a change after that six-weeks.
Want to know more?
Check out our YouTube playlist on exercise and brain health.
Or get in touch via email with the subject ‘Exercise for brains’ and let us know how we can help. EMAIL US at info@fit-school.co.uk
More posts like this:
6 Ways Every Woman Over 40 Needs to Work Out
Over 50 or Close How to Prevent a Saggy Bottom