Maintaining muscle/strength whilst losing weight - WITHOUT using weights?

[Shia]

Im looking to start leaning out. I'm 188lb and want to be a nice solid 160lb.

 

Only problem is, I buildt my muscle using external weights, and was wandering if I can maintain my strength and my muscle using only my bodyweight as resistance?

 

I have been using a weighted belt to add weight to my pull ups/dips but my lower back is starting to get agitated by it (I injured it a long time ago)

 

 

 

Hope you guys can help me out

[Connor Davies]

Train your lower back more.  Do arch holds, working your way up to a decent locust position, and hyperextensions.

 

Absolutely you can maintain strength while losing weight.  This is done by moving up to harder progressions.  As your weight drops, it's easier to manipulate through space, so you should have a greater strength potential as well.

 

Although really, I'd recommend you just buy Foundation 1.  Everyone has reported gaining muscle, even when they are used to working with much harder exercises.

[Alexander Svensson]

I can agree with Bipocni about mucsle gain in F1. Before F1 I was used to doing pull-ups, dips, mu and pistols and even now when only doing the first progressions for everything I have actually noticed a slight increase in muscle mass.

[Joshua Naterman]

As long as you don't do a crash diet, but rather change your dietary habits so that you are consuming frequent meals with lots of vegetables (at least a cup cooked, per meal), 20-30g of protein per meal, a little fat so that you can properly absorb fat soluble vitamins from your veggies, and enough carbs you will be fine, and should not lose much, if any, muscle mass.

 

Even if you do lose some, it will be very little and it will come back (plus interest) by the end of F2. 

 

If it makes you feel any better, I gained my muscle initially with weights, and then lost quite a bit, and just doing the F1 work with sensible nutrition (described above) put muscle back on me fairly quickly. I am 6 feet 1.5 inches tall, 227 lbs as of today. Approximately 12% body fat.

[Deins Drengers]

As long as you don't do a crash diet, but rather change your dietary habits so that you are consuming frequent meals with lots of vegetables (at least a cup cooked, per meal), 20-30g of protein per meal, a little fat so that you can properly absorb fat soluble vitamins from your veggies, and enough carbs you will be fine, and should not lose much, if any, muscle mass.

 

Even if you do lose some, it will be very little and it will come back (plus interest) by the end of F2. 

 

If it makes you feel any better, I gained my muscle initially with weights, and then lost quite a bit, and just doing the F1 work with sensible nutrition (described above) put muscle back on me fairly quickly. I am 6 feet 1.5 inches tall, 227 lbs as of today. Approximately 12% body fat.

Why cooked?  There are some who claim that eating veggies fresh is the way to go. I think the paleo people did that aswell. And people say that you lose a good part of the vitamins and minerals through cooking. But I personally cant eat fresh veggies much because it will get me bloated and sad.

[Joshua Naterman]

Why cooked?  There are some who claim that eating veggies fresh is the way to go. I think the paleo people did that aswell. And people say that you lose a good part of the vitamins and minerals through cooking. But I personally cant eat fresh veggies much because it will get me bloated and sad.

The nutrient loss from proper cooking (PLEASE notice the word "proper") is only around 10% of the total, while you gain access to MUCH more than that by breaking down the cell walls of the plants. This is even more true for frozen veggies: You lose zero nutrients from the cold, but you bust open every single cell wall, which is why veggies are always limp after thawing. The busted cell walls give you access to even more nutrients.

 

Cooked plants are basically not going to get you sick, and certain plant organs (leaves, beans/pulses, seeds, roots, etc) can have chemicals that need to be deactivated by heat and/or exposure to water, particularly when consumed in large quantities. Green tomatoes are one such food, as are beans and white potatoes. Each is different. There are many plant foods that are virtually impossible to sanitize without cooking, and others that are very easy. Leaves are basically impossible to get clean without completely destroying them, so at the very least they should be blanched.

 

Food science is just as complicated as everything else, and cooking properly is just as simple as anything can be:

 

Steam your veggies. You can bake them also, and to be honest you're not losing enough there to worry about it, so long as you aren't overcooking your veggies. Don't over-think this.

 

Soak your beans for at least 8 hours before cooking them. Always cook starches, whether it is a bean, a seed, or a potato.

 

That's basically it. We could talk for literally months or years about individual foods, but since I'm not getting paid hundreds of dollars per person it isn't worth my time to do that. I am all about teaching a real course on all of this stuff, but it has to be worth my time. I have school debts to pay off, and food to buy, and a future to prepare for.

[Deins Drengers]

The nutrient loss from proper cooking (PLEASE notice the word "proper") is only around 10% of the total, while you gain access to MUCH more than that by breaking down the cell walls of the plants. This is even more true for frozen veggies: You lose zero nutrients from the cold, but you bust open every single cell wall, which is why veggies are always limp after thawing. The busted cell walls give you access to even more nutrients.

 

Cooked plants are basically not going to get you sick, and certain plant organs (leaves, beans/pulses, seeds, roots, etc) can have chemicals that need to be deactivated by heat and/or exposure to water, particularly when consumed in large quantities. Green tomatoes are one such food, as are beans and white potatoes. Each is different. There are many plant foods that are virtually impossible to sanitize without cooking, and others that are very easy. Leaves are basically impossible to get clean without completely destroying them, so at the very least they should be blanched.

 

Food science is just as complicated as everything else, and cooking properly is just as simple as anything can be:

 

Steam your veggies. You can bake them also, and to be honest you're not losing enough there to worry about it, so long as you aren't overcooking your veggies. Don't over-think this.

 

Soak your beans for at least 8 hours before cooking them. Always cook starches, whether it is a bean, a seed, or a potato.

 

That's basically it. We could talk for literally months or years about individual foods, but since I'm not getting paid hundreds of dollars per person it isn't worth my time to do that. I am all about teaching a real course on all of this stuff, but it has to be worth my time. I have school debts to pay off, and food to buy, and a future to prepare for.

Wow !

Thanks a lot for this information

Now I know that there is much more to learn ! Ahh, so much to do and so little time. The pile of study material that needs to be conquered is growing faster than i can deal with it.

[Romulo Malta]

I also have a similar worry. I used to lift weights and do some GST occasionally but decided to dedicate myself exclusively to GST and started F1 and H1. Though I'm satisfied with the progress so far, I'm not satisfied with body comp for the moment. I'm extremelly careful with diet and a nutrition maniac, so I don't think that is the main reason for the change. Maybe GST will produce esthetical results only later on. I know that's not the main objective and though I want functionality, I also aim for an athletic look and since I stopped lifting weights, I accumulated fat very quickly. Maybe I should add more conditioning/cardio to F1/H1? Or maybe I'm not that savvy about nutrition as I thought and my diet needs more tweaking for a faster progress.

 

[Joshua Slocum]

I also have a similar worry. I used to lift weights and do some GST occasionally but decided to dedicate myself exclusively to GST and started F1 and H1. Though I'm satisfied with the progress so far, I'm not satisfied with body comp for the moment. I'm extremelly careful with diet and a nutrition maniac, so I don't think that is the main reason for the change. Maybe GST will produce esthetical results only later on. I know that's not the main objective and though I want functionality, I also aim for an athletic look and since I stopped lifting weights, I accumulated fat very quickly. Maybe I should add more conditioning/cardio to F1/H1? Or maybe I'm not that savvy about nutrition as I thought and my diet needs more tweaking for a faster progress.

 

It's recommended that you do some sort of cardio 2-3 times a week in conjunction with F1/H1. 

[Romulo Malta]

Thank you Joshua. 

I walk around 4km every day to work. The intensity is probably not enough for fat burning and I should add some sprints/swimming/KB swings, etc.

[Keilani Gutierrez]

I (feel) that on particular days, certain F1 exercises pick up my heart rate. not something strenuous, i just finish off with quite a bit of sweat, strong but not winded. so it gives me an aerobic feeling to the exercise. but i havent been worrying so much about the body fat % because though this stuff is elementary, im growing muscle in the right places and my posture is improving.

the higher rep days do the job of getting me pretty winded, so its not like you're going to look like a fat strong cow until you get to the second series, i've been spinning my wheels on some elements due to postural bad habits and im doing my best to keep the reps as clean and momentum-less as possible and i've managed to put on 20lbs of weight since I started training in Oct. I used to weight 148lbs and i weighed in at 168.5lbs a few days ago. composition wise it isn't anything to be "wow" about but i can see my obliques clearly, my top 4 abs, my forearms look beefier, so does my chest and back.

a lot of this also has to do to how your body "copes" with the stress of exercise, so you have to find the way to be on point with your form and not cheat yourself out of progress.

milk it for all its worth, practice sensible nutrition and keep sweating intelligently = results.

[Alexander Svensson]

I (feel) that on particular days, certain F1 exercises pick up my heart rate. not something strenuous, i just finish off with quite a bit of sweat, strong but not winded. so it gives me an aerobic feeling to the exercise. but i havent been worrying so much about the body fat % because though this stuff is elementary, im growing muscle in the right places and my posture is improving.

 

After most of my F1 sessions I look like I had just been swimming! 

[Keilani Gutierrez]

After most of my F1 sessions I look like I had just been swimming! 

it was not cool to workout during the summer. seriously, sometimes I feel like working out in AC but I don't know how much of a pansy that makes me, though I know that would impact my performance directly, i dont know how much of it would be "cheating".

 

my weather ranges from 83-95 degrees F and humidity 65%-90%. 

 

you're always sweating, so i tend to lose a lot of water and not even feel it. 

 

I love it. I've considered donating my body to science once I evolve into breathing through gills. 

 

what do any of you hot weather folk think about this? 

[Jon Douglas]

it was not cool to workout during the summer. seriously, sometimes I feel like working out in AC but I don't know how much of a pansy that makes me, though I know that would impact my performance directly, i dont know how much of it would be "cheating".

 

my weather ranges from 83-95 degrees F and humidity 65%-90%. 

 

you're always sweating, so i tend to lose a lot of water and not even feel it. 

 

I love it. I've considered donating my body to science once I evolve into breathing through gills. 

 

what do any of you hot weather folk think about this? 

I'm a desert baby from outback West Oz, hot and dry and dry and hot, red dirt country. I've spent the past year in Toronto

.

I feel training in fire and ice has helped me grow as a person.

[Joshua Slocum]

it was not cool to workout during the summer. seriously, sometimes I feel like working out in AC but I don't know how much of a pansy that makes me, though I know that would impact my performance directly, i dont know how much of it would be "cheating".

 

my weather ranges from 83-95 degrees F and humidity 65%-90%. 

 

you're always sweating, so i tend to lose a lot of water and not even feel it. 

 

I love it. I've considered donating my body to science once I evolve into breathing through gills. 

 

what do any of you hot weather folk think about this? 

 

My gym is basically a Sauna in the summer: no AC, lots of humidity, and generally ~5F hotter inside than outside. On some days I'll go through 1.5 liters of accelerade in 3 hours and still feel a bit dehydrated afterwards. At one point I was jumping on the trampoline for about an hour. When I got off, there was a pool of sweat on the floor beneath the trampoline 

 

It's nice in that warming up doesn't take so long, and I'm generally more limber because of the heat. Sometimes things start to get slippery from all the sweat, which is annoying. I don't think it has to much of a direct impact on my performance overall.

 

In the winter my gym is often around 50F, which is nice because it forces you to keep moving and you can work as hard as you want without overheating, but warming up takes a lot longer and if you stop for just a couple of minutes you basically have to warm up again. 

[Keilani Gutierrez]

maybe i'm over due for an oil change, if i keep overheating. cause I already took a look at my water pump and seems to be working fine and the thermostat isn't causing any trouble. perhaps i have a fluid leak somewhere that I'm not noticing. 

[Marios Roussos]

I (feel) that on particular days, certain F1 exercises pick up my heart rate. not something strenuous, i just finish off with quite a bit of sweat, strong but not winded. so it gives me an aerobic feeling to the exercise. but i havent been worrying so much about the body fat % because though this stuff is elementary, im growing muscle in the right places and my posture is improving.

the higher rep days do the job of getting me pretty winded, so its not like you're going to look like a fat strong cow until you get to the second series, i've been spinning my wheels on some elements due to postural bad habits and im doing my best to keep the reps as clean and momentum-less as possible and i've managed to put on 20lbs of weight since I started training in Oct. I used to weight 148lbs and i weighed in at 168.5lbs a few days ago. composition wise it isn't anything to be "wow" about but i can see my obliques clearly, my top 4 abs, my forearms look beefier, so does my chest and back.

a lot of this also has to do to how your body "copes" with the stress of exercise, so you have to find the way to be on point with your form and not cheat yourself out of progress.

milk it for all its worth, practice sensible nutrition and keep sweating intelligently = results.

Keilani, it's hard to tell from your post, but about the 20 lbs in 6 months, since you're saying it's "not anything to be 'wow' about", I have to assume a good portion of that must be fat. I only say that because 20 extra lbs of muscle on a 145 pounder after 6 months would definitely make me say "wow". 

[Martin de Jesus Ponce Robaldino]

Why cooked?  There are some who claim that eating veggies fresh is the way to go. I think the paleo people did that aswell. And people say that you lose a good part of the vitamins and minerals through cooking. But I personally cant eat fresh veggies much because it will get me bloated and sad.

 

 

Well, paleo people didn't use computers  

 

I like veggies cooked, steamed, fresh...  Cook them correctly and will be great. Eat them, they will be better!!

 

Greetings!!

[Afiya Zia]

it was not cool to workout during the summer. seriously, sometimes I feel like working out in AC but I don't know how much of a pansy that makes me, though I know that would impact my performance directly, i dont know how much of it would be "cheating".

 

my weather ranges from 83-95 degrees F and humidity 65%-90%. 

 

you're always sweating, so i tend to lose a lot of water and not even feel it. 

 

I love it. I've considered donating my body to science once I evolve into breathing through gills. 

 

what do any of you hot weather folk think about this?

I spend 9-10 months a year in Karachi, where it can be up to 40°C AND humid in the summer. Winter, at best, is 15-20°C cooler. Yep 8)