Stop Training for Weight Loss

Posted Dec 01, 2009 by Nia Shanks. This entry is filed under fat loss, weight loss, and strength training.

Bulgarian Split Squat

Want a Better Body? Stop Training for Weight Loss

I have talked about this before in an older post – Stop Training for Fat Loss – however, I believe it deserves to be discussed once more.

Many people who join gyms and want to improve their body composition and physical appearance automatically start training for fat loss. This may mean that they perform circuits, sets with high repetitions, decreased rest periods, or that their focus centers solely on fat loss and nothing else.

This is especially the case with women. There have been numerous occasions when women have come to me for training, and they told me that their main goal was to lose fat/weight. All they wanted to do was see the number on the scale decrease. I won’t get into that here, but you can refer to an older post – Stop Trying to Reach an Ideal Weight – for more information on that topic.

Many times these women (and men) would be much better off if they focused on improving their performance and building muscle. Ninety-nine percent of the time women don’t like that answer. They get deathly afraid that building muscle means getting big and bulky.

Absolutely not true. Building a few pounds of muscle will increase their metabolism, allow them to burn more fat, and gives them the desired lean, athletic, “toned” look. In fact, women can gain a few pounds of muscle without realizing it. All they know is that they look and feel better.

The main point is this: if more women and men would just focus on improving their performance in the gym instead of always focusing on losing fat and weight, they would get far better results.

So what can you do differently? Well, the next time you go to the gym, focus on improving your performance from the previous workout. For example, increase the weight you use for each exercise, or perform more repetitions with the same weight. Don’t worry about how many calories you’re burning or working out so hard that you have to crawl out of the gym in a pool of sweat, blood and tears. That is unnecessary and a lot of times can be counterproductive.

Increasing your performance in the gym is the ultimate way to transform your body, and in a much more enjoyable way.

To prove my point, take this into consideration. A few years ago when I finally stopped training for weight loss and fat loss and focused entirely on improving my performance, my body changed drastically. I lost fat, build muscle, and started to look better than ever. This led me to compete in my first powerlifting competition where I set a SPF push/pull world record for my division, at the lowest level of body fat I’ve had in my adult life.

One more example: a client of mine lost almost 30 pounds in three months by focusing entirely on improving her performance in the gym. In her own words, “I didn’t even try to lose weight. It just happened.”

So if you want to lose weight and change your body, then stop training for weight loss and focus on improving your performance. You’ll get better results and actually have fun doing it.

If you want a detailed body transformation program that is guaranteed to produce results, then check out Fat Loss Detour.

Do you train for performance when you go to the gym? Do you always increase the number or repetitions or use more weight? Tell me below.

Comments for This Entry

charmed1taz 10:09AM on December 02, 2009

Great article Nia! For most people it's just a means to an end. What they don't realize is okay so reach your Ideal weight, then what? It's not like you get down to your favorite weight and that's it for life, you just lock it in and stay there forever. You have to keep exercising so you must have performance oriented goals. Plus you will go through stretches of not losing on the scale and if that is all you care about you will get frusterated and stop or panic and make unnecessary changes. I have not taken that jump to be a trainer, I have taken courses, been to seminars and was in coach Charles staley's coaching group and if people would just get half that educated they wouldn't be afraid of muscle and this includes MANY TRAINERS! It seems like on any fitness show, biggest loser, something on dr. Phil, oprah, Fit tv, that any other goal has to be endurance or bust. There is nothing wrong with this, but if you don't want to train for a marothon? If you are woman or a beginner you are made to feel this is what you have to do.

Nia Shanks 10:15AM on December 02, 2009

Charmed-

Great comments, thanks!

charmed1taz 10:37AM on December 02, 2009

If you take 3 women and they all way 150lbs 30% bodyfat, person #1 drops to 130lbs 30% fat, #2 drops to 140lbs 20% fat, and person #3 stays at 150lbs and drops to 20% fat who looks and feels best? It's 2 and 3 by far, and they added muscle to get thes results. They look firmer and FIT IN SMALLER CLOTHES, so much for "muscle pushing the fat out". They also get to eat more because muscle needs calories and fat doesn't and if they spend some time doing harder exercises or heavier weights, or explosive stuff the fasttwitch fibers need more kcal to recover. Nia, As far as women go, many women would pass your site and move on because you simply aren't saying what they think they want to hear. You could never be too popular cuz you don't speak the eneducated fitness lingo. The women ( and certainly some men) who dominate the mainstream act like caffeine addicted cheerleaders. They say things like (using an exessive high pitched voice) "You will get all toned and sculpted and feel so warm and cuddly with my happy teddy bear fitness". Or you could be Jillian Michaels. (using a deep voice) "My name is jillian and I'm tuffffffffffff, I'm in way over my head but if I make you work work work work work etc....... that means I'm the tough chick and people will respect that". Getting your fitness goals takes a hollistic approach, some type of progressive resistance training, diet, progressive cardiovascular type work, psychological transformation. If today you can do 2 pushups and 30 days later you can do 12, you are moving forward in the resistance area. If you can squat 50lbs for 10 reps and you add 25lbs to that then you know you are improving. If you curl 20lbs for 4x8 resting 75 seconds and over 4 weeks you improve that to 4x8 resting 45 seconds you are making progress, now adjust in the other areas if needed, when you feel like a bodypart has adequate muscle or getting too much, then just cut back on the sets, exercises, or days traing that part. JUST USE COMMON SENSE! Don't listen to the marketers.

vitamin b1 12:49AM on December 19, 2009