drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
It's common for people to think that training with high reps helps you get more "toned" and lean muscles. But targeting a muscle group with higher reps won't increase fat loss in that area.
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In one study, the participants trained only 1 leg 3x per week for 12 weeks straight. They gained a good amount of muscular endurance in the trained leg, but the targeted high-rep training did not increase fat loss in the lower body [1]. High-rep training also generally doesn't burn enough extra calories to meaningfully increase fat loss.
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Therefore, I prefer to see weight training as separate from your fat loss goals. Create a calorie deficit primarily through nutrition and train with weights to preserve muscle and strength. For most people, this means your training doesn't have to change a lot when the goal is fat loss. You can add a few cardio sessions here and there, but the way you strength train can remain mostly the same.
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In one study, the participants trained only 1 leg 3x per week for 12 weeks straight. They gained a good amount of muscular endurance in the trained leg, but the targeted high-rep training did not increase fat loss in the lower body [1]. High-rep training also generally doesn't burn enough extra calories to meaningfully increase fat loss.
-
Therefore, I prefer to see weight training as separate from your fat loss goals. Create a calorie deficit primarily through nutrition and train with weights to preserve muscle and strength. For most people, this means your training doesn't have to change a lot when the goal is fat loss. You can add a few cardio sessions here and there, but the way you strength train can remain mostly the same.
