If you're trying to lose weight but not doing any exercises to maintain or build your muscles, you could actually lose muscle mass. Strength training doesn't require you to lose weight before starting. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, so it's wise to include exercise in your routine. People who are slim or fat, new to strength training, or want to prioritize performance in the gym over appearance should consider bulking before losing weight.
There's a lot of advice online about whether it's better to lose weight or build muscle first, but many of them are incorrect or don't apply to everyone. If your goal is to look slim and muscular, the best approach is to lose fat without losing muscle, maintain your strength, and then build more muscle after that. Unfortunately, research indicates that using exercise alone as a method of weight loss can lead to weight gain. BuiltLean Transformation offers a training and nutrition program that can help you lose fat and weight efficiently.
A study of 141 older adults with obesity found that cardio, resistance training, or both can help improve body composition during a period of intentional weight loss. I started weight training for the first time in my life and for 5 months I kept it both with a personal trainer and on my own. Doing strength circuits while eating with a calorie deficit will help your body maintain lean muscle while you lose weight. Lifting weights helps maintain and develop muscles, and prevents your metabolism from slowing down when you lose fat.
Regular aerobic exercise can increase the amount of calories you burn and help you lose body fat. It's a common misconception that weightlifting or resistance training aren't useful for burning fat or losing weight. This is because their bodies are not adapted to the stress and stimuli of resistance training, or they start with a higher body weight and burn more calories during exercise. If you reach 160 at 6'2″, you're not underweight, especially if you don't have a large body structure.
