Resistance training is one of the popular exercise routines to build strength and shed some calories. However, Dr. Mike Israetel recently sat down with podcast host Chris Williamson to talk about better techniques. He weighed in on the true efficacy of strength training for weight loss.
Resistance training works by preserving muscle mass while individuals aim to lose fat. If they were to get on a 12-week resistance training program, they could lose a certain amount of fat but would end up retaining their muscles.
However, Dr. Israetel suggested a better method that would not only help lose fat but also increase muscle mass simultaneously. This provides strength, weight loss, and confidence, empowering individuals. The idea was to focus on cleaning up one’s diet and prioritize working with weights during the resistance training program – for beginners who have just started their fitness journey.
The trajectory of fat going down and muscle strength going up is so significantly impactful that individuals end up feeling stronger and better as they go through the plan. Highlighting the example of Dana White’s transformation, Dr. Israetel exclaimed:
“I think he lost something like a total of maybe 35 pounds on the scale. But because he started taking weight training very seriously during that time, he must have gained anywhere from 5-15 pounds of muscle…”
He also encouraged women in particular, to dive into weight training, assuring them that they won’t grow too muscular. Williamson laughed about how he and his friends had been trying to achieve that goal and couldn’t do so in years. It was next to impossible for women to become as jacked and ripped as someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight.
“You’re not the candidate for rapid muscle growth. What’s going to happen is you’re going to diet down, and you’re going to look less like you’re sick, at the end, and more like you look healthy and vital.”
Losing fat is a lengthy process that involves many strings pulled to get to the ideal fitness goal of an individual. However, this also means that one might face various kinds of challenges along the way that would demand solutions. Dr. Israetel had once delved into this subject in detail.
Dr. Mike Israetel unveils the four fat loss challenges and how to conquer them
The process of weight loss comes with some hurdles that one might find tricky and challenging to navigate through. Dr. Israetel divided these challenges into four aspects – hunger and fatigue, duration of diet, training techniques, and post-diet rituals.
Once individuals embark upon the process of fat loss, they’re highly likely hit by the intense feeling of hunger and exhaustion. Monitoring energy levels, timing the kind of diet plans one could choose, weight training, and providing oneself with enough challenges should do the trick.