Which is better...

[Joey Ramone]

for Weight loss.... to lift lighter weights with higher reps or Heavier weights with fewer reps?

Or is it a good idea to do say a circuit of 36 reps on different machines at lower weight (30kg) and then (after run/other cardio work) to go back and do a circuit of 12 reps of higher weights? (37.5kg)

One last question on running/xtrainer work, again for weight loss purposes, Are you better off keeping your Heart Rate at 60-70% of max in order to burn from fat stores more than readily available glycogen or is it better to train at the higher %s as ultimately the glycogen burned off at these levels will inturn be replaced by energy taken from fat stores.

I'm quite new to this so any help would be appreciated.

[sammiza567]

weight loss has nothing to do with the exact type of training one does. it is a matter of whether or not you are in a calorie surplus or deficit that decides whether you gain or lose. i personally dont focus on gaining or loosing weight but just eating the right foods and training hard and most of all smart. imo you should incorporate max strength work in the same training cycle as endurance work. you can make gains working both ways. also you do burn more fat the higher % intensity your workout is. you burn more fat doing a 15 minute high heart rate circuit than a few miles running.

[Double Jab]

for Weight loss.... to lift lighter weights with higher reps or Heavier weights with fewer reps?

Lighter weight exercises can be done for longer, so it raises the heart rate at to a constant level for a longer time. Heavy weights ****e the heart rate up, then slowly drop it back down over a long period. The one thing I like though, is with heavy lifting to muscular fatigue, this makes the body respond with growth hormone, which increases strength, makes you feel good, and (most importantly) promotes fat loss constantly.

So imo, for fat loss and overall health, high intensity > low intensity.

Or is it a good idea to do say a circuit of 36 reps on different machines at lower weight (30kg) and then (after run/other cardio work) to go back and do a circuit of 12 reps of higher weights? (37.5kg)

Your energy levels will be very dead, its hard to go medium to hard for the muscles. Better hard to medium to easy to stress the muscle.

One last question on running/xtrainer work, again for weight loss purposes, Are you better off keeping your Heart Rate at 60-70% of max in order to burn from fat stores more than readily available glycogen or is it better to train at the higher %s as ultimately the glycogen burned off at these levels will inturn be replaced by energy taken from fat stores.

Your body will access glycogen first no matter what, only after roughly 15 minutes of sustained exercises will the body use fat (because the fat needs a good deal of oxygen to be broken down and used as fuel) so running will not save glycogen in the way you meant it to.

all in all, my belief for fat loss is high intensity > low intensity, as well as more benefits for high intensity.

One final thought, remember that body fat composition is about 70% diet, 30% exercise. Cant turn poo ito whippped cream

[Othello]

Let your diet take care of weight loss. If you want to minimize muscle loss keep doing heavy (75-90% of 1RM) weight lifting exercises while cutting. Also, don't do machines, they don't contribute nearly as much in building functional strength and power as free weights.

[Right2TheTemple]

PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD ! heavy weights that you can do with 5 - 8 reps ,, make sure to have a PR weekly to keep in progress !

[Joey Ramone]

That's all good advice. Looks like high intensity is the best for what I'm looking for.

Thanks.

[Joachim]