Reader Question: Legs Training While On A Weight Loss Program?
Question: Currently I’m on a cutting (fat loss) diet and am wondering about my leg training. I’m taking in about 35% carbohydrates, 35% protein, and 30% fat and lifting each muscle group about once a week. I try to do cardio but I’m finding that my legs are just to weak to do a bike or run without feeling incredibly overworked.
I’ve started skipping my leg day so that I could do cardio, but is this the best move? Or should I just wait until my legs are stronger to do cardio? Is there a middle ground?
Answer: Great question. It’s very common when on a fat loss diet to experience fatigue during the workouts, especially if you’re trying to maintain what you were doing before.
There are a few things I’d recommend looking at here.
First, what is the volume like with your lifting program? Typically when moving to a fat loss diet you should be reducing the total volume of your lifting sessions because your body isn’t able to handle as much. If you haven’t done this, you may want to give it a try.
Second, you mention you’re working each muscle group once a week. In my opinion this isn’t exactly ideal when it comes to workouts for fat loss. Training each muscle group with a higher frequency would be better, so I’d recommend moving to a full body workout done 3 days a week or doing an upper/lower split 4 days a week. If you’re lifting 5 days a week right now, this will also give you one or two extra days of off time from lifting where you could potentially place the cardio.
Remember, even though you aren’t necessarily lifting legs during a workout, you are still stressing the CNS and that will create fatigue in the legs as well (CNS fatigue is not localized).
The third thing I’d mention is that you may just be trying to do too high of an intensity of cardio. If you’re attempting HIIT or other forms of intervals, you may need to back off of it. A brisk walk can be enough on the cardio side of things to get fat loss moving when you’re lifting properly and eating well. Cardio is not a must for fat loss, but weight training is.
So to summarize, I’d strongly recommend that you don’t stop doing leg training. That is what will boost your metabolism the most as well as make sure you maintain muscle mass (if you just do cardio and diet, there’s a very good chance your legs will get even weaker).
Instead, focus on rearranging some aspects of your workout program to help reduce the fatigue you feel. Will you be able to completely eliminate fatigue? Chances are not – but you can minimize it.
Also keep in mind that fat loss is largely a function of diet, so make sure you’re not in need of that cardio due to the fact that you’re simply eating too much food (to lose fat).
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