Welcome to episode 8 of Designing Summer!

We all hit a little plateau in our weight loss SO we had to cut again. It sucks but unfortunately has to happen if we want the weight off.

I want to draw your attention to something very important: maintaining strength while losing weight. As you all know, my whole family trains exclusively in powerlifting and also competes in bodybuilding. These ARE traditionally “opposites”. Most people seem to think that you have to have mass to move mass…. but just gaining fat won’t help with lifting because there is no strength in fat.

My point is, even while losing weight, you can still get stronger or maintain your strength. I’m in the middle of a WONDERFUL weights cycle right now, hitting heavier benches than I ever have before…. and also in the process of losing weight.

So there you go…. you will not lose strength just because you’re losing weight.

I do understand where this misconception comes from, however. If you cut for a long period of time and cut your calories over and over, eventually you won’t have the energy to lift heavy anymore. Also, once your body fat is low enough, it is hard to continue taking off fat without taking off any muscles… just as you can’t put on muscle quickly without also putting on a little fat.

ANYWAY, here’s what I want you to take away from today…. carrying extra fat does not make you stronger so you can lean out while maintaining strength!