How to tell if I am an emergency weight lifting trainee or can start novice program

[Aman180]

Hi I weigh about 277.5 lbs and my height is 6'2" and do not yet know what my body fat is just yet. I got a few questions.

1. I was wondering based on that height and weight alone would that be considered (from what I read about) a Emergency Weight Lifting Trainee? Also what body fat tool is best because I was thinking of buying the calipres.

2. What body fat % is considered Emergency Weight Lifting Trainee and what Weight, Bodyfat % is recommended to begin the novice strength training program you got on your app.

3. At the moment I cannot run a long distance before having to start walking again to catch my breath. Not able to do a chin-up at the moment either but I can bench press (haven't done it for almost a year now so I don't know what I can press anymore). Just wondering if the novice strength training program with cardio would be alright or if I should start off with a different weight program that has cardio

5. Long story short, would doing the strength program and cardio help me lose weight and be able to do more active stuff like being able to run and chin ups. Oh and to get rid of my belly. I hope this made sense as I suck at explaining things.

[James Rodgers]

An emergency weight loss trainee is someone who desperately needs to lose weight to stay alive. Think 6'2" 375lb, not 6'2" 277lb. This is not you. You actually have the same BMI as me and I can run the program just fine. You are a novice strength trainee who just happens to be fluffy.

If you are able to complete the lifts in a safe manner, you are good to go; start running the program ASAP.

I recommend that you spend about 2-3 months jacking your lifts up with the novice program. It'll give you some nice momentum on this whole "getting a grip on your life" project you're embarking on.

I recommend that you reach out on the nutrition forum for help. Bodyfat loss is achieved though diet management, not cardio.

[EdTice]

I think you mean emergency weight loss as that's a phrase that Andy Baker has used. Do you have a medical diagnosis where a doctor has called for emergency weight loss? Why are you focused on losing weight instead of improving your health? 6'2" and the right kind of 240lbs would be about correct. Why is running important to you? Is there an activity in which you want to participate or do you just like running shorts as a fashion statement?

You must be new around here because the overwhelming consensus is that the NLP is appropriate for everybody unless there are extreme circumstances and that you don't need to do cardio until such time as you become an intermediate lifter and then only if it's something you want to do.

If you have a diagnosis (such as hypertension, we addressed that recently) you should talk to a doctor. There are a few who post here but they give only general advice not specific advice. It is probably a good idea in that case to control the hypertension with medicine initially although you will be usually able to stop taking it when you get to the end of the NLP.

The NLP with cardio will be alright just not as good as the NLP without the cardio.

[Mark Rippetoe]

A Clarification | Mark Rippetoe

[Jovan Dragisic]

As Santana often says, your problem is not the fat, but the lack of muscle. Stay at 277 and get your squat to 445 and see what happens.