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Thread: Losing Weight to Improve Squat?

  1. #1
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    Default Losing Weight to Improve Squat?

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    I'm about 50lbs overweight. I understand how being underweight could hamper performance, but I don't see how 50lbs of blubber could be helping my lifts.

    Further, it seems that a barbell squat is, in part, also a "bodyweight" exercise.

    If I could lose this 50lb rucksack I've got stuck to my torso, wouldn't that allow me to add 50lbs to the bar when doing squats?

    Somebody explain to me why I'm wrong, or right, please.

  2. #2
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    Has someone told you that fat lifts the barbell? Who?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Has someone told you that fat lifts the barbell? Who?
    No, didn't mean to imply that. But, there does seem to be a presumption that losing weight ("cutting") is counter-productive and should be avoided if the main goal is strength.

    I can see how that might generally be the case, but I'm just wondering if anyone has seen an improvement in squats specifically from a reduction in body weight.

  4. #4
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    That's because losing weight always involves the loss of muscle mass as well as fat. ALWAYS. But nobody has suggested that a high bodyfat % is necessary for a big squat.

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    You haven't been training, but you are genuinely interested in contrarian, obtuse ways of improving your squat. And nonchalantly call yourself a rucksack of blubber.

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    Troll, until proven otherwise.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    That's because losing weight always involves the loss of muscle mass as well as fat. ALWAYS. But nobody has suggested that a high bodyfat % is necessary for a big squat.
    Maybe he’s asking about diminishing returns?

    For example, let’s say he’s 300 pounds at 5’6, you know about Rips size according to YouTube trolls.

    He begins the linear progression and his squat goes up, but his body weight stays the same. I’m assuming he hasn’t hit a place where his squat has stopped progressing. But let’s say he has decent numbers but still hovering around 300 plus or minus on his body weights, but squats are not improving for sets of 5.

    Would it be beneficial to modify the program to increase weight for lower reps or should he focus on trying to maintain what he has but try to lose some excessive body fat? As I understand it losing 20 pounds of excessive body fat would not equal 20 more pounds on the squat as he is asking, but would there be a benefit at all to go this route if you at a point where your body weight could be against you?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Pekker_head View Post
    Would it be beneficial to modify the program to increase weight for lower reps or should he focus on trying to maintain what he has but try to lose some excessive body fat? As I understand it losing 20 pounds of excessive body fat would not equal 20 more pounds on the squat as he is asking, but would there be a benefit at all to go this route if you at a point where your body weight could be against you?
    A Clarification | Mark Rippetoe

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Yeah, @Pekker_Head had that coming to him for suggesting modifying the program. But I was hoping we would get some good answers on these questions regarding how the addition/reduction of non-muscle weight to the body would affect the lifts, especially the squat.

    Specifically, I've seen pregnant women get frustrated that they weren't able to add many kilos to the barbell during second and third trimester. And, well, they didn't add very many kilos to the barbell during that time. On top of that, they've often *lost* kilos on the barbell first trimester due to throwing up all over the place and missing workouts.

    I've tried to provide reassurance that if one adds 20 kilos to the barbell during those two trimesters while simultaneously adding 20 kilos of bodyweight, from a muscle acquisition standpoint, that's really the same as adding forty kilos to the barbell. (The legs don't know or care which part of that extra forty kilos is on the barbell and which part is in the uterus) Even if that turns out to be productive lying, I might keep saying it since, at that point, there's nothing to do other than deliver the baby, let the acute injuries heal, and find new starting weights.

    But if Imm lying, I would like to know that I'm lying That way I'm more like a used car salesman than a software salesman

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by DirkDiggler View Post
    I'm about 50lbs overweight. I understand how being underweight could hamper performance, but I don't see how 50lbs of blubber could be helping my lifts.

    Further, it seems that a barbell squat is, in part, also a "bodyweight" exercise.

    If I could lose this 50lb rucksack I've got stuck to my torso, wouldn't that allow me to add 50lbs to the bar when doing squats?

    Somebody explain to me why I'm wrong, or right, please.

    A lot going on with that, and the mental masturbation involved with it ain't worth the worry. Just lift and eat a lot of protein.

    Say you are 5'7" and horribly weak and untrained and "50 pounds over weight". You are really fat and severally under muscled. You might actually be able to eat your normal calorie intake (what got you 'here'), and train, and loose some weight (excess fat) WHILE getting stronger and gain a tad of muscle. That will only last for a while.

    By loosing a lot of weight, and besides the obvious fact Rip stated about loosing muscle along with that fat loss, you might even loose some other mechanical advantages in the squat. Fat people tend to bounce their belly areas off their thicker than normal thighs to an extent in the squat (depends on body type and form). So those things might be more detrimental than the theoretically advantages you would have by not 'lifting' an excess amount of body weight along with the barbell.

    Deadlift might be better with some lost bodyweight , ONLY if you giant belly is in the way, it might impact you ability to get into a decent start position.

    Your fat belly and moobs could only help your bench press, due to ROM improvements and 'cushioning'.

    Some of that fat is marbled within the muscle tissue making them plumper, and the angles of pull/leverages are typically better this way .... so another point garnered for fat-john-doe over skinny-john-doe.

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