SHOULD YOU LIFT HEAVY IN A CALORIE DEFICIT?

​Whether you call it a calorie deficit, diet, lowering/restricting calories, or cutting, your weight lifting sessions will be affected, when you eat fewer calories. Less food = less energy. But should you automatically lighten your weights and aim to do “easier” workouts?

You should lift as heavy as possible while in a calorie deficit. Your body is not in an optimal place to build muscle, but you can maintain and even gain strength. As long as your form is not suffering, lifting heavy can provide the stimulus your body needs to preserve muscle mass.

When people say they want to “lose weight”, this really means they want to lose body fat. No one usually wants to lose their hard-earned muscles. Losing some muscle is inevitable, but we want to minimize this as much as possible. So how should you train to lose body fat but keep your gains? 
 
 
Calories determine weight
 
To build muscle, your body literally has to grow new tissue. This is not an easy process. Without a surplus of calories, it won’t happen. Total calories consumed must be greater than calories burned. Losing body fat is also challenging. You MUST be in a calorie deficit. Total calories consumed must be less than calories burned. Whether you are burning more calories by increasing daily activity or eating fewer calories, being in a deficit can help you achieve the body you desire.
 
Calories consumed > Calories burned = Weight increase 
 
Calories consumed < Calories burned = Weight decrease
 
Calories consumed = Calories burned = Weight stays the same

Cutting 500 calories from a diet per day is usually a safe place to start for most people. After a few weeks, energy levels will probably drop. Tasks that seemed effortless will now feel more labored. Lifting “heavy” in the gym will definitely feel more difficult. Does this mean you should go lighter? Absolutely not. 
 
Send the muscle building signal
 
My advice is to lift as heavy as you can, for as long as you can. Why? You want to continue sending a message to your body to BUILD muscle. It needs to be a loud message. Dropping down to a weight that allows you to do 20+ reps is not a muscle building signal. This is more like endurance. 
 
Many people use circuit style training or supersets with lighter weights to lose fat. This typically means little to no rest between sets and feels more like cardio. To my detriment, I trained this way for years. I always thought this was the best way to get a lean look. Yes, it can make you lean, but you probably will not gain much muscle though. 

How heavy?
 
Heavy is a relative term. What is heavy for one person, might be a warm-up weight for another. You need to pick weight that allows YOU to safely and effectively perform 3-8 reps. Anyone who has spent some time lifting, knows that doing 10+ reps feels way different than pushing yourself with a weight that only allows for a few.

​Is it going to feel hard? Of course! Especially when you are running on fewer calories. You need to take more rest time when you lift heavier weight. Anywhere from 2-4 minutes should feel long enough to catch your breath, regain composure, and prepare yourself for the next set. 
 
Sustainability
 
There are huge individual variances when it comes to training and calorie deficits. You need to do what works best for you. What is sustainable? What will keep you showing up for your workouts? What will it take to get to your desired level of body fat? 
 
If you reach a point in your deficit where you are experiencing sore joints, total lack of energy, and/or mood changes, then you probably need to mix things up. This is when I would change a client’s rep range and weights. Spend 3-4 weeks with lighter weight and higher reps (10-15) to bring some novelty to the routine. Often times, this stimulus change will start to move the needle for people. 

​Consistency is what matters most. If you are not training regularly, a day here and there, whether heavy or light, will never produce results. 
 
Make a plan. Accept that it will be difficult. Show up and do the work.