Hey, guys, Sean Nalewanyj, of EliteImpactLabs.com here. And in this video, I want to talk about
the topic of weight training for muscle definition, and the difference between a weight training
plan that is used for a mass gaining phase versus one that is used during a cutting phase.
So, if you're training hard in the gym and you're following a controlled nutrition plan,
then you likely have one of two primary goals. Either you want to build overall muscle size
and strength. Or you want to burn off body fat and get a leaner and more defined body.
Now, when it comes to weight training for building mass, most people have a pretty reasonable
idea of what needs to be done. Heavy weights lifted with a high level of intensity, low
to moderate reps, compound exercises and a focus on continual progression from week to
week. When it comes to weight training for overall fat loss in definition, however, most
lifters go down the completely wrong path by following the totally false idea that heavy
weights and low reps builds muscle, and light weights and higher reps burns fat. So, they'll
switch over to a cutting phase and then reduce the amount of weight they're lifting, increase
the reps and include more isolation exercises to somehow define the muscles and bring out
more hardness and separation. In fact, this type of approach is actually directly counterproductive
to your goals. There really only are two things that you can do with your muscles. You can
either make them bigger or you can make them smaller. But there's no such thing as an exercise
that defines, or shapes or sculpts a given muscle. And there are certainly no weight
training techniques that are going to magically bring out more hardness and separation in
your physique. Muscle definition is a product of one thing and one thing only. And that
is the amount of overall muscle mass that you're carrying in combination with your overall
body fat percentage. The lower your body fat percentage is, the more defined and separated
your muscles are going to appear. And of course, the higher your body fat percentage is, the
less defined and less separated your muscles are going to appear. On top of this, there's
no way for you to target fat loss from specific areas of your body by training those areas
with weights. And this is known as the fallacy of spot reduction, which I've talked about
many times before in the past. Any time you train with weights, all you're really doing
is stimulating the specific muscles that are involved in that particular movement. But
this has no effect on the fat stores in and around that particular area. Fat loss occurs
as you place your body into a calorie deficit by consistently burning more calories than
you consume. And this is accomplished by reducing your dietary caloric intake and by increasing
overall caloric expenditure through additional exercise. Over time you're going to lose fat
from your entire body as a whole. But you have no control over the specific areas where
fat is burned from. So, we've established two really important things so far. Number
one, there's no possible way for you to define or sculpt a given muscle. All you can really
do is make your muscles bigger or smaller. And number two, fat loss is achieved through
a calorie deficit, which will cause you to lose fat from your entire body as a whole
over time. So, what is the correct weight training approach then for a cutting phase?
Well, it's exactly the same as the approach that you used when your goal was to gain overall
muscle size and strength. You need to train with heavy weights, so weights that are heavy
for you as an individual that is, low to moderate reps, compound exercises and put
all of your focus on either improving or maintaining your strength levels each week. You have to
remember that unless you are very genetically gifted or you're a complete beginner, you're
not going to be adding muscle size while you're in a calorie deficit. Your goal during a cutting
phase is to simply maximize fat loss while maintaining as much of your hard earned muscle as possible.
And this is why a properly structured weight training routine is so important during a
fat loss cycle, because you need to provide your muscles with the most powerful stimulus
possible in order to give your body a very good reason to hold onto its lean mass despite
being in a calorie deficit. And again, this is accomplished using the exact same principles
that you follow during your mass gaining phase. As you keep that lean muscle mass intact and
you gradually reduce your body fat each week through proper diet and through some additional
cardio exercise that muscle definition that you're after will gradually increase over
time. So, just remember this during a cutting phase. Number one, weight training is for
maintaining muscle. And number two, diet and cardio is for burning fat. If you follow the
light weight, high reps approach, all you really end up doing is providing a weaker
stimulus to your muscles which will actually increase the chances of muscle loss during
your cut. So, I hope you found the information in this video lesson useful today. If you
did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the like button, leave a comment
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soon.