Shedding Body Fat During LP

It is common to want what we cannot have. And let’s be real, we all want abs. Or at least a flatter stomach. Yet many of us approach the barbell as novices with a little (or a lot) extra body fat, leaving us with seemingly conflicting goals: get stronger, or lose weight? It is in fact possible to get stronger and reduce your waistline at the same time, however it takes proper nutrition, intelligent programming, and a realistic mindset about the length of time it takes to make lasting change.

Got a question for Matt and Scott? Email us at questions@barbell-logic.com and we’ll answer your question on an upcoming Saturday Q&A!

If fat loss is the goal, here is how to lose fat without endless cardio.

Key Takeaways

Lose fat, not just weight. Matt and Scott answer a listener who is close to 300 pounds and wants to lose fat while starting linear progression. They say the goal is to lose fat while building muscle. For a heavier lifter that usually means the scale goes down too, but not as fast as it would on a crash diet.

For obese lifters, run LP as written. Their advice is to add a little weight to the bar every session and skip the extra cardio at first. Heavy sets of five burn a lot of energy, both during the session and for hours afterward, and building muscle costs a lot of calories. Your stored body fat can help fuel the workouts, as long as you eat enough protein to build muscle.

Save your recovery for the barbell. They want that recovery spent on building muscle, not on pounding the treadmill or the elliptical. They’re not against conditioning. They just say it barely moves the needle early on. Later in LP, around weeks 10–12, a Prowler or other conditioning work can go on the light day. By then you’re much stronger, so that work does more and can speed up fat loss.

Track it. Weigh yourself regularly and watch your waist, your energy, and your lifts, not just the scale.

Related: protein for lifters, how to lose fat without cardio, the best beginner barbell program.

Want weekly form checks and a program that adapts to your life? Start with Barbell Logic online coaching.