I’ve Lost A Lot of Fat, BUT, I’m weaker. Please help!

The other day, my good friend Matt Brewer sent me the following e-mail:

“Quick questions – I’ve been busting ass in the weight room ever since I was in Las Vegas and continued to do so after my return to Omaha, but when Megan got pregnant I ate whatever she had a craving for and gained an enormous amount of weight. At the same time I was getting stronger and stronger but fatter and fatter. I hate using bench press as a bench mark (like what I did there?) for strength but for this purpose it works: I was repping out 315 x 5 for my last set but my gut was carrying around 220 pounds.

Last summer/fall Megan and I got our crap together and started eating right. I felt that if we are going to raise a healthy kid we might as well start with ourselves and get healthy first to serve as a good example for him. Since then, I’ve lost 45 pounds and am currently weighing in between 174-176 pretty regularly. I incorporate cardio and still do a lot of strength training. I haven’t changed my routine a whole lot; only changed what I was shoveling in my mouth.

One thing I’ve noticed though is my strength has gone down significantly. I’m not starving myself, but I just don’t seem to have that ‘pop’ when pressing weight out. Do you think the significant weight loss has had a direct effect on my strength and if so, how do i get it back without packing on the fatty pounds? I’m just wondering if I need to consume more calories so my body isn’t eating up muscle tissue for energy.

Thoughts? Funny comments? Jokes about my tubbiness?”

My response:

First of all Brewer, I’m glad to hear that you and Megan are now setting a good example for your little one.  This out of shape/obesity problem that we have in America, starts with the parents.  After all, the parents are the ones that bring the food into the house!  Too, kids are very impressionable, so it is important for your son to see you both living a healthy, active lifestyle.  Keep it up Megan and Shrew Dog!

And now, to answer your question:

Think about it this way: let’s say that when you were 220 lbs, you were 20% body fat (for the sake of easy math).  That means that even know you were carrying 44 pounds of fat, you were also carrying 176 pounds of lean body mass (much of which is muscle).  Now, at about 175 lbs, let’s say you are down to 10% body fat.  That means that you are carrying about 157 pound of lean body mass.  So, even know you are now prettier, healthier, and more athletic, you are not going to be able to lift as much with this reduction in lean body mass.  This is why you’ll see many fat powerlifters – they purposely put on as much weight as possible so they can lift as much as possible.  Make sense?

So, part of the problem of not being able to lift as much, is just something you’re going to have to deal with.  IMO, the pros greatly outweigh the cons.  BUT, if you time your carb intake around your workout (peri-workout), you can get that “pop” back that you mentioned you no longer feel.  So, eat healthy carbs pre/during/post workout and try to minimize carb intake the rest of the day.  You could just eat healthy carbs pre and post-workout with some protein… sweet potatoes + chicken OR rice + grass-fed beef etc.  I NEED to eat during my workout, or I lose that “pop.”  So, I go with organic raisins + whey protein powder during the workout, or Surge (from t-nation).  But you don’t necessarily need this if you feel full of energy with the pre-workout carb + protein meal (which should be eaten 45-60 minutes prior to workout – depending on how BIG of a serving you eat).

Finally, once you start to time your carb (“energy” meals) meals around your workout and your body adjusts to heavy lifting at this reduced body weight, you may just be able to get back to the strength levels that you enjoyed when you were 220 lbs.  Keep at it and continue the great work buddy!