(and this applies to women as well as men!)

I have to say, when I first considered this idea, my initial gut response was extremely skeptical...I had to step back and think about it.

After all, I LOVE lifting heavy and I do it regularly even when I'm training for fat loss and the secondary goal is preserving muscle mass and strength.

However, the question remains...can lifting heavy weights actually be COUNTERPRODUCTIVE for losing fat?

And the answer is actually "yes"...in certain situations.

Here's why...

1. Not Enough Metabolic Stress

Training heavy with fast, powerful movements is great for hanging onto muscle mass and strength, but it doesn't create enough "metabolic stress" to maximize fat loss (think of Lactic Acid build-up as an example).

To efficiently lose fat, this metabolic stress is absolutely critical because of the hormonal response your body has to it (specifically GH release, which is a potent fat-burning hormone).

Heavy training requires longer rest periods to perform effectively, which dramatically reduces the metabolic stress your body experiences.

2. Compromised Recovery

The other problem with training heavy all the time is that when you're in a reduced calorie state, your rate of recovery is also reduced. Your body will break down fast if you try to train heavy all the time while in a caloric deficit.

In my own fat-loss training, I cycle in purposeful lighter days that don't tax my nervous system or cause much muscle damage, but still create a lot of metabolic stress. If I train to the max and keep hammering away at heavy stuff all the time, I crush my recovery and have to take more rest days.

3. You Can't Do As Much Work

This may sound a bit strange, but training with lighter to moderate resistance actually allows you to do MORE WORK (i.e. volume) than training with heavier loads.

And one of the key factors in fat loss is, in my experience, just simply doing a lot of work.

The best fat-loss training methods I've got (i.e. Fat-Loss Circuit Training, Lactic Acid Training, Time-Volume Training) all focus on using strategic programming to do as much work as possible in a specific time frame without going to failure or using very heavy weight.

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One of the things I pride myself on is the ability to take emotion out of the equation when it comes to training and just look at things objectively.

Training techniques and exercises don't have feelings, so if a method isn't appropriate for a certain situation or goal, I'm not going to use it.

The guy who really made me think about this concept is a friend of mine named Jason Klein.

Jason is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, former US Marine Fitness Instructor...and creator of the Marine Body fat-loss system.

He experienced this first-hand with many of the Marines he was working with...they couldn't wrap their head around the idea that lifting heavy all the time was potentially working against them.

So he came up with a system that uses just bodyweight...15 minutes a day...3 days a week...to get better fat-loss results than training heavy 4-5 times a week.

This system can be used by ANYONE...beginner, advanced, male, female...and you don't need a gym or gym equipment to do it.

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Now, I'll tell you right up front...I'm not going to stop training heavy even when training for fat loss. It's my idea of fun :).

However, his reasoning did make sense to me, once I thought it through in the context of stuff I was actually already doing!

Bottom line, if you've focused your fat-loss training on going heavy all or most of the time, I think it's time to rethink that...

Or if you're looking for a program you can do AT HOME with very little time committment...

I would highly recommend having a look at Jason's Marine Body program...