Does Weight Loss = Strength Loss? 

Props to Alan. He's one of the main reasons I'm in better shape at 53 than ever in my life. Hope he knows how many lives he has touched.

"Sometimes the journey of getting stronger is even more exciting than being on the finish line" - Words of wisdom

Dropping from 285lbs to 235lbs I lost strength. However on a pound per pound basis I'm stronger at 235 than at 285 and I am significantly healthier. And as I have gotten deeper into martial arts being really heavy was detrimental. At this point I can still walk in the gym and total between 475 and 500kg at 105kg bodyweight and at 42 years old. So I'm pretty happy with it.

I just love the message and mindsets both you and Omarisuf put out - this idea of finding strength and progress in more ways than have been commonly defined in the fitness industry

After our second daughter being born, I needed to hear this. Thank you for your transparency and motivation!!

Alan, this is is so encouraging to me. It’s nice to know that there’s flexibility with goals and lifestyles. Especially when real things happen like having a baby (which no one ever really talks about how that impacts lifting). You look great Alan. Keep up the good work brother

The most strength lost was when the beard came off.

Great video, this topic needs context and nuance. In my own experience, losing over 10% of total bodyweight will cause all compound barbell lifts to go down substantially - minus deadlifts. However, isolation/machine exercises tend to stay constant. My favorite part about a lighter frame is leveraging body weight movements and improving on weighted or unweighted pull ups, dips, push ups, step ups, pistol squats, handstand push ups, nordics, reverse nordics etc, etc. Which build an amazing base when it’s time to focus on the big lifts and gaining weight again.

That last photo dude. Shows all the hard work you put in. Outstanding work.

Thanks Alan. Recently became a dad, and I needed to hear this. I already knew most of the things you talked about, but seeing it be done alongside it really helped. Thanks for being you and helping us out.

Very wise words, Alan. This video has given me some new drive for my cut, too. Thank you.

THIS video. Sometimes in life you come to a point where you just can't exert that level of focus and energy into lifting numbers and analytics. Since becoming a dad, my entire gym approach has changed. I do more high rep training, not worrying a lot about the weight on the bar, but I do get close to RPE8, and I feel awesome.

Alan you have accomplished some unreal strength feats. Very motivational. Thanks for keeping it real and telling people the truth instead of what they want to hear

This is super informative! Question for you... have you ever tried a meal plan from Next Level Diet? I got one and I love it!

Damn Alan, your wisdom knows no boundaries. I've followed you since 2016, and since then you have been a great source of inspiration for me, and I can not believe how far you have come. I did my PhD for the last three years, and I completely let go of myself, got depressed and anxious, and most importantly I was unable to workout. Some recent bouts of proper sleep put me almost right back to my former self, and this video was just what I needed for where I am today, so I am glad I happened to stumble upon it. You remindme of how important it is to take care of oneself and do what you love, and I am sure thousands of your viewers feel just as motivated by you as I do. Kudos and lots of love man!!! 🙏 and big congrats on your fatherhood!

“Or am I stronger now relative to my bodyweight” strength is an absolute, calculable physical attribute. The 300 pound guy benching bodyweight would be stronger than the 200 pound guy even if he were benching 290 pounds.

"I front squatted 405 lbs." HOLY SHIT. As someone just getting into front squats that is INSANE.

As an athlete, typically you lose some of the peak strength, but if you're lean you're probably going to perform better, more endurance, agile etc

This is a good video. I've decided to use the Wilks coefficient as my standard for strength and have stopped chasing pounds on the scale.

you never fail to inspire me. props for always forging ahead

I was a complete beginner at 6"4 250lb and watched the strongman. my first idea after seeing wsm, was gaining weight must be the goal, so i bulked to 300 pounds. I wasn´t feeling healthy at this point and saw one of your videos that mentioned something similar and i started do diet. now i´m back at 240lbs and managed to get stronger in the diet, thats possible because I´m a complete beginner. feeling better than ever! Thanks for your inspiration and great content. my goal is to reach 220lbs :)

I lost weight lifting strength when I lost 20 kilos. I’ve never looked beter or more fit at 44 but I could definitely lift more before.

I did not know you were in the military. Thank you for your service

love your mindset, alan. maybe its finally time to say goodbye to my gut too.

I really like the "For as much time as I spend in the gym, I would like to at least look kind of look like I workout!". You're right about that one... I've been around 150 lbs for a long time, not wanting to gain any weight mostly for this reason. Then I got sick of being stuck on my lifts, so I decided to bulk for a bit. The loads have been going up (pretty fast actually!) ever since, but people think I don't workout anymore when it's actually the opposite, since I've more than doubled my volume! I hit a 7-8 years plateau because I clearly didn't eat enough to workout hard enough to build any muscle nor strength. Now I'm eating much more than I need. It's easier to manage, but I do look like trash and feel like so when out of the gym. I'll go back to losing weight in a year tops, once I hit my target numbers!;) I'll just try not to go too skinny and lose all my muscle mass this time... Very interesting topic btw, as always!:)

I went from 25% to 13% body fat and I lost strength in the upper body big time. My deadlift stayed the same but my bench dropped so much.

100 percent !!! I'm 57 years old and been watching you for 5 years. To me you have the best training wisdom and im trying to put it to practice in all my workouts.

Alan is the coolest and realest guy on the internet when it comes to lifting. He provides advice like a big brother. He is an amazing father that's for sure. What a role model.

This is exactly where I’m at in my life of lifting now (age 32). Never put up some of the ridiculous numbers you have but all the mentality switches are the same. I was highly athletic until my 20s, very powerful, then got obsessed with the weight scales and the big 3, cue the ball ache of trying to reverse all of that matured fluffiness and get the scales back down again. Now I feel ‘strong’ in the sense that everything about my physique feels more powerful, and I think that’s the key word / feeling. Push ups and pull ups I feel like I’m lifting a feather, my (albeit reduced) max lifts are far quicker. My energy levels feel awesome (less fat, naturally higher test). And above all else, looking aesthetic is a lovely bonus. Every time I watch you it’s like ripping off the lid of limitations and I excel. To this day I still have your voice in my head telling me ‘DO NOT MOVE THE BARBELL’ On my deadlifts 😂👏🏽

Wow atlaspowershrugged shoutout! I love that guy, and I love you Alan! Your progress is awesome! I’m glad that you have such a clear and confident perspective on your weight and strength now. Speaking of APSH, he recently made a great post about “functional strength”. I think you are probably functionally stronger than you were before, what with the diversification of training types and weight to lift ratio. Train untamed!

Alan , thank you for answering this question, i was a skinny dude back in the days until one day i saw this documentary about Brock Lesnar saying that he sweats like there is no tomorrow and that he had to maintain weight , so he ate lots of calories , and i thought that it could work for me cause i sweat like hell whenever i used to run and stuff, so i started eating and i gained weight, i started to work out too cause my job requires it and everything went right for me because i was strong enough to lift heavy stuff but i felt like you said " like trash" i was chubby even though i hit the gym ...now i feel like it is ok to lose some weight and try to look great thanks to you Alan.

Great video, Alan. And yeah I just dirty bulked to ~25% and I don't think I'll do that again. Lean mini bulks at max. Not thrilled about the loss in definition but moreover I just feel more sluggish carrying the extra weight. I felt way better when I was maybe 12-14%. The slightly faster strength gains weren't worth it to me. Happy to be cutting back down.

Lower bodyweight is correlated with a longer lifespan and more importantly HEALTHspan. That's why my priority is losing weight right now, as I'm overweight - just enjoying liftin and the pleasant discomfort of doing cardio and sweating out frustrations. I enjoy a little bit of everything kettlebell, jump rope, prowler push, hill climbs, biking, dancing like a nutter to drum n bass. Alan did a video for Omar CARDIO ISN'T FOR "FAT PEOPLE": CONDITIONING 101 that's a good one worth checkin out

You look stronger, you are a lot fitter and healthy now too.

Love this Alan. Thanks for sharing mate.

I think this is one of those things that's pretty context dependant too. If you want to have the highest absolute strength, being heavier helps. But often, gaining weight as explicit, recommended advice is especially directed at people with "beanpole" physiques (ie. 6ft 150lb style stuff) - that kind of person who can easily add 50lb without looking fat and probably double their strength along the way. Those people will benefit tremendously from making the effort to gain weight. There's a lot of people out there who stay much thinner than they really need to be, because being thin gives you visible abs (though you won't really be that strong) You don't need to take it to the extreme - simply making sure you aren't *under*weight (relative to your height) is probably one of the most important things for people who want to weight train. As you get heavier you will naturally get diminishing returns, and that's something most people will have to work out for themselves as to where they should draw the line.

Awesome video, I've gone through something similar recently. I just changed focus from the powerlifts to calisthenics and I'm making all kinds of P.R' s there. I'm healthier, look better, and cardiovascular gains are through the roof.

Key word for this video is priorities 😁👍

Thanks so much for this! I'm on the same boat. Had been force feeding myself to put on more weights to move more weights...peaked at 250lbs this July. Started to feel like shit even I lift 6/7 days in a week...now down to 230, and plan to lose another 20 to 30 lbs. Just like you said, definitely lost some "static" power in the big three, but also making gains in others (log, circus dumbbell, etc)

Love the logic driven advice Alan! Think you nailed it-Determine what you are working out to achieve. Next- Do the metrics you are applying to determine progress reflect movement towards your goals? If not may need to look at the metrics we use to measure our progress!

Alan, your video on leg drive for bench press changed everything, Thanks bro!

Interesting, honest and nuanced report, Mr. Thrall.... many thanks for this. I had very similar (mixed) results dropping from 120 kilos/265lbs to around 95 kilos/ 210 lbs. It is as you say - there is a kind of ''eco-system'' of function, strength/power, and endurance.... and heart health as I get older! I could barely do three pull-ups in good form at 120 kilos and a five mile run would have ruined me. I saw both limitations as challenges to be pursued while re-constituting, so it can be a great motivator to lose a few ''superpowers'' here and there to develop other ones. More power to you Sir!

Best health and fitness content on RU-vid. Thanks, Alan!

Good for you Alan. I admire people who are able to change their perspective and evolve. Keep up the great work.

Meh, I can't get leaner for I've lost around 35kg (77lbs in freedom units) since started working out and eating right. Now my belly skin is so loose it looks more and more disguisting and ridiculous the leaner I get, then when I was obese. 😒 Such is the price for wasting my life for some 25 years. It's my own fault and I fully accept it. Great video as always Alan. 👍

Honestly, I think most average lifters use the weight gain excuse to "boost their strength" or they say they don't want to lose weight cause it'll make them weak. But you can't flex fat....

As someone who continued to focus on increasing one-rep maxes while losing weight, I went from 295 to 220 bodyweight. My squat went from 455 to 500, and my deadlift went from 515 to 600. I was doing strongman, so I wasn’t focusing on bench press and that actually went down, from 315 to 285, but my overhead press went from 205 to 230, since it was being focused on. Don’t be afraid of losing weight if it’s needed for health

The hair man... did you finally get that Sacramento real estate license? I still love your videos and inspirational attitude with great humor.

First thing that goes for me when I cut is bench press strength. But I usually can gain most of it back when I finish cutting and maintain. I totally agree. Being fat is worse and health matters the most!

Thank you Alan Thrall.. you just changed my mind about lifts and always trying to hit PRs... its the journey, about actually getting off your ass. Not just about adding weight. Thank you!!

Dropped 50 kilos since I got back into the gym and every lift has PR'd by huge amounts and each weight cut can set new PRs as well now

In the top 5 best videos you’ve put out. Thank you!

After doing SS and variations of for a couple years I got up to 246 at 5'9". I decided to drop some weight and lost 30lb over about 10 months. I kept lifting and training as normal and it sucked- my joints hurt and I felt almost depressed much of the first 5 months but, in the end, I kept about 97% of my strength. I'm now taking up running and rucking as well and will try to lose another 5 or 10lb to settle in about 205ish. I also have hit strength PRs since losing weight on LBBSquat, deadlift bench, L sit chin ups and Supine Rows. Training through the cut is more important than getting "enough" protein, too. Don't stress about it and try to get over 150g per day but *don't skip any training while you're cutting weight!*

My dad bod now disgusts me. I’ve embraced Alan approach and it’s working amazingly well for me. I only eat lunch and dinner now with 1 snack in between. I’m walking everyday and lifting weights 3x/week, full body splits. I only take one plate of food, never take seconds anymore. I feel so much better, my weight is coming down, my BP has improved, my lipid level and blood glucose have normalized without medication. This is a lifestyle I can stick with permanently. I still have splurge days, but my overall is way more steady and smooth

Alan Thrall attaining final form!!! Power up!!!!!! Great work champ.

HI Alan, great video, as a second time father, this rings very true, the first kid i had i was going through a bulk phase with my work out. after eating 3500 calories a day and looking after a newborn i couldnt motivate myself to work out. this time around i shed 40lbs during my wifes pregnancy with a strict diet, and am now enjoying my fitness levels and the compliments i am getting, whilst still being able to bench my bodyweight. plenty of time to gain 20lbs over the next few years.

As someone who is currently losing weight cause of being overweight for too long, and have a new goal of building muscle to look good and trying to do powerlifting I've always had this question really gained a new insight thanks.

As I got older, the bodybuilder diet was leading to some less-than-stellar bloodwork numbers. Had to cut back on calories, and up the cardio. It’s actually been great

What did you just say. "Oh trim down and I've since done these PR's one, two, three four, 10. nice work. i was obease, Two kids weight gain. ;) OMAD, hflc lost 50. lost some strength but then again i wasn't that strong. Now it's coming back more than ever. Thanks for sharing. I was afraid i would have to gain weight to get stronger. Pre weight loss i could barely do 1 pull up. Now I'm up to 4. 6 months of casual training. 20 min a day of body weight and some bands. Can run easily and have great mental clarity and energy. I was starting to fuss about the calories and feeding times. Feeling like I wasn't going to make any gains. I'm taking a breath now based on your results. Your BF percentage video was very helpful too. Thanks

Thanks for the video. I'm down 14 lbs since Christmas. And have struggled to see the same numbers go up. at 195bw, hit 340 bench at the end of December, and 410 squat. Now at 181 bw haven't been able to even get up 95% of those numbers.

I found that push strength will go down, quite drastically depending on the amount of calorie and carb deficit I am on. Pull and leg strength doesn't suffer if at all for some reason. Not sure if its mental, but hitting that wall on benching and shoulder pressing comes a lot sooner on a calorie / carb deficit.

Always an inspiration. Thank you very much, Alan! And you actually look great and healthier now!

Alan you are just the best! :) No matter what.

You're better off now by far! Thanks for the video

Comes at a perfect time for me. Cheers man

Damn! You are a MACHINE sir! Those are a helluva lot of incredibly heavy lifts! I'm just an English 48 year old bodybuilder that only returned to proper training 3 years ago (I returned to training for my mental health being the main reason but a very close second is for my kids. I want to be fit to run around after my kids and its certainly worked as I can now run after my crazy, youngest 7 year old daughter, my 11 year old son and 13 year old eldest daughter) But I understand exactly what you mean by priorities, especially when you have children. As a parent your entire focus, energy, your entire LIFE should be nothing but those kids! @#£% all that other crap in life, as soon as you chose to be a parent then it is the CHILDREN that matter in life. Nothing else. Congrats mate!

An honest reflection. Great video with solid advice!

Great point of view of being a father and lifting.

Congratulations, you are now Batman! I needed to hear this.

Fuck yeah dude. Pushing more weight doesn’t beat feeling strong and sexy.

Nice to see this transformation. When you look at your physique on the left, you wouldn’t think you’d need to drop 50lbs to reach the end physique. My guess would be 30lbs. This is comforting because I’ve been cutting from 220 and I’m 190 now and have a lot more fat that I thought I did lol. I was worried that I must have lost muscle along the way despite having equal or great performance in all of my lifts. Looking at your transformation it’s seems like I likely just underestimated how fat I was.

Thank you! I so needed the last motivating sentences ❤

Hi alan, if you ever get a chance can you do a video dedicated to training as we age. I'd like to know how you approach people that pass 35, 40, 45 etc.

Props to you for not chopping down the main

It is what it is. Set a goal of 405 bench and ended up benching 415 at 270 and started cutting after that. I'm 239 and bench is 385. I'm not going to do a full literature review but there are lots of studies on the affect of intermuscular fat on strength. Its not so much the loss of subcutaneous fat that affects your strength but the proportionate loss of intermuscular fat. Have to be careful on literature though and focus on studies of athletes as being sedimentary can also increase intermuscular fat resulting in a negative correlation.

very inspirational, one of the main reasons I kind of stop trying to get lean was the decrease in strength and working out seemed a lot harder too.

As a new father myself, your videos have been very helpful!

You are now healthier and symmetrical and have a classical body. You also look better and have increased your lifespan and Quality ok f life. Congratulations and may God continue to bless and guide you.

Alan, Could you make a detailed video on how you cut that 48lbs? I've been struggling on my cut

Since when did people start advertising products on a youtube video surrounded and interrupted by advertisements? What a great idea for the viewer! Thanks for the extra ads. Hopefully the Meal Preparation H comes with instructions now, I think I ate it backwards last time.

The Bell curve of weight training, as lifters become more advanced or specific about their training, they often gain weight in this effort. As they become a more proficient lifter they lose weight after 5-7 years in. And usually they are stronger than they were when they were heavier. It’s beautiful

Meh its so strange hearing the other end of spectrum I lift weights, bike, run, do sports and all that stuff. If I dont think about what I eat of regular food I can easily maintain 230-250lbs bodyweight at 6 foot.. I would like to weigh 190 but I almost have to starve to shed the pounds.. Im 29 now and got a couple of injuries these past years and now I dont really care about lifting numbers anymore I just want to lift without pain and look like I lift

After a scary set of visits to Cardiology, I made a few relatively minor changes to my diet, cardio, and mindfulness of NEAT. I've lost 50lbs in 18 months. And yes, my upper body lifts have taken a hit. I was approaching a 4-plate bench.... at 275 lb BW. Now I have my doubts about anything over 3 plates. At 275 lb, I hit a strict press of 225 x 5, and once took a pretty good swing at a bodyweight OHP (stopped cold at the forehead). As the weight dropped, so did some of my numbers. But then I started using percent-of-bodyweight as a measure instead and the numbers didn't look so awful. My squat is a little less stable on my shoulders, but my balance is better. My deadlifts have improved drastically as I have pulled a single PR, plus some higher rep personal bests. I've had a few runs of a mile-and-a-half, and last week ran a full mile with a 20lb weight vest on.... and could still get out of the bed in the morning. And on top of all of that, I'm fifty-f******-four. I'm happy to be retaining most of my strength. Hell, every time I get under a barbell is a celebration that I can still do this without debilitating pain.

Loved this personal story. Crazy-I’m also going through a similar phase. I personally used the “if it fits your macros” as an excuse to eating garbage.

alan, for someone so focused on strength training you have one of the most aesthetic physiques ive seen

I always listen to Alan and always "Train on Time"!

appreciate the perspective Alan

Lost 60 pounds during 1 year of military service, didn't go to a gym for 2 years and gained 20 pounds of fat. Was very surprised when I lost absolutely no strength in deadlift.

Thanks Alan. This video, alongside a few others, has finally allowed me to come to a decision regarding the 10 Kilo weight drop that I have been contemplating for a while.

My god those are some insane numbers

I'm working to get to your "before" picture. :)

I went from 175 to 160 recently. I had a good bit of chunk to myself and I did not lose any strength. Now I’m not the strongest guy but my bench 1rm stayed at 225 lb (100kg) both occasions. I’m thinking if you have a lot of fat to lose then maybe you would lose minimal or even no strength? I’m not sure. Would love an in depth discussion on this!

2:12 I love how the guy punched the floor first to let him know what's coming

Amazing video as always.

My strength right now has gone through the roof losing weight but i know soon it will go down for sure

Great video. Been wondering, thanks Alan!

Ngl tho, alan's body is fire. Everything looks so balanced

thanks Alan. needed to hear this

2:19 missed opportunity to say "CHEEK"

Did you have to show the CroCop knockout...its always hard to watch. Thanks for the great videos