Are there any muscles that benefits from being overweight? I am not a particularly strong man, but in my past I did have a more powerful lower body from bike riding and swim teams.
When I go to the gym, all my weights, are light. Every machine I use, I gotta reduce the weight from previous users! But when it comes to abdominal crunches and back extensions, I am on the opposite side and I am using far more weights available. Maybe the machines use too little weights. For example, I chest press 60lbs both arms together for 3 sets 12 rep. Abdominals I am at 140 lbs (or more). Back extensions, I am at 160 lbs, and torso rotations 135 lbs and I am still hunting for a heavier weight. Seated calf I still can't find a weight yet (testing higher weight so I don't burn too much)
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11 hours ago, wjgo said:

Are there any muscles that benefits from being overweight? I am not a particularly strong man, but in my past I did have a more powerful lower body from bike riding and swim teams.
When I go to the gym, all my weights, are light. Every machine I use, I gotta reduce the weight from previous users! But when it comes to abdominal crunches and back extensions, I am on the opposite side and I am using far more weights available. Maybe the machines use too little weights. For example, I chest press 60lbs both arms together for 3 sets 12 rep. Abdominals I am at 140 lbs (or more). Back extensions, I am at 160 lbs, and torso rotations 135 lbs and I am still hunting for a heavier weight. Seated calf I still can't find a weight yet (testing higher weight so I don't burn too much)
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Ok... yes your leg muscles will be stronger than someone that's lighter and hasn't worked out simply because your legs have been lugging around heavy weight.

The rest of your post is confusing. If the "weights are light" you'd be adding weight from previous users not reducing.

If you can do 3 sets of 12, the weight might too low for muscle mass growth, shoot for 4 sets of 8-10 reps, you should either not be able to do more than 10, or they should be tough. If you can breeze right into the 10th rep, add weight.

"(testing higher weight so I don't burn too much)" Higher weights are going to burn more, not less.

I had surgery the day after you did (Bypass) and Right now in the Gym I can do 4 sets of 10 of the following:
Back Extensions - 205 lbs (machine max)
Chest Press - 40-60 lbs each arm depending on machine and press angle
Torso Rotation - 205 lbs (machine max)
Leg Press - 300 lbs
Hip Abduction - 205 lbs (machine max)
Hip Adduction - 205 lbs (machine max)
Bicep curl - 25-40 lbs per arm depending on machine and curl angle
Tricep press - 60-85 lbs per arm depending on machine and press angle
Glut kick back - 150 lbs each leg
Hamstring curl - 100-150 lbs each leg depending on machine and curl method
Quad lift - 100-170 each leg depending on machine and lift method
Calf Raises - 270-305 lbs depending on machine (lower on the donkey lift, higher on the squat rack)
There are a lot more... I just don't recall what each one is at the moment.

Work to hit 80% of your 1 rep max for each set, 8-10 reps per set, 4 sets. That's the "zone" for max muscle growth from everything I've read and everyone I've talked to about it.

I mix up my workouts by alternating between 4 / 10 set/rep and drop sets (starting at my max weight and doing as many reps as I can, then dropping down 1 plate/weight set and doing as many reps as I can again, then dropping weight and repeating until you hit the minimum weight or can keep going without reaching fatigue.
Or I do 3 / 10 and 1 eccentric. Eccentric exercises are "breaking" exercises, you'll more than likely need assistance with these, you get set in the up position with more weight than you could lift yourself, then you lower that weight as slowly as possible, I do as many as those as I can, typically only 3 or 4. With the exercise causing muscle activation during the stretch phase as opposed to the contraction phase, it is a great size building exercise.

I'm sure @BigViffer will chime in with some insights/advice as well.

Edited June 28, 20188 yr by Matt Z

But your leg muscles are grateful you are started. on losing weight. THEY were feeling soo,tired. Will they show how grateful they are by letting you do multiple repetitions all over the gym loike a happy little monkey??, That one I can't say for sure, be kind despite everything and they just may want to please you.

Unfortunately this is not an easy question to answer. Not because the answer is elusive, rather because it is varied. The posterior chain that is involved in walking and standing will be stronger in an obese individual by nature of having to haul the extra weight. Bone density is also increased for the same reason. As long as vitamin D & calcium intake percentage was commensurate with caloric intake, the femur, tibia, and fibula will be denser (hence stronger) than in a average weighted person of the same activity level.

The problem is that many of us that were obese for a long period of time either developed or already had injuries/ailments. Mine was a bad back, hips, knees, and ankles from a car accident. While the muscle and bone is fine for the most part, the joints were a mess. For people like me, that made us "weaker" as a whole. With joint pain and bad backs, we are not walking with an optimum gait nor proper posture. Over long periods of time, incorrect posture and positioning is no different than lifting weights with improper form. It exacerbates current injuries or creates new ones. That is why so many people have abdominal hernias, bulging or herniated discs, and deferred nerve pain.

I'm not even going to go into a discussion on what anyone should be doing in the gym. I am opposed to machine use personally. Sets, reps, and lifting regimen depend on what result you are wanting (raw strength or big, pretty muscles). There is a difference between being stronger and being bigger.

TL;DR - Yes, your leg muscles will be stronger than a person of normal weight but similar activity level.