Which is better for losing fat: Weight training or cardio? They both serve its purpose when it comes to losing fat and they are both equally important. The best analogy for this is doing one over other is like taking a shower without soap. How can you really get clean just splashing water on yourself with soap? The same goes for doing cardio and weight training. How fit can you really get without incorporating some form of a weight lifting or strength training routine in your workout program?
Cardio
A 30-minute moderate jog you will burn on an average about 250 calories. And a 30-minute weight-training routine you will burn about 120 to 150 calories. Typically, most of the time you will burn more calories in a cardio workout vs a weight training workout. The number of calories you burn will always be predicated on how intense your activity level is and your body size.
Which is better for losing fat: Weight training or cardio?
Weight-Training
With weight-training you will burn more calories after the workout. When you burn calories after the workout that is called EPOC. EPOC stands for exercise post oxygen consumption which is also referred as the after-burn effect.
Weaknesses of Cardio
The weakness of cardio is that it will not build muscle for you like weight-training can do for you. Building muscle burns calories and fat and the only way to build muscle is lifting weights. And the more lean muscle mass you have on your body the faster your resting metabolism will be. Your resting metabolism is the ability to burn calories at rest.
Cardio will not allow you to burn calories after the workout, but weight-training will. We all would love to burn calories while we are resting and that is the #1 biggest positive benefit of weight-training.
Which is better for losing fat: Weight training or cardio?
The Benefit of HIIT Workouts
If your goal is to be efficient in your workout and increase your fat loss with a shorter amount of time, then the best training for that is HIIT training. HIIT- stands for high intensity interval training and a HIIT workout is anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes.
Some research has shown that a traditional HIIT workout can burn 30% more calories than a non-HIIT workout. Now HIIT is not for everybody as you must be in a above average shape to be able to do an entire workout. Why? Because of the intensity of it.
A HIIT workout can consist of weight-training, running, biking, swimming, plyometrics, etc. The benefit of HIIT is burning calories and burn fat in a shorter period. And this applies to anybody that may not have the time to exercise for a 1 hour in the gym.
Of-course we now know that exercise is especially important for calorie burning benefits. But without being on a proper diet you are just running in a place. So, exercise plus being on a proper nutrition program is integral in losing bodyfat and keeping it off long term.
“Some research has shown that a traditional HIIT workout can burn 30% more calories than a non-HIIT workout.“- Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
The Bottom Line is to maintain a fast metabolism and to lose bodyfat while preserving your lean muscle mass you must do cardio and lift weights. Weightlifting allows you to keep your metabolism elevated after the workout and when you are resting.
You need to do both weights and cardio to stay healthier it is just that simple.
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References
Falcone PH, Tai CY, Carson LR, Joy JM, Mosman MM, McCann TR, Crona KP, Kim MP, Moon JR. Caloric expenditure of aerobic, resistance, or combined high-intensity interval training using a hydraulic resistance system in healthy men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Mar;29(3):779-85. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000661. PMID: 25162652.
