Cardio versus Lifting Weights – How do I get FIT and lose weight most effectively?
When designing a weekly workout plan, it can be hard to know what type of workout to most effectively lose weight and stay healthy. Here are some key things to understand about weight loss and to consider when planning your workout:
It is NOT possible to SPOT REDUCE
I talk to people all the time who are doing a thousand crunches a day to lose their muffin tops and get abs. While core exercises will strengthen the ab muscles, if you want to see your 6-pack you need to lose fat. Exercising a muscle will not reduce the specific fat in that area – the body does not work that way. You lose fat with diet and burning calories through cardio workouts that get the heart rate up. Your body also loses the fat in certain areas based on your gender and genetics. Once you have lost the fat though you will see muscle tone and definition and look FIT and strong because you have been doing crunches, squats and leg lifts.
Muscle BURNS Fat
Your muscle is responsible for revving up your metabolism and increasing the muscle in your body means you will burn more fat ALL day EVERY day. Along with that – when you train hard, work until muscle fatigue and break down muscle fibers, your body will burn around 150 additional calories AFTER your workout within the next 72 hours to repair that muscle. If you want to increase your metabolism and improve your body’s system for burning fat effectively – the key is to transform the fat in your body (that does nothing) into muscle that actually helps the body work!
Strength Training can be Cardio!
Metabolic strength training is weightlifting or toning exercises that also increase the heart rate. These exercises are the most effective because they burn fat while toning muscle at the SAME TIME! Check out my metabolic strength training video and see how efficient you can be in one 15 minute workout!
The Answer
Basically the answer is you need BOTH! Cardio is very important to strengthen the heart and reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Strength training however is super important if you want to loose weight, prevent injury, look fit and be strong! Try to combine cardio and strength during your weekly workouts – start with cardio to get warmed up and get blood flowing to your muscles, then move on to strength training exercises and watch how fast your body will change!