If you’re trying to lose weight, just doing cardio is not the most effective way. You’ll lose both fat and muscle by doing so. Resistance training should be a part of your workout routine to increase metabolism and gain lean muscle mass. Adding this type of training to your workout is a more effective way to control weight.
Resistance training, or strength training, builds muscles that permanently increases your metabolism and burns calories even when you’re not working out. The calorie burn can continue up to 72 hours after you’re done weight training.
If your goal is to lose weight and you don’t strength train, then you put yourself at a disadvantage. You may think you're burning more calories with cardio, but the truth is the more muscle mass you have, the greater the number of calories you burn at rest otherwise known as BMR (basal metabolic rate).
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Research has shown that your BMR can constitute up to three-quarters of your total daily calorie burn. According to a review in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, “a pound of muscle burns anywhere from 7-13 calories over a 24-hour period, whereas a pound of fat only burns between 2-5 calories over the same amount of time.”
That's a big difference and it shows that if you maintain or add muscle, your body will burn more calories at rest, which will help you lose more fat.
Here is something else to consider: When comparing a strength training workout to a cardio workout, you will burn more calories during the strength training session because strength training causes more stress on the muscle which creates a greater need for repair.
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This process uses more energy (calories) than cardio, which means your post-workout burn lasts longer.
If you’re new to working out, you may want to consider hiring a trainer to get you started and develop a plan of action to meet your weight loss and weight management goals.
Jaena Mebane, a graduate of Fordham University-B.A., Fitness Professional, Bodybuilder and creator of GLUTEUS FABULOUS. My motto is “Inspiring Others to Live a Healthy Lifestyle, Mind, Body, and Soul.” You can find me on Instagram @gluteus_fabulous
