Weight loss: Cardio vs Lifting

Many people struggle with obesity and often find themselves in a tricky situation simply because they do not know whether they should do cardio or lift weights. It is hard to know which is a better use of your time and which will have more benefits on your body. So in this post I will cover the basics you need to know about cardio vs lifting for weight loss

1. Weight training helps you burn more calories everyday - although weight training doesn’t burn as  many calories as a cardio workout, it has other important benefits. For example it is more effective than cardio for building muscle, and muscle burns more calories at rest, including fat. Because of this, it is commonly said that building muscle is the key to increasing your resting metabolism — that is how many calories you burn at rest. 

2. High-intensity Interval Training or HIIT -  it provides similar benefits to Cardio, but in less time. Although weight training and cardio are two of the most popular workouts there are other options, too. One of these is HIIT training, which involves short bursts of very intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods. A typical HIIT workout usually lasts for 10-30 minutes. You can include this type of training while doing a variety of exercises like biking, sprinting or body-weight exercises. Researchers found that HIIT burned 25–30% more calories than the other forms of exercise 

3. Combining cardio with lifting weights may be best - both exercises have their benefits, but on their own. If you’re looking to simply lose weight then by all means - go for cardio. But if you want to tone your muscles, maybe even make them big, you will have to hit the gym. And by combining cardio with weights you have a solid foundation and you can be certain that you’re getting the most out of the exercise 

4. Diet and exercise are critical of long-term success - Most people know that sticking only to a training program is not enough, if you want to really make a change to your health and lifestyle you will have to start paying attention to what you eat. I bet you have heard the saying “ muscles are made in the kitchen” and that applies not only for them, but for the overall health of the body. If you’re just working out while eating like crap you won’t see much progress, so take my word for it and try to cut the bad foods from your diet 

In all honesty both cardio and weights can help you become more healthier and fit. So the ideal thing you could do to improve your body in every aspect is to do both. The best training program includes lifting weights and doing cardio, even if you don’t feel like doing one of them, just push yourself and you will see the changes you desire. It doesn’t happen overnight, just stick with it and your body will truly be thankful.