Weight Loss: Should I Do Cardio or Lift Weights?
When it comes to fitness goals, weight loss is a common theme. Most people who initiate a workout routine have a goal of losing weight. First of all, this is NOT the right way to set up your fitness goals. Without getting into too much detail, let me briefly explain why weight loss goals should NOT be most people’s primary focus.
Having a weight loss goal as your primary goal can be a slippery slope. One reason is because many people tend to stop their workout routine once they have achieved the goal. Also, if you’re doing resistance training losing weight can be very difficult because you will be building muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. It’s fine if you want to lose weight, but be sure that you accompany your weight loss goal with other goals. With that said, let’s jump into what this post is all about…
For Weight Loss: Cardio Versus Weight-Lifting
Weight loss is a simple equation. In order to lose weight, all you need to do is take in less calories than you burn. That’s it. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.
Focusing on the nutrition aspect is a completely different conversation that we will not get into right now. Developing a consistent habit of exercising regularly is critical for burning enough calories to lose weight. But which is better, cardio or lifting weights?
Unfortunately, the answer is not as simple as you might like. Even from a strict caloric standpoint there is not a simple answer. Here’s what you need to consider. If you compare the amount of calories burned during a 30 minute session of cardio activity to a 30 minute session of weight lifting, cardio will always win. During the time of exercise, a cardio activity will burn more calories than lifting weights. However, that’s not where the story ends! The amount of calories burned during the exercise is only a small part of the equation. When you finish performing cardio activity, your body is basically done burning calories. When you finish lifting weights, your body continues to burn excess calories for the next 24-48 hours! Why does this happen?
- Lifting weights recruits more muscle fibers than cardio. Cardio typically only activates Type I muscle fibers. Type II fibers are only recruited during strength and power activities (lifting weights).
- The stress demands placed on your body during the weight-lifting activity cause small micro-tears in the muscle fibers. During the next 24-48 hours after the activity, your body burns extra calories in order to rebuild your muscles.
- Muscle is very metabolically expensive overall. It costs your body a lot of calories to build and sustain muscle mass. Therefore, lifting weights and building muscle mass will increase the amount of calories your body naturally burns on a daily basis.
What’s The Magic Pill?
I often get asked by patients,
- “What type of exercise should I be doing at the gym?”
- “Is strength training good for me?”
- “Do you think I should start cycling or swimming?”
- “Which is better for me, yoga or pilates?”
When it comes to choosing a modality of exercise, my first piece of advice is always this, the best type of exercise for you is the one you are actually going to do. If you absolutely hate swimming, perhaps you should not try a regiment of swimming three times a week. If you love cycling, keep cycling. Choose the type of exercise that is most appealing to you. However, I would also add that [almost] everyone should integrate some form of strength training into their overall fitness programming. There are so many benefits to strength training and I believe that anyone who wants fitness longevity and improved quality of life both now and into old-age, should be engaging in a strength training program in conjunction with whatever other type of exercise you do.
Conclusion
To answer the question of which is better for weight loss, I would say BOTH. However, keep in mind that weight loss is highly dependent on nutritional habits too, not just exercise. Cardio activities will burn more calories than weight lifting during the exercise only. However, lifting weights will burn more overall calories because of post-exercise metabolic effects. I recommend that most people engage in both cardio and weight lifting routines. They each have their own benefits. Changing the specific demands on the body helps keep your nervous system guessing. In order to develop a robust level of fitness, you should be challenging multiple energy systems, not just focusing on one.
If you have specific questions, feel free to reach out to me at cnaccarato@physiostrength.com
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Sincerely,
Dr. Connor Naccarato DPT, MTC, CSCS