Most people associate weight loss with cardio, but weight training is actually an essential part of any weight loss plan.
Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that it is not an easy task. In addition to cutting calories and increasing activity levels, successful weight loss requires a commitment to long-term lifestyle changes.
One of the most important components of any weight loss program is weight training. Regular strength training helps to boost metabolism, build muscle, and burn more calories both during and after workouts.
What’s more, weight training can help to offset the muscle loss that often occurs as we age. By incorporating weight training into their workout routine, even novice exercisers can see fast results in their weight, appearance, and their health.
Here’s Why Weight Training is Good for Weight Loss
Of course, cardio exercises are important for burning calories, but weightlifting has several benefits that make it ideal for people who are trying to slim down.
Cardio is definitely an exercise we all need. However, cardio exercises aren’t for building muscles. When you lift weights, you build muscles. Muscle is more active than fat, meaning that it burns more calories even when you’re at rest.
Cardio vs Weight Training for Weight Loss
When it comes to losing weight, many people focus first on cardio workouts. After all, the high-intensity activity of running or cycling can quickly ramp up your heart rate and help you burn calories at an impressive rate.
But while cardio is certainly effective for weight loss, it’s not always the best option.
For one thing, studies have shown that resistance training – like lifting weights or performing bodyweight exercises – has benefits that go far beyond those of cardio alone.
By building muscle mass, resistance training helps to increase your resting metabolic rate, meaning you’ll be burning more calories even when you’re not exercising.
Additionally, resistance training boosts coordination and balance, making it a great choice for anyone looking to improve performance in their everyday life.
Ultimately, the best approach to weight loss involves a combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training exercise to optimize both physical and metabolic health. So if your goal is to shed those excess pounds once and for all, don’t neglect weight training in favor of going strictly on the treadmill.
Cardio vs Weight Training for Belly Fat
Anybody who has ever spent time lifting weights knows that it is an incredibly effective way to tone muscles and build strength. However, many people are unaware of the fact that lifting weights can also help to burn fat.
Does Lifting Weights Burn Belly Fat?
The first thing you should know is that you CAN NOT pick specific parts of your body to lose fat. That’s called spot reducing, which is in fact impossible.
Genetics is the largest contributor to where your particular body accumulates fat and there’s not much you can do about that. Even though weight lifting does indeed contribute to burning belly fat, you must concentrate on fat loss, not where it will come from.
The truth is, you can lose weight without any physical activity, because weight loss is entirely based on a calorie deficit. However, without exercise while you’re dieting, the first thing to go is muscle.
That’s right, your body starts canabalizing muscle tissue early on, usually before getting into fat stores.
That’s why lifting weights is vital to toning and building muscles to burn calories which will in turn help with getting rid of belly fat.
This is because when you lift weights, your body is forced to use stored energy, which causes it to burn calories, which means it can use stored fat in your midsection. As a result, regular weightlifting can be an effective way to help reduce belly fat.
Can You Lose Weight Just By Lifting Weights-No Cardio?
Yes, it’s possible to lose weight just by lifting weights without doing any cardio.
As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, most any types of exercise is typically a key part of the process.
Whether you are going for a run or hitting the gym at your local fitness center, aerobic activity is often seen as one of the best ways to burn calories and shed pounds.
However, some recent research has suggested that it might be possible to lose weight without any amount of cardio at all. According to this theory, well-structured strength training routines can serve as an effective alternative for those seeking to trim their waistlines and lose belly fat.
Of course, it should be noted that there are certain caveats here.
While lifting weights alone might be sufficient for some people, it is generally recommended that you combine this with healthy eating habits and other forms of exercise in order to get optimal results.
And if you’re just lifting weights to lose weight fast, it may not work. That’s simply because the way to realisticly lose weight fast is with a starvation diet. What we’re talking about is long term and healthy ways to lose weight.
But if you incorporate weights into your regular routine and stay consistent with it over time, you may notice significant improvements not just in your physique but also in your overall health and wellness.
You might just find that you can lose weight by focusing solely on lifting weights and skipping out on the cardio!
Advantages of Weight Training for Weight Loss
As tough as it may be to lose weight, it ultimately comes down to one basic equation: burn more calories than you consume.
About 3,500 calories are in a pound of fat. It’s possible to shed a pound in a week if you knock off 500 calories every day.
It has been found that people who weigh 150 pounds can burn 446 calories in a 60-minute weightlifting workout, while those who weigh 180 pounds can burn 530.
Studies demonstrate that even after weight exercise, your body can continue to burn calories. Lifting weights increases lean muscle mass, which speeds up your resting metabolism.
While other types of exercise, like cardio on stationary bikes, have their perks, strength training is the way to go. One of the reasons weightlifting stands out when it comes to post-exercise benefits is because the calorie burn lasts for hours.
Weight training changes your body composition so that when you see a decrease in your weight, you’re likely shedding water, fat, and muscle.
Strength training is more advantageous than cardio in terms of maintaining muscle mass and toning the thighs. Lifting weights, according to experts, increases your chances of burning body fat. When you combine a fat burner and a pre-workout with your routine, you’ll lose fat faster.
Summary
It’s true that losing weight can be difficult. But it doesn’t have to feel like such a Herculean task when you know how important exercise is for your health and well-being!
Weight training helps build muscle, which burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does–and the benefits of building these hardworking muscles don’t stop there: they also provide many other positive effects on our body, including increased strength levels or improved balance abilities.
So, if you want to lose weight, get fit, and look your best, remember that weight training is good for weight loss.