What is Best for Weight Loss: Strength Training or Cardio?
Wondering where to start? Here is your answer.
It is known that the body is always trying to maintain homeostasis; to remain a stable weight, we must use as much energy as we consume. It is a balanced scale to maintain weight stable. When we try to lose or gain weight, we want to tip that scale in one direction; in the case of weight loss, towards expending more energy than consumed. However, there are so many factors that influence our weight-loss journey, it can be hard to know what makes the biggest difference. Our appetite, daily stressors, sleep quality, food quality, exercise, and NEAT (non-exercise activity expenditure) all play a role into our metabolism and the tipping of the scale.
One of the simplest answers I have for you is this - to speed up our metabolism through building muscle.
While cardio burns more calories per minute exercising, here is why you should start with strength training.
1. Strength Training builds muscle, one of the most powerful tools to improving our metabolism as well as metabolic health.
The more muscle we have on our frame, the higher our base metabolic rate is. This means that at rest, our body is using more energy without us needing to do anything! Using strength training allows us to build a better metabolic rate, so when we do change the "calories in" portion of our scale, we do not need to feel as restricted. Additionally, muscle is a "storage area" for glucose, meaning it helps us with maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and gives us more wiggle room for all those delicious carbs (no, you do not have to go low carb and cut out all the foods that give you joy!). One of the main reasons I see people fail in their weight loss journey is feeling VERY restricted, and gaining muscle helps reduce how much restriction you need for reaching your goals.
Additionally, while strength training may not burn as many calories in session as after cardio, there is a phenomenon called EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. AKA "the afterburn") where our bodies burn more calories recovering from exercise at rest after strength training than after a cardio session.
Work smarter, not harder!
2. Strength training gives us the power to shape and sculpt.
One of the most common questions I am asked, is about spot reduction of fat in certain areas - for example, "how can I lose more fat off of my belly?" Spot reduction does not exist, as we need to overall reduce body fat levels and some areas of the body are more resistant to losing fat than others. However, I like to focus on what we CAN control, and strength training gives us the ability to add muscle to our physiques in a way that can help enhance your natural beauty. For example, if we add muscle to our glutes and shoulders, it helps to create more of the "hourglass" figure many women strive for. Rather than slogging away on the treadmill to become a smaller version of ourselves, lets enhance our current features to create the physique we desire.
One of the most common questions I am asked, is about spot reduction of fat in certain areas - for example, "how can I lose more fat off of my belly?" Spot reduction does not exist, we need to overall reduce body fat levels and some areas of the body are more resistant to losing fat than others. However, I like to focus on what we CAN control, and strength training gives us the ability to add muscle to our physiques in a way that can help enhance your natural beauty.
3. It brings more attention to what the body can DO, rather than how it looks.
This is a powerful switch in mindset, as it brings a more positive light to how we view ourselves, as well as our goals. When we can finally get that heavy suitcase into the overhead bin of a plane without assistance, carry more groceries on one arm, or don't worry about hurting our back when carrying a heavy box, it is an empowering feeling. I often find that when we focus as much on how strength training is improving the ease in which we can do tasks in life, the looks will follow.
4. When calorically restricted, we can lose as much muscle as fat without strength training, leading to a slower metabolism.
Our country does not have a weight loss problem, it has a weight loss and maintenance problem. Many people have gone on a weight loss journey and initially had results, only to gain the weight back and often more. The next time they try restricting, it feels much more difficult and the results are lackluster. Why does this happen? Without signaling to the body to hold onto our muscle via strength training, the body starts to par down the more "expensive tissue" AKA muscle. Research shows that 20-35% of weight loss is loss of muscle mass rather than fat! This occurs when there is no stimulation to the body telling it "Hey! Lets hold onto this calorically expensive tissue!". This means during your first weight loss journey you reduced your metabolism with the loss of muscle, and so the next time you try dieting you are starting from a reduced metabolic rate. So all this fancy talk means, if we can keep the "expensive" muscle, it keeps our metabolism high and helps maintain our weight loss.