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Cardio or weight training: which will deliver best weight-loss results?

Jacques Roche

With summer approaching, who doesn’t want a beach body? However, during the winter months, you may have consumed too many sweet, filled donuts and chocolate-chip cookies. Still, you are determined to set things right and go to the gym to work off those extra inches. What, therefore, will give you the best results ─ cardio or weight training?

What is the difference between cardio and weight training?

Many believe that cardio exercise will burn more fat, as many calories are burnt off per training session. However, the results will be limited. Cardio exercise conditions the body to make better use of energy reserves. You may, therefore, have gained the impression that cardio is better than weight training: you are set to lose more weight than when weight training. However, the downside of cardio is that you may use some of your muscles for energy needs. By contrast, weight training assists in strengthening your muscles while toning your body. There is another aspect to weight training that is beneficial for burning fat: your metabolism will increase. As it starts to build lean muscle, your body burns fat for energy. The more muscle you build, the more fat you will lose. In fact, you can burn more calories with a weight training session than in a cardio session. You also burn calories for some hours after each weight training session.

What is more important: weight loss or burning fat?

There is a difference between losing weight and getting rid of some of your fat. With cardio exercise, research has found that you lose more body weight, whereas, with weight training, you build muscle and burn fat, meaning that your body-fat ratio will decrease. This does not always show on the scale. However, you will have a better body shape, stronger muscles that can support your joints better, and your body will turn into a fat-burning machine, allowing you to eat more.

Where does your diet fit in?

It has been shown that a balanced diet can lead to real weight loss when combined with training. Whole foods are better than processed foods; salt and sugar should be eliminated from your diet as far as possible. Always remember to drink enough water, not merely to stay hydrated: water will help to enlarge your muscles. However, you need to balance your ratio of cardio with weight training, adopting a healthy eating plan to gain the greatest benefit.

The bottom line

Many see the quick weight-loss results of cardio, believing this a better option than weight training. Women, in particular, fear achieving too much bulk. This is not realistic, however. No matter the effort put in, women do not have sufficient male hormones to build muscles of a similar size to a man. A woman will tone and reshape her body to become beach-ready. However, cardio should be combined with weight training for best results, and a sensible diet should be followed. Ultimately, the focus should be on overall health rather than on weight loss alone.

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