Cardio or Weights to Burn Fat? It May Not Be What You Think
Cardio or weights to burn fat? Conventional wisdom says to eschew hoisting the iron to maximize fat loss, but could conventional wisdom be wrong? Stop arguing with your friends and grab a read.
Cardio or weights to burn fat if you’re going to do only one? That is the question. I’ve come down on the side of weights here at BFL, on the theory that you need muscle to do the actual burning. After all, it’s your metabolic fires that actually melt away your extra fat, and what keeps that metabolism going? Why, muscle, of course! How do you pack on more of the meaty stuff? High intensity weight training sessions.
I’ve posted on that subject several times over the last few years, and I’m not alone in my fondness for iron. Of course, a balanced program of high intensity weight training, and high intensity interval cardio training is the best for overall fitness. Fitness isn’t all about body fat levels. Supplying enough O2 to your muscles is mighty important, too, and you’ll need some effective cardio training to facilitate that.
If you’re trying to burn off fat though, cardio is a waste of time. It works, it just takes too long. So, back to the iron. Not only will you burn fat, you’ll look better when you’ve burned it, thanks to the lean, hard muscle you’ve packed on under it during the training process.
If you’re going to combine cardio and weight training on the same day, hit the weights first, then head over to the track, treadmill, or elliptical. You can do a few minutes of cardio to get the blood flowing and warm up your muscles and connective tissues before you lift, but do your real cardio training after you’ve killed yourself on the bench or under the squat rack, not before. You’ll need the energy to maximize your training intensity when powering up those weights.
Check out smokin’ hot, 4-time Olympic medal winner, Kaitlin Sandeno over on the Yahoo Sports Training Day blog for her take on the subject:
http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201104/warm-cardio-then-go-weights-right-wrong
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Comments
Comment from Steve
Time June 18, 2011 at 1:56 am
Mike,
Even if you’re trying to lose weight, resistance training is key. It increases lean muscle mass, and helps speed up your metabolism so you burn more calories throughout the day, even when sleeping.
Comment from Mike
Time May 23, 2011 at 1:10 pm
I feel it really depend on what your goals are. If you want to build muscle then you may want to concentrate on weight training first and not waste energy on 30 minutes of cardio. It can be the opposite if you are trying to lose weight.