Losing weight is all about creating a calorie deficit. While you can do that by limiting your food intake, exercise has an important role to play too. It increases your metabolism, helps you burn calories, and promotes weight loss.
But when it comes to shedding pounds, choosing the right form of exercise is not easy. While some choose cardio to burn fat, others muscle up their strength training schedule. Most of us find ourselves caught in the age-old debate of cardio versus weightlifting – which technique is best for weight loss?
Whether you’re a cardio enthusiast, a weightlifting aficionado, or someone who’s just keen on losing weight, this blog will provide you with all the information you need to make informed decisions about your fitness journey.
What is a Cardio Exercise?
Cardiovascular or cardio exercise refers to any vigorous physical activity that gets your blood pumping. It raises your heart rate and increases blood circulation throughout the body. Examples of cardiovascular exercises include:
- Running
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Dancing
- Jumping rope
- Rowing
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Aerobic exercises like Zumba or step aerobics, and
- Sports like basketball, soccer, and tennis
Cardiovascular exercises are an important component of a well-rounded fitness routine and offer numerous health benefits. They aid in rapid weight loss too.
Benefits of Cardio Workout
- Improves Heart Health: Cardio exercise strengthens the heart muscle. It improves circulation and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Reduces Weight: Vigorous exercises help to burn calories. Thus, it proves to be an effective tool for weight management.
- Increases Endurance: Regular cardio training improves stamina and endurance, allowing you to perform daily activities with less fatigue.
- Enhances Mood: Cardio exercises release endorphins – the natural mood boosters. It helps to reduce stress and improve mental well-being.
- Improves Sleep: Regular cardio workouts can improve sleep quality and help you fall asleep faster.
- Reduces the Risk of Chronic Diseases: Cardiovascular exercises can lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and obesity.
Limitations of Cardio Exercises
- Leads to Overuse Injuries: High-impact cardio exercises like running can put stress on joints and muscles. This increases the risk of overuse injuries.
- Causes Plateau Effect: Over time, the body often adapts to the same cardio routine. This leads to a plateau in weight loss or fitness gains.
- Leads to Muscle Loss: Excessive cardio without strength training can lead to muscle loss, which can slow down metabolism and affect weight loss efforts.
- Not Ideal for Muscle Building: While cardio is excellent for burning calories and fat, it’s not the most effective way to build muscle mass.
What is Weightlifting?
Weightlifting, or strength training, is a type of physical activity that involves the use of resistance to build muscle strength and endurance. This can be done using free weights, by using weight machines, resistance bands, or even by pulling up your body weight.
Some examples of weightlifting include lifting dumbbells or barbells, using weight machines at the gym, doing bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, and lunges, and using resistance bands for exercises like bicep curls or leg lifts.
Benefits of Weight Training
- Helps to Build Muscle: Weightlifting helps build lean muscle mass, which can increase metabolism and help burn more calories even at rest.
- Improves Bone Health: It can help increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
- Increases Endurance: Strength training improves muscular endurance, making it easier to perform daily activities and exercise for longer periods.
- Enhances Functional Strength: Weightlifting helps to improve overall body strength. It makes daily activities easier.
- Boosts Metabolism: Muscle burns more calories than fat. Thus, increasing muscle mass can help boost metabolism.
- Improves Body Composition: Weightlifting helps to reduce body fat and improve body composition.
Limitations of Weight Training
- Risk of Injury: Incorrect form or lifting too heavy weights can lead to severe (lifetime) injuries.
- May Not Be Ideal for Cardiovascular Health: While weightlifting has many benefits, it may not be as effective as cardio for improving cardiovascular health.
- Requires Rest Days: Muscles need time to recover after weightlifting, so it is important to have rest days between sessions.
Cardio versus Weightlifting: Which Form of Exercise is Best for Weight Loss
Though both cardio and weightlifting have their own sets of advantages and limitations, they are both excellent forms of exercise and can help you get rid of excessive body fat. While cardio helps you burn more calories per session, weight training helps you burn calories even at rest. So if weight loss is your goal, ideally you must combine both cardio and weightlifting to get the best of both worlds.
By doing both types of exercise, you can burn calories during your workout and continue to burn calories even after you’ve finished exercising. This is known as the “afterburn effect” and can help you lose weight more quickly.
Ultimately, the best exercise for weight loss is the one that you enjoy. Whether you prefer cardio, weightlifting, or a combination of both, the most important thing is to find an exercise routine that is tailored to your goals. Connect with a board-certified obesity medicine physician like Dr. Mona Lala to know the right diet and workout plan for your weight loss needs. As a leading weight loss consultant in Chicago, she can carefully evaluate your existing health conditions and weight loss needs to chalk out a plan that’s aligned with your goals.
By consistently working with you, Dr. Lala can help you stick to your exercise routine and make healthy lifestyle choices for effective weight loss. Contact now to schedule an appointment and make way for a healthy, happy life.
