Are you sick of doing hours of endless cardio only to see limited results? Well we might have the solution for you. Today we are going to discuss the benefits of weight training for weight loss!
The first thing we want to highlight is that to lose weight we need to create a calorie deficit. It always comes back to your energy intake versus your energy output. With this in mind it's also not to say that lots of cardio won't also work for weight loss, because it does. However it's not the only way nor is it necessarily the most effective way for everyone.
Here is the case for weight training:
- Improved metabolism. Resting metabolic rates are higher in people with more muscle. For every pound of muscle you have, your body will burn about 6 calories per day. Since progressive overload leads to more muscle gain when compared to cardio based training this is a tick in the weight training category.
- After burn effect. The amount of calories burned in a session will vary depending on the level of intensity of the workout. One thing however that is different between weight training and steady state cardio training is that after weight training your metabolism is increased for a longer period of time. This can last for 24-48 hours following a workout compared with 2-3 hours following steady state cardio.
- You get stronger. While this isn't specifically a weight loss tip it is helpful because increased strength can reduce the risk of future injury. This of course is a great thing as it will allow you to train more consistently over the years which can help with weight maintenance
- Change shape. A big pro of doing weight training is that it can not only help with weight loss but by adding muscle over time it can totally transform your shape too.
Final thoughts, any exercise is beneficial. There is no right or wrong type to perform as they all help improve our quality of life. It comes back to what you personally prefer to engage in.
