Cardio vs. Weight Lifting: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?
Want to lose weight but aren't sure which approach is best? The good news is that both cardio and weight training can help with weight loss.
We break down the science behind both kinds of exercise to help you reach your weight loss goals.
Key Takeaways
- Weight loss usually requires consuming fewer calories than your body burns.
- Cardio exercise is fantastic for burning calories.
- Weight training can increase muscle mass, which can enhance resting metabolic rate.
- Both cardio and weight training provide plenty of other potential health benefits, too.
See More: How Many Calories Does Walking 10,000 Steps Burn?
Cardio Or Weights?
Carriejune, founder of Minibeast, says:
"Cardio and weight training can each be great for weight loss. The best approach is usually to combine the two with a calorie deficit."
Ever stood in the gym, unsure whether to head to the treadmills or dumbbells? If so, you're not alone.
The fitness world is full of debates. Perhaps the most contested, though, is whether cardio or weight training is better for weight loss.
At first, each side seems to have a point. Both cardio and strength training can leave you sweaty and tired, a sign you've burned calories.
However, some people believe that weight training isn't good for fat loss. Others claim that cardio is a surefire way to undermine muscle mass.
So what's correct? If your goal is weight loss, which approach should you take?
The truth is that both cardio and weight training can be beneficial for weight loss. Both provide unique potential benefits that can help you burn fat and build muscle.
And both need to be combined with a healthy, calorie-deficit diet in order to be truly effective.
It's that combination that provides the real weight-loss magic: cardio, resistance training, and a healthy diet. Integrating those three pillars into your routine is a great way to get started reaching your fitness goals.
Aren't convinced? Let us explain.
The Science of Fat Loss
When people say they want to lose weight, they almost always mean fat loss. Weight loss and fat loss are often used interchangeably, but it's worth making the distinction.
That's because fat is far from the only thing contributing to body weight.
Body Composition
Our bodies are composed of many different substances. We can divide those substances into general categories.
One category is fat mass. That's the sum total of fat within your body.¹
Not all of that fat is the same. Some of it lies right under your skin. Other parts are encased deep within your body, surrounding your internal organs.
Not all of that fat is bad, either. In fact, humans need some fat in order to stay healthy.
Another category is lean mass. That's basically the sum total of everything that isn't fat, including water, bones, and muscle.²
Ideally, we want to lose fat and retain (or build more) lean muscle.
How to Lose Weight
That can be trickier than it sounds, because ultimately, weight loss is determined by one thing: Your diet.
Even the perfect workout routine can't overcome a poor diet. As Minibeast founder Carriejune says, "Diet is nearly 70% of our results."
Ultimately, weight loss can be thought of as a simple formula. If you burn more calories than you consume, your body will, theoretically, be forced to burn stored calories to compensate.
And that usually means burning fat.
As you can likely tell, there are two ways to influence that formula. You can reduce the number of calories you consume. That's referred to as being in a caloric deficit.
The other method is increasing the number of calories you burn. This is actually a little more complex than you might think.
In part, that's because the vast majority of the calories your body burns are used just to keep you alive. The calories burned for this are collectively referred to as your resting metabolic rate. Another portion of the calories your body burns is used to process food.³
That only leaves you with a relatively small slice to influence. Fortunately, both cardio and resistance training can help with that.
Benefits of Cardio
Cardio exercise, or aerobic exercise, is held up as the gold standard for weight loss for good reason. It's one of the most efficient ways to burn calories.
Calorie Burn
All cardio exercise burns calories. The right kind of cardio exercise, when done correctly, can burn more calories than pretty much any other physical activity. Yes, including strength training.
How many calories you'll burn depends on several factors. These include things like exercise intensity and duration. They also include individual factors, like your body weight.
Nevertheless, we can still make some estimates to give you a sense of just how many calories cardio can burn.
Take cycling, for example. A 30-minute cycling session might burn around 295 calories.⁴
Swimming is another great, low-impact cardio exercise. An average woman who swims a recreational front crawl for 30 minutes might burn around 335 calories.⁵
One form of cardio training that really maximizes calorie burn is high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. Research suggests that HIIT can burn up to 30% more calories than steady-state cardio.⁶
Just how many calories can HIIT burn? As we explained, that varies based on many factors. Based on one estimate, a 45-minute HIIT session can burn roughly 485 calories. That includes a five-minute warm-up and cooldown.⁷
To put that into context, 30 minutes of weightlifting might burn around 110 calories.⁸
Heart Health
Ever wondered why cardio is called cardio? Well, the full name is cardiovascular exercise. One of the most well-documented potential benefits of regular cardio exercise is how it supports cardiovascular health.
Regular aerobic exercise can support your cardiovascular system in all kinds of ways. It can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart problems, increase endurance, and more.⁹
Of course, the potential benefits of regular cardio workouts go far beyond weight loss and cardio health. They include enhanced bone strength, balance, mental function, lung function, and much more.¹⁰
Bonus: What Is a Functional Trainer? Benefits, Features & More
Benefits of Building Muscle
Having read all that, you might be convinced that cardio is the best thing for weight loss. Yes, it's fantastic. But don't count strength training out just yet.
Enhance Resting Metabolic Rate (Boost Metabolism)
Remember, your resting metabolic rate accounts for the vast majority of the calories your body burns. But what if you could increase that rate?
Actually, you can do just that. Resistance training can increase your resting metabolic rate.
That's because strength training, when done right, can result in muscle growth. And more muscle mass often means an enhanced resting metabolic rate.
Muscle is a metabolically active tissue. It burns calories, even when at rest. In fact, a pound of muscle is thought to burn between 6 and 15 calories per day while at rest.¹¹
One study found that 10 weeks of resistance training "may increase lean weight by 1.4 kg, increase resting metabolic rate by 7%, and reduce fat weight by 1.8 kg."¹² Not bad!
Now, cardio is also thought to elevate metabolism. But it's generally considered a short-term boost called the afterburn effect. Research suggests that weight training can increase resting metabolic rate more.
Afterburn Effect
Weight training can also trigger the afterburn effect.
It's technically called EPOC, or post-exercise oxygen consumption. After an intense workout, your body's repair process kicks in. It repairs muscle tissue, generates new muscle mass, restores depleted energy stores, and more.
To sustain all that, your body consumes oxygen at a higher rate than usual. That process can enhance calorie burn for up to 48 hours after exercise.¹³
The extent of that enhancement can vary. One study estimated that EPOC can increase calorie burn by 6-15%.¹⁴
Combining Cardio and Lifting Weights
Most experts recommend a fitness program that incorporates cardio and strength training. That way, you get the benefits of both.
In fact, you can even build lean muscle and lose fat simultaneously. It's a process called body recomposition.
If that sounds complicated, why not let a professional guide you? Minibeast's 8-Week Tone and Tighten Program includes everything you need to see fat-burning and muscle-building results within just two months.
You get a customized meal plan, example diets, recipes, specialized training programs, cardio guidelines, supplement recommendations, and much more.
Conclusion
Both cardio and weight training are beneficial for weight loss. A balanced weight loss program is usually structured around a caloric deficit, cardio, and strength training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Do More Cardio or Weights to Lose Fat?
The most effective way to lose weight is to do both cardio and weight training. Cardio is great for burning calories efficiently. Resistance exercises can help you build muscle, which can enhance your resting metabolic rate.
What Is the 30/30/30 Rule for Fat Loss?
The 30/30/30 rule is a viral morning routine that people think helps with weight loss. It calls for consuming 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking, then doing 30 minutes of low-intensity cardio exercise.
How to Burn 700 Calories in 1 Hour?
In order to burn 700 calories in a single hour, you'll need to do some seriously intense full-body exercise. Think rowing, cycling, jump rope, or high-intensity interval training.
Keep Reading: Is It Okay to Sleep With a Waist Trainer On?
Sources
- Fat Mass - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
- Lean Body Mass and Muscle Mass – What’s the Difference? | InBody USA
- Resting Metabolic Rate: How to Calculate and Improve Yours - NASM
- Calories burned in 30 minutes of leisure and routine activities - Harvard Health
- How Many Calories Does Swimming Burn — by Stroke, Intensity and Body Weight
- Caloric expenditure of aerobic, resistance, or combined high-intensity interval training using a hydraulic resistance system in healthy men - PubMed
- Energy Expenditure and Intensity of Group-Based High-Intensity Functional Training: A Brief Report - PMC
- Physical Activity and Your Weight and Health
- Effects of Exercise to Improve Cardiovascular Health - PMC
- Aerobic Exercise: What It Is, Benefits & Examples
- How many additional calories does each pound of muscle burn?
- Resistance Training is Medicine: Effects of Strength...
- Everything You Need To Know About EPOC
- Effects of exercise intensity and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption - PubMed
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