Focus on Strength and not Cardio for Better Weight Loss Results

Cardiovascular activity can provide some great benefits ranging from hearth health to mental health but when it comes to weight loss, this shouldn't be the main priority.

When most people think about burning fat, they think about running and having to burn calories. You fall into that whole trap with math, thinking to yourself, "I burned 500 calories running, that means my next meal has to be less calories or I'll have to compensate and move more after". This is a battle you're never going to win. So why not teach your body to burn more calories on its own, even while you're resting? That is where lifting weights and strength training comes in.

You might think to yourself, "if I just run more then I'll burn more calories leading to more fat loss." The thing is, with cardiovascular activity this isn't how it works. As a matter of fact, it does the complete opposite. The more you run and the further you run, the LESS calories you will burn. This is because the body's adaptation with cardio is:

It wants to preserve energy to help you run more. So, the body will burn and use up less energy/calories to do that. Not only that, but cardio activity that isn't paired with any strength training could lead to muscle loss, which could give you the "skinny fat" look. On the other hand, the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn at rest. Your body works a little harder, so it burns more energy and calories in order to keep on this extra muscle tissue that you're providing it with.

I commonly hear people say, especially women, that they don't want lift weights because they'll look "bulky". This is one of the common misconceptions about lifting weights. There are a few reasons why you will not get that "bulky" look - the first one is that women have much less testosterone than men, which makes it extremely hard (sometimes impossible) for them to build a lot of muscle like men would. The other reason is that in order to build a lot of muscle, you have to pair that by eating a lot of food. The muscle building process is such a long as slow process. I hear this saying often and a great way to put this is:

Saying you don't want to lift weights because you're scared of becoming bulky, is like saying you don't want to drive a car because you're scared you'll become a NASCAR driver. This is saying that everyone should be doing it because it can help with so many other aspects in life in addition to a better body composition. Cardio can be sprinkled in a few times a week, but you should focus on strength training at least 3 times per week. So, if you are someone who is struggling to lose weight and hasn't added any form of lifting weights into your workout regime, this could benefit greatly.