weight training vs cardio

As i've discussed on my previous post, cardio can be counterproductive. The perception that most people when starting exercising is that the most calories they burn exercising the better and the quicker their fat loss goals will happen. And therefore a sweaty cardio session will be chosen over a weight training session.

Another myth is that when you weight train you'll become bulky and excessively big as opposed to the leanness that you can get by doing cardio.

To dismantle these myths let me start with the calories and the science behind them.

It is true that the deficit between consumed calories and expended calories will burn fat, but it's also true that your body will preserve body fat and will use other sources of energy when it is in a energy deficit.

Being wise and knowing your body needs will allow you to know when and how your body will use mainly body fat as a source of energy preserving your muscle mass as much as you can.

Planning your training sessions will be the first step to take as well as planning your dietary needs in accordance to your daily requirements.

I hope that i am not giving out the idea that i am against cardio training and that i don't think that it has its benefits. I love the after feeling of a long run, or a long bike session. I know the importance of cardio training to the cardiovascular system and how fit you become when you regularly do it.

However what is being discussed is the quickest and most efficient training method to a body transformation, and there and as previously discussed cardio training may have the opposite effect to the expectations. in other hand weight training is for many reasons a great option to someone looking to change their body shape.

Still discussing the energy that your body needs on a daily basis you need to be aware that as more muscle as your body have as more energy it needs to function , therefore them weight sessions in the gym will help your body in that way.

Adding more muscle mass to your body as the result of your training will require more energy and this means more calories which will help to your total weekly calorie expenditure.

Another benefit of weight training is that it boosts your metabolism and again this means more energy that will use not only when exercising but also when is at rest. The great difference here between cardio and weight training is that cardio may slow your metabolism down as opposed to weight training that will speed it up.

One more thing to have in mind is that if your metabolism starts to slow down due to excessive cardio training your body can enter in a survival mode and at this point it will hold into your body fat and will use other sources of energy like muscle tissue.

weight training as you can see beats cardio training when the goal is to lose body fat. Knowing this you need to be aware that doing few bicep curls or squats won't get you very far.

If you are serious about your progress you'll need to have a structured plan in accordance to your goal and specific requirements. And this may not be enough if your diet ins't good. But i'll leave that to discuss on my next Article.

Filipe