The two most popular types of workouts are cardio and lifting weights. While they both benefit your body, if you are trying to lose weight, you may be wondering which is the best workout for that goal. Cardio has many benefits, including lowering blood pressure and improving circulation, but overall, lifting weights tends to be better for burning fat.
Calorie for calorie, you may find that going for a jog burns more calories than doing a round of weightlifting. However, weightlifting has more benefits outside the gym that can aid in your weight loss.
The goal for weight loss is a simple “calories and calories out,” and weight training helps you burn more calories every day. Because weight training is more effective in building muscle than cardio, and muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, you will raise your resting metabolism as you build strength.
One study measured its participants resting metabolism rate during six months of weight training. At the end of the study, the results found that weight training led to a 9% metabolic increase in men and a 4% increase in women.
You also burn more calories after a weight training session than you do after cardio workouts. In fact, it is speculated that you may burn more calories for up to 40 hours after a weight training session.
While any workout is good, the best way to burn fat is by burning more calories throughout the day, and the best way to do that is by building muscle. Over time, building muscle can yield to raising your resting metabolism, so you burn fat all day instead of just when you are working out. It’s also important to make sure you fuel your body properly so that you can get the most out of every workout session. A quality high-protein snack, such as Jawbox Jerky, help you stick to your diet plan along with giving your muscles the fuel they need to grow.