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Written by Navneet Kaur, M.Sc. Nutrition & Dietetics
Exercise
Cardio and strength training provides many benefits, but if fat loss is your goal, you need to know which works best! Let's explore!
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Cardio is an aerobic exercise that includes running, cycling, etc. It also includes majorly those exercises that will increase your heart rate, like dance workouts and HIIT, which could help burn calories fast.
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Strength training includes weight lifting and exercises like push-ups and squats which helps build muscle, and more muscles lead to more fat burn.
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It works on burning calories quickly for fat loss, boosting cardiovascular health & stamina. Opt for high-intensity cardio like HIIT, running, rope jumping, etc.
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Weight training majorly helps in muscle building, increase metabolism, tone the body, and prevent loss of muscle. As muscles burn more calories, our bodies keep burning calories post the workout.
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It has the afterburn effect, which means you can burn calories up to 48 hours after your session, while with cardio, the burning stops once the workout ends.
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For maximum fat loss, combine both the exercises to build muscle, burn fat, and increase endurance.
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Now, if your goal is fat loss, opt for strength training first and then cardio. If your goal is endurance, opt for cardio and then strength training.
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Strength training has an edge in the longer run as it helps burn calories hours after the workout. The best strategy would be to combine fat loss and muscle tone. The perfect workout would be weight lifting with HIIT and some cardio.
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Both cardio and strength training help burn calories but for long-term fat loss and a toned body, focus on strength training and add cardio for endurance and calorie burn. Combine both for maximum fat burn.
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