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Cardio or Weight Training For Fat Loss?

A big question that never seems to get a straight answer. So here goes. The BEST way to lose belly fat is by doing strength training and high-intensity intervals (HIIT).

A big question that never seems to get a straight answer. So here goes.

The BEST way to lose belly fat is by doing strength training and high-intensity intervals (HIIT).  Using short, hard bursts of varying intensity will outperform any aerobic training by nine-times the effectiveness.

There are two kinds of cardio for you to understand, aerobic and anaerobic.

Aerobic exercise combines oxygen, fats and carbohydrates to produce ATP, the fuel source for our cells. Fat becomes a more efficient fuel source as we have more of it, and it is more easily mobilised with increased oxygen. 

Endurance training increases the body’s ability to use oxygen. During long, steady state cardio (45-to-60 minutes) at a moderate intensity (50-75 per cent MHR), aerobic activity appears to burn the highest amount of fat.

However, it also has a negative effect on muscle mass.  A Duke University study shows that over an 8-month study of aerobic activity only, the participants only lost 1.6 kg of fat, and didn’t build any muscle.

Over a long term, the body loses muscle as a result of aerobic training because it elevates the stress hormone cortisol, which degrades tissue.  So in reality, it lowered their metabolism, increased body stress, decreased muscle mass, but increased aerobic conditioning.  Not a great trade off.

Aerobic exercises include – walking, running, swimming, cycling.

To Sum it Up – aerobic training is pretty useless for fat loss.

Anaerobic exercise utilizes fats and carbohydrates without the use of oxygen.  It demands the body to adapt metabolically (where the body is forced to burn fat to sustain the demand of the exercise).  It also increases EPOC (excess post-oxygen consumption) by large amounts, which requires a lot of energy expenditure to restore the cells physiological factors.  Translation – burns fat 24 hours post-workout.

Anaerobic exercise like sprint intervals and weight training provide the best fat burning combination.  They generally improve you entire endocrine system and enhance our cells’ sensitivity to insulin, making anaerobic training excellent for diabetes treatment. 
Probably the most important hormone, which reacts to anaerobic exercise, is the growth hormone. 

This little baby is a powerful fat burning hormone that helps restore tissue and build muscle. Testosterone is also elevated, and with GH they lend efforts to counteract any increase in cortisol levels during your workouts.

Not only will sprints help you lose MORE belly fat, it will help you lose it FASTER! With only 20-to-25 minutes a day of high-intensity sprints three times a week or more, you will burn more fat than 60 minutes of endurance training!

The Secret Formula To Your Workouts for Maximum Fat Loss

Strength training increases protein synthesis in the muscle fibre, increasing strength and mass, hence boosting metabolism. It NEEDS to be part of your fitness protocols.

During exercise, the body uses stored energy in our muscles called glycogen. If glycogen levels are low, it affects our energy for the rest of our workout. When strength training, our body activates the mTor muscle building pathway.  This pathway becomes inhibited when strength training is done before cardio, which depletes all the glycogen stores. 

This depletion impairs our ability to perform during weight training exercises which compromises muscle growth and strength.

Schedule your strength training and cardio on alternate days.  NEVER do strength training after your cardio and avoid training them in the same session.  If you’re a die-hard gym goer 5 or 6 days a week, then separate your strength and cardio sessions to allow for glycogen to restore itself completely.

To Sum it Up - Performing weight training before cardio, it will enhance fat burning during the workout, and that overall resting energy expenditure is increased following weight training.

Check in next week for an awesome fat burning, metabolic boosting, HIIT workout anyone can do!


Yours in health,
Kim Chase, CPTS





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