Aerobic Exercise Vs Resistance Training – And The Winner Is?
The one lesson I wish I had learned years ago is that aerobics are not the only way to lose weight. Or that resistance training may be equally important when it comes to burning off fat.
Hmmmm. No wonder I was struggling with weight loss even though I spent hours on the stationary bike and treadmill. Yet for some reason my fat loss was more or less minimal to say the least. More of less limited to what you could say was "not so much".
So if you too are laboring (literally) under the misconception that aerobics is the best too, the isn't it time to clear the air? I mean just why is aerobic training said to be best for burning fat? Or so it seems? And where does resistance training fit into this picture?
Yet haven't aerobic exercises always been touted for fat loss? For a couple of reasons. Aerobics are easy and not all that tasking compared to other options. And they're easy to understand. Hit your personal fat burning zone. Remain there for a duration of 35 minutes or so. And that's it.
All the better you can watch TV, listen to your iPOD, even read the paper during your aerobics session.
On the other hand, strength or resistance training is synonymous with work. At least so we think. Struggling to do 2 or three sets of 12-20 reps with weights doesn't even sound like fun. Which may explain why so few choose to get out of their aerobics comfort zone.
Well maybe we'd be wise to dig further to compare the list of benefits offered by strength training verses those from cardio exercise, as defined, alone.
Cardio, it seems, offers these fat burning pluses and minuses.
Your cardiovascular training routine burns more calories than weight training - but not significantly more.
Fewer calories are burned AFTER your cardio workouts stop however.
Plus you can't ignore the serious stress you're putting on your joints and the strain on your muscles unless of course you're doing water aerobics.
Okay so what does resistance training do for you in the fat burning department?
Actually, depending on the number of reps and how much weight you use, you can burn about the same number of calories as with an aerobic workout.
But don't miss this. You will still burn calories - even as you sleep. That's because your metabolic rate stays elevated as your muscles repair and rebuild. We're talking maybe as much as 30% elevation for a long as 36 hours later.
When you workout your core and ab muscles you have less chance of injury as you learn balance and co-ordination in such workouts.
Voila! So with resistance training you build fat burning muscles and also lose fat. What's not to like? Given this now what you should do?
First this revelation is no reason to call the whole thing off. Your cardio routine that is. No, the reasonable thing to do is combine moderate weight training with low impact aerobics. I suggest that because aerobic activities themselves bring with them their additional benefits.
They strengthen your heart and lungs making them more efficient.
They enhance blood circulation.
They assist in the development of improved stamina, endurance, and level of fitness.
They help speed repair of any muscle damage done during your strength training workout.
That makes the success formula obvious. Simply embrace a complete system of cardio, resistance training and better diet to become a fitter, leaner you. Easy, right?
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