IS CARDIO OR WEIGHT TRAINING BETTER FOR WEIGHTLOSS?

So many women get scared of lifting weights because they are afraid it will make them appear ‘bulky’. This is not true, and is honestly one fitness myth which I wish would go away! Although doing steady state cardio (walking or running at the same pace) may burn more calories per minute, resistance training will continue to burn calories even AFTER you have completed your workout! Yep that’s right, if you lie on your couch after and watch a movie – your body is still working and burning off calories. This is known as EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). Another great thing about resistance training is that you lose mainly fat, compared to cardio where you can lose a variety of different body masses. Although losing muscle mass will mean your weight on the scale is lower, it probably won’t give you the body you are after. This is because ‘tone’ comes from well shaped muscles, and resistance training protects, shapes and maintains those muscles.

As you can see, cardio and resistance training have their advantages, but my answer to what is best for weight loss? BOTH! If you have a lot of weight to lose, cardio is a great stepping stone for increasing your fitness levels and burning calories quickly. However in order to have that toned, sculpted body that most women want, you will need to add in some resistance workouts.