Cardio was considered to be the best form of exercise for weight loss for many years. When it came to boosting your metabolism and raising your resting metabolic rate, strength training quickly gained popularity.
Consistency is crucial to reaching any fitness goal, and if losing weight is your objective, health professionals advise that you should do it by creating a calorie deficit, which is when you burn more calories than you consume. Any change in body weight involves a change in both its components, muscle mass and body fat. When we talk about weight loss, it must take the form of fat loss rather than muscle loss.
The best strategy to burn the most calories is to increase your heart rate, which is typically accomplished through a cardio workout. However, only cardio causes you to burn both fat and muscle at the same time. On the other side, strength exercise burns fewer calories while giving your body shape by maintaining and adding muscle. Burning fat while preserving muscle is the proper technique to lose weight. Strength and cardio training can be used together in this situation. The secret to accomplishing a weight loss goal is this mix, added to by a sound nutrition strategy.
Gaining muscle, which is the body’s active metabolic tissue, and losing adipose tissue, which is merely stored energy, should always be our goals. When discussing the finest weight reduction plan, it’s important to consider all 5 aspects of fitness: flexibility, strength in the musculoskeletal system, cardiorespiratory endurance, and ideal body composition. In order to get the intended effects, all the components must be in balance.
We engage in cardio to improve our cardiovascular and muscular endurance so that we can walk, run, climb stairs, and other daily tasks effectively. We engage in strength training or weight training to delay the onset of degeneration and to get a more defined physique. If we place a greater emphasis on cardio for weight loss, we will unnecessarily lose muscle mass, which will weaken our strength and give us an unsightly appearance. Our muscles will tyre quickly if we put more of an emphasis on strength training since they lack the necessary endurance. Thus, it is important to maintain a balance between aerobic and strength exercise.
Any exercise, including cycling, jogging, Zumba, weight lifting, Calisthenics, dance, and Pilates, can be divided into two categories: cardiovascular exercise and strength exercise.
Cardiovascular exercise – Our heart and lungs are muscles, too, and working them out makes them stronger and better at supplying the body with oxygen.
Strength training focuses on all the muscles in your body in order to make you stronger overall.
Which one should we add to our daily regimen, then, for the best fat reduction results?
Cardio pros –
1. May increase calorie burn.
2. Can be completed quickly, like HIIT or sprinting.
3. Can exercise performed anyplace; examples include stair step-ups, spot jogging, and skipping.
4. Requires no equipment.
Cons –
1. Low-Intensity Cardio requires additional time.
2. You are more prone to injuries when doing HIIT, jogging, or skipping.
3. Loss of muscular mass may result.
Pros of strength training –
1. Burn calories after a workout as well.
2. Less risk of damage than high-impact cardio.
3. Flexible; performed at home or in the gym.
4. Bodyweight can be used initially; no equipment required.
5. Supports muscular mass preservation, making you appear toned.
Cons –
1. You’ll need more equipment as you advance.
2. It can take time to learn proper technique and form.
3. May become dull.