Cardio can Strength Training

yoplait311
yoplait311 Posts: 56 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Which is better for fat loss? Or does it just come down to a calorie deficit for fat loss?

I love my cardio and can push myself with intervals, hill repeats, and of course steady state. I lift occasionally too- but I'm curious if lifting more would help me drop the last 10lbs quicker. Just curious!

Replies

  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    Calorie deficit is all that matters for weight loss. for fat loss, you need a calorie deficit, a diet high in protein and resistance training. Cardio can help you get into a deficit but resistance training is necessary to retain as much muscle as possible while losing weight.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    edited February 2016
    yoplait311 wrote: »
    Which is better for fat loss? Or does it just come down to a calorie deficit for fat loss?

    I love my cardio and can push myself with intervals, hill repeats, and of course steady state. I lift occasionally too- but I'm curious if lifting more would help me drop the last 10lbs quicker. Just curious!

    Yes, the calorie deficit is the main ticket for your weight loss. The body will fuel itself during a deficit on fat and muscle, so you will want to lift to mitigate losing too much muscle.

    You can use your exercise to help create that deficit for sure - especially the cardio. With 10 pounds to lose, try and target one pound per week. Lifting 2 x per week plus a core work day (say M/W/F) and cardio on the other days will fire up the calorie burn. I typically do a 30 minute recovery spin on lifting days, and the longer rides on T/TH/SAT/SUN. The lifting will help you maintain the muscle you have as you shed weight with the calorie deficit.

    I just dumped 10 pounds the past 2 months doing that. Once I get to my racing weight and into the bike riding season, I'll do maintenance weight lifting only 1 x per week.
  • AlphaCajun
    AlphaCajun Posts: 290 Member
    Muscle tissue utilizes more calories even at rest, than fat. So yes to all of the above.

    The key is certainly a caloric deficit but adding muscle will aid in increasing calories burned.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    galgenstrick wrote: »
    Calorie deficit is all that matters for weight loss. for fat loss, you need a calorie deficit, a diet high in protein and resistance training. Cardio can help you get into a deficit but resistance training is necessary to retain as much muscle as possible while losing weight.

    Pretty much.

    Calorie deficit for over all weight loss.
    Strength Training + Protein to maintain muscles- and optimize fat loss.
    Cardio is good for your heart (duh) but it helps get you into a calorie deficit- which is a win.

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