Strength training vs fat burning exercise

wally2wiki

I'm a little confused...So you need to strength train 3x per week to prevent muscle loss and boost metabolism.

But fat burning exercises such as burpees, goblet squats and lunges increase calorie expenditure

....So are these fat burning exercises supposed to take the place of cardio?
Or can you substitute the strength training ( bench press/ squats/ dead lifts) for these fat burning exercises?

jemhh

Forget about fat burning exercises. Just erase the idea from your brain.

If your goal is weight loss, you need a calorie deficit. Eat less, move more, or do a combo. All physical activity burns calories so any increase in activity that is not met with increased calorie consumption will add to your deficit.

As for strength training, if the number of days are a concern, two days a week is plenty as long as you use sensible programming.

courtneyfabulous

I lift weights 3 times a week for 1 hour, and I do hiit cardio for between 15 to 30 minutes 2 times a week plus a few short walks per week (between 1 & 3 miles) and usually 1 or 2 longer hikes per month. This works well for me to help preserve muscle and get some good physical activity.

My hiit cardio is either stairs intervals, sprint intervals, cardio circuits, or exercises like burpees and lunges and other body weight and plyo metric exercises performed at high intensity. I usually do these on the days in between lifting days. I do 2 rest days a week on average.

I consider goblet squats part of my weight lifting since I do them with a weight. I do incorporate some body weight exercises into my lifting routine too because I like to do circuit style training and it's easy to throw in some squats or lunges or step ups between doing curls & rows etc.

Try and find the mix of exercises that work best for you- this is what I do, you might find something completely different works best for you.

Exercise works your muscles and burns calories, and the right types (strength training) will encourage your body to prioritize using stored body fat for energy rather than burning up muscle, but eating in a caloric deficit is the only thing that actually causes fat/weight loss.

sijomial

Exercise burns calories, all exercise burns calories.
Nothing special about the ones you mentioned and they can't work any magic without a calorie deficit.

Azdak

wally2wiki wrote: »

I'm a little confused...So you need to strength train 3x per week to prevent muscle loss and boost metabolism.

But fat burning exercises such as burpees, goblet squats and lunges increase calorie expenditure

....So are these fat burning exercises supposed to take the place of cardio?
Or can you substitute the strength training ( bench press/ squats/ dead lifts) for these fat burning exercises?

As others have said, all activity "burns calories" and helps contribute to a deficit. Strength training tends to have an overall lower calorie burn than some cardio exercises, but it can be perfectly adequate if that's what you like.

Depending on the resistance level, burpees, goblet squats, and lunges are not necessarily "strength training".