Is weight workouts the best way to lose fat?

rachieepachiee

I've heard that weights are the best way to lose weight over cardio?

Fit_SailorsWife

Cardio burns the fat and lifting weights tones you up! (at least for me)

rachieepachiee

Cardio burns the fat and lifting weights tones you up! (at least for me)

Thanks can't believe you have lost 66 pounds! How long has it taken you? Im jealous! I want to lose between 10-20!

LiddyBit

I think that weights are pretty effective for burning fat. I mean, when I was doing ballet my body was pretty lean, and ballet is definitely more of a strength than cardio workout.

Fit_SailorsWife

June will be one year since I started my journey. I didn't start exercising until October and I became vegan in January. Eating clean and counting my calories is what really made my body change and tone up faster than exercising alone ever did!

dalessi123

Last spring, I started going to the gym 5x a week. I was 148 pounds. I did cardio 3x a week and weights/pilates/yoga 2x a week. by the end of summer I was about 145 lbs BUT my body fat % went down from 28%-21%! It was a huge difference, my legs were leaner, my stomach smaller and my arms were toned. I felt great, even though the scale didn't switch much.

I just started going back to the gym and will start doing weights again ASAP! Hope this gives you a small insight

jacksonpt

Losing fat = heavy lifting + high protein + moderate calorie deficit + patience + patience + patience

Period. That's how you do it.

Lift heavy, eat a minimum of 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, and keep your total cals at a moderate deficit. The concept is not hard. The execution can be.

jacksonpt

Cardio burns the fat and lifting weights tones you up! (at least for me)

No, it doesn't. Cardio creates a larger caloric deficit, which is not necessary if your diet is good (speaking purely from a weight loss standpoint). Lifting (along with adequate protein intake) helps retain muscle.

The caloric deficit is what causes you to lose weight. As you lose weight, the remaining muscle becomes more visible.

jacksonpt

June will be one year since I started my journey. I didn't start exercising until October and I became vegan in January. Eating clean and counting my calories is what really made my body change and tone up faster than exercising alone ever did!

Exactly. Weight loss is about diet. Fat loss is about diet + lifting.

ninerbuff

Cardio burns the fat and lifting weights tones you up! (at least for me)

Cardio and lifting burn calories. Fat gets burned when glycogen stores are depleted and when at rest. Cardio doesn't raise RMR (unless it's HIIT cardio) and HEAVY weight lifting does. Weights advantage is that you retain muscle, while doing cardio only doesn't spare lean muscle.
But the key will always be...................calorie deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

joejccva71

Cardio burns the fat and lifting weights tones you up! (at least for me)

Cardio and lifting burn calories. Fat gets burned when glycogen stores are depleted and when at rest. Cardio doesn't raise RMR (unless it's HIIT cardio) and HEAVY weight lifting does. Weights advantage is that you retain muscle, while doing cardio only doesn't spare lean muscle.
But the key will always be...................calorie deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

What Niner said. Also I'd like to add to this.

As folks get leaner, and are trying to get rid of stubborn fat (men who are around 12-15% and women who are around 19-23%, there are three aspects of fat loss that you need to pay very close attention to.

1. Fat Mobilization
2. Fat Transport
3. Fat Oxidation

For somewhat lean individuals trying to get leaner, mobilization becomes a problem which is one of the reasons why HIIT cardio and FASTED cardio becomes especially important. Weight training is important as Niner said for obvious reasons to help retain as much LBM as possible while dieting.

kdiamond

What they said above is correct, cardio creates a higher calorie deficit than lifting weights, but in my opinion that is not what makes you look hot!

Case in point...

Here are my legs when doing a cardio only workout and eating 1000-1200 calories a day. Also I was 5 years younger than I am now and weighed 10 pounds less than I do now. Notice the lumpiness and visual cellulite.



Now here are my legs a few weeks ago (not the best picture but I was a little drunk on a cruise, don't judge ). Notice the muscle tone and lack of cellulite (this goes for the back of my thighs as well). I weigh more now and do 90% weights. I am probably 5% body fat less and I weigh more, and I burned all of the fat by doing weight training. Also I eat 1800+ now.

cansnchloe

Great comparison kdiamond It's hard to remember that body composition changes when you lift heavy even though the scale moves SO SLOWLY or in the wrong direction even. I can attest!

HeidiMightyRawr

A calorie deficit is the best way to lose fat.

Weights are better for getting the "toned" look though

A combination of both is best overall.

annielizstan

I think Exercises to lose weight work best for you.
Do aerobic exercise.
Cardio burns is the best way to lose weight.
Dancing is a good way to lose weight too.
Eat freash fruit and veggies.
Drink plenty of water.
Try yoga. It will help.

mareeee1234

I think Exercises to lose weight work best for you.
Do aerobic exercise.
Cardio burns is the best way to lose weight.
Dancing is a good way to lose weight too.
Eat freash fruit and veggies.
Drink plenty of water.
Try yoga. It will help.

Where are the weights..?? Weights are very important in losing fat and getting your ultimate body, as others discussed above!

carlom18

Losing fat = heavy lifting + high protein + moderate calorie deficit + patience + patience + patience

Period. That's how you do it.

Lift heavy, eat a minimum of 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, and keep your total cals at a moderate deficit. The concept is not hard. The execution can be.

This. Patience is key. The execution is hard as it is a pretty big lifestyle change for a lot of people. It took me 3 weeks minimum to get use to the amount of food I was taking while i was switching to a deficit.

nz_deevaa

I think Exercises to lose weight work best for you.
Do aerobic exercise.
Cardio burns is the best way to lose weight.
Dancing is a good way to lose weight too.
Eat freash fruit and veggies.
Drink plenty of water.
Try yoga. It will help.

*scratches head*

What?

martinh78

Where are the weights..?? Weights are very important in losing fat and getting your ultimate body, as others discussed above!

The OP didn't ask about getting the ultimate body, they asked about loosing fat.

You can loose significant body fat with the correct diet and cardio.

beachlover317

Read this and decide for yourself.

http://www.simplyshredded.com/cardio-for-fat-loss-high-intensity-interval-training-cardio-vs-low-intensity-steady-state-cardio.html

nz_deevaa

Where are the weights..?? Weights are very important in losing fat and getting your ultimate body, as others discussed above!

The OP didn't ask about getting the ultimate body, they asked about loosing fat.
You can loose significant body fat with a calorie deficit.

Fixed that for you. :flowerforyou:

rcadams97

It used to be that I could lift weights and the fat would melt off me. However, as I've gotten older I need a great deal of cardio each week just to lose 2 pounds per week. Try doing more weight training than cardio for a while and see what happens. What could it hurt? As long as your exercising you'll be fine.

nessagrace22

Losing fat = heavy lifting + high protein + moderate calorie deficit + patience + patience + patience

Period. That's how you do it.

Lift heavy, eat a minimum of 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, and keep your total cals at a moderate deficit. The concept is not hard. The execution can be.

I need to add weights to my workouts but don't have a clue where to start. When it comes to lifting do resistance machines count or are we strictly talking free weights.

jacksonpt

Losing fat = heavy lifting + high protein + moderate calorie deficit + patience + patience + patience

Period. That's how you do it.

Lift heavy, eat a minimum of 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, and keep your total cals at a moderate deficit. The concept is not hard. The execution can be.

I need to add weights to my workouts but don't have a clue where to start. When it comes to lifting do resistance machines count or are we strictly talking free weights.

It's more about the effort than it is the method. Bodyweight, machines, resistance bands, free weights... all will work if you put in the effort/intensity. Make sure it's heavy and you should be good.

nessagrace22

@jacksonpt - That's cool, thanks.

mareeee1234

I need to add weights to my workouts but don't have a clue where to start. When it comes to lifting do resistance machines count or are we strictly talking free weights.

Google Stronglifts 5x5! Star that, I have and its a great way to get into weights
REad this summary.. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

RunDoozer

Where are the weights..?? Weights are very important in losing fat and getting your ultimate body, as others discussed above!

The OP didn't ask about getting the ultimate body, they asked about LOSING fat.
You can LOSE significant body fat with a calorie deficit.

Fixed that for you. :flowerforyou:

Fixed it for you both.:drinker:

martinh78

Thanks :drinker:

RepsnSets

To the poster who said be patient - I agree. It wasnt until week 7-8 of lifting that I noticed a drastic change in body shape it was almost like I woke up that morning and BAM the change was noticeable.

I have also read about others feeling the same between week 7-8 which is good, means I wasnt seeing things LOL

jfang86

Weight lifting is a much more efficient way of losing fat than cardio, but cardio has other benefits that mean you should keep it in your workout. In a nutshell, strength training builds lean muscle mass; muscle requires more energy just to exist than fat, so it boosts your basal metabolic rate, helping to create a caloric deficit.

Cardio, on the other hand, only contributes to fat loss insomuch as the calories you are actually burning to do the activity. This actually doesn't amount to much: most folks will do 20-30 minutes of moderate cardio. This will burn between 200-300 calories (at most), which, if you were relying on this alone to produce a caloric deficit, would mean it would take you 10 nearly 2 weeks to burn a single pound.

Fat loss is mainly dependent on diet. But strength training can help augment your fat loss by building lean muscle (and also tends to make you look leaner). Cardio is also good for overall heart health but is the least efficient way to lose fat, if that's your goal.