Will muscle building excerise help lose weight?

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LetsGetBikiniBodyReady
LetsGetBikiniBodyReady Posts: 11
in Fitness and Exercise
Or is cardio the best for losing weight?

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  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    A caloric deficit is best for losing weight.

    Exercise promotes health and fitness and may help with the caloric deficit. Why not do both?
  • norcalskater
    norcalskater Posts: 194 Member
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    Brian Sharpe nailed it. The deficit is the first priority. I was exercising a lot but didn't lose anything until I started tracking food every day with a deficit until I reached my goal then I bumped it up to maintenance.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    A calorie deficit leads to weight loss. "Muscle building exercise" will help preserve muscle mass while losing weight. Cardio without weight lifting will most likely lead to a calorie deficit and weight loss, but you will lose more muscle than you would have if you had been weight lifting.
  • Bobs123456
    Bobs123456 Posts: 13
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    Anything that gets you up and moving will burn more calories. Really large people start with just walking. It can take them months before than can take an hour walk. Losing weight is about a calorie deficit. So dieting is the most important part. You wont burn as many calories just doing weight training. However, weight training during diet is critical to reduce muscle loss during weight loss. You can add a little muscle too if its a slow diet over time. I have had back problems made worse by muscle from dieting without weight training. I now do cardio and weights.

    Short answer is yes, but you have to restrict calories too.
  • jeremywm1977
    jeremywm1977 Posts: 657 Member
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    Here, I will actually answer your question:

    Do both.......or do circuit training, which combines both.
    Cardio elevates your heart rate and burns calories. Strength training does the same, but also builds lean muscle.......and building lean muscle also burns calories (even when you're not working out).

    Some cardio routines can also build lean muscle.

    In the end, don't fixate on one, combine the two together.
  • alathIN
    alathIN Posts: 142 Member
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    Two answers:

    1) Several studies have compared different weight loss programs for women. Those that included strength training were more likely to have permanent weight loss rather than gaining back. You don't just want to lose weight, you want to improve your body composition (more lean, less fat)

    2) Rather than just thinking about weight loss, think about five categories of fitness: 1. strength, 2) cardio/endurance, 3) flexibility, 4) balance/coordination, 5) lean/fat composition. If you want to have a body that is healthy and feels good to live in, pay attention to each of those areas, perhaps choosing to focus the most on the area where you need the most work or where you are most motivated. In the long term, all of these categories are important for your well-being and all of them influence each other.

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