Many of us despise exercise unless we are engaging in an activity that we enjoy. Whether it’s dancing, swimming, cycling, walking, playing tennis. Find something that you enjoy doing at least 3-4 x per week and do it repeatedly.
I’m going to talk about the combination of eating to lose weight and exercising to lose weight simultaneously. Which type of exercise is better for calorie burning?
I will also touch on why some people exercise daily, and cannot lose weight.
What are the differences between the effects of strength training vs aerobic exercise?
I want to start by defining strength/resistance training. Strength training is defined by physical exercises which are designed to improve strength and endurance. It also plays a key role in building and developing muscle mass.
It may involve the use of weights but can take on a variety of other forms.
Aerobic exercise is physical exercise of low or high intensity, which utilizes free oxygen, to adequately meet energy demands during exercise via aerobic metabolism. Aerobic exercise involves cardiovascular conditioning, where your breathing and heart rate increase for a sustained period of time, ie, swimming laps, running, cycling, etc.
An aerobic workout will burn more calories than weight training. Your metabolism may stay elevated longer doing weight training than cardio and weight lifting is better for building muscle.
So you are asking which would yield better results if your goal was to lose weight faster?
.The answer is both. The ratio of time spent doing aerobic/cardio vs. weight training is key.
When I was working at a prominent health club in NYC I learned from the fitness trainers what the correct ratio should be. And I have to say I was surprised at their response.
There should be about a 3 to 1 ratio of time spent doing cardio to time spent doing weight training if the primary goal is to lose weight.
For example if you are doing 2 hours of cardio exercise in a week you want to only do about 30-40 minutes of strength training in order to burn more calories at a faster rate So the end result is you will see a reduction in your weight.
If you are less interested in seeing the numbers on the scale move downwards than you are in losing inches and gaining strength and muscle then your ratio can look more like 2 to 1 cardio to weight training.
Why do some people exercise six or seven days per week and find they cannot lose weight?
There are essentially two reasons, one is that you might be engaging in too much strength training relative to aerobic exercise. Two is that you may not be consuming enough calories or restricting your calories to much and your body is holding on to every calories since there is not enough calorie intake to burn. So increasing your calories, and finding the correct balance between cardiovascular exercise and weight training is essential for optimal results.
Working with a qualified nutritionist or an exercise physiologist who can determine the correct amount of calories and or the correct exercise routine is recommended.