Fitness: Which is the best workout to lose pounds — weights or cardio?

Article content

Cardio proponents claim that the energy consumed during aerobic exercise to pump the heart is better than the same amount of time spent pumping iron. Meanwhile, the weight room crowd argues that body composition is more important than weight and yells out about the increase in daily calorie burning that accompanies the addition of muscle.

Article content

Even with a brief overview of science, it’s not easy to get involved in this discussion. Although there are plenty of studies to review, it is difficult to compare because researchers use a variety of physiological measurements to determine the effects of aerobic exercise and strength training on body weight. Changes in overall body weight and weight ratio, lean body mass (muscle), visceral fat (deep in the abdomen) and subcutaneous fat (just below the skin), waist circumference and body mass index (BMI) are all Used to measure the success of weight loss exercises.

To complicate matters, many studies combine weight training, aerobic conditioning, and diet with interventions, making it difficult to identify the ones that have the greatest impact on weight loss. There is also a discrepancy between the number of quality studies considering weight training as an option for overweight and obesity weight loss and the large amount of data examining the role of aerobic exercise.

Article content

“I’m not sure if resistance exercise (weight training) alone, or in combination with other exercise components or diets, will have a significant effect on fat mass while maintaining or increasing lean body mass in this population. A team of researchers who worked on the issue of a recent article on obesity reviews said.

Hoping to further shed light on the effectiveness of weight training as a weight loss tool, researchers in Brazil and Australia scrutinized data related to children, adolescents, young adults, middle-aged and older people. Their review consisted of records from 4,184 overweight or obese individuals involved in interventions lasting 4-96 weeks, including body fat percentage, and overall body fat, abdominal fat (visceral and subcutaneous), Lean body mass, body weight, and BMI.

Article content

Researchers did not officially resolve the aerobic exercise and weight training debate, but further shed light on the effectiveness of weight training as a weight loss tool.

“Resistance exercise, when combined with calorie restriction, can be used regardless of aerobic factors and can reduce weight by about 5.5 kg compared to the intervention control group,” the researchers say.

We have found that resistance training combined with diet or aerobic exercise is more effective in reducing body fat percentage and total body fat than weight training alone. The results span age groups and genders, with middle-aged and older people achieving the most striking loss of subcutaneous and visceral fat in the abdomen when combined with strength training and aerobic exercise.

Article content

For even better results, combine calorie restriction with aerobic conditioning and weight training in a three-pronged approach to weight loss. And as a bonus to those who pump iron, the muscles remain intact while the fat is reduced. This is good news for middle-aged and older adults as they lose muscle with age.

“These results are crucial because resistance training can reduce the risk of sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and frailty and improve physical function and quality of life in this population,” the researchers said. Says.

The positive effects of a comprehensive approach to weight loss make the aerobic exercise and weight training discussions clearer. Both have their own advantages, but weight loss becomes more important when combined. Adding dietary changes that reduce the number of calories burned daily further increases your chances of success. However, what’s still in the air is a 50/50 suggestion for exercise components, half the time you do aerobic exercise in the gym and the other half of weightlifting, or prioritize one form of exercise. Whether to do it.

Article content

Current exercise prescriptions for optimizing overall health recommend a minimum of two weight training exercises per week and 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise. This is a good place to start. If you’re new to weight rooms and don’t know barbells from dumbbells, invest in a trainer to help you get the best value for your spending. Balanced training for all major muscle groups can be completed in less than an hour. For the remaining five days of the week, take a step or focus on aerobic exercise. We’re on the right track to the Trimmer Waistline while maintaining important muscle mass.

To achieve long-term weight loss, you need to change your habits at least once. This is a place to weigh the aerobic exercise and weight training discussions.