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Cardio Vs. Weight Training: All You Should Know

If you are looking for weight loss this season, one thing that must be probably running in your mind is whether to concentrate more on weight training or cardio. Neither weight training nor cardio can be completely ignored in your physical activity schedule. Weight training helps in hypertrophy (muscle development); on the other hand, cardio contributes to burning a good amount of calories and works on endurance development. However, excessive cardio and no weight training can lead to atrophy (muscle loss). Hence, weight training has a slight upper hand over cardio when it comes to the overall maintenance of the body.

How does Cardio Help Burn Calories?

As per the research, the amount of calories you lose per cardio session depends upon your body weight. For most cardio activities like running, cycling, swimming, etc., the more you weigh, the more calories you will burn. A study published in the National Institute of Health indicates that if you weigh 73kg, you will burn about 250 calories per 30 minutes of moderate pace jogging. On the other hand, if you perform weight training for the same amount of time, you might only burn around 130-220 calories. In general, cardio helps burn more calories than weight training and contributes to a greater extent to weight loss.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)- Intense Form of Cardio

High-intensity interval training involves short bursts of very intense exercise alternated with a low-intensity recovery period. The best part of the HIIT workout is that it can be even done at home, and it takes only around 30 minutes. You can perform Tabata workout, which is an intense form of HIIT where each set comprises of eight rounds of 20 seconds each with a gap of 10 seconds between each round. HIIT exercise is very effective for fat loss, weight loss, and belly fat loss, and it also helps develop great endurance and agility.

How Does Weight Training Help You Burn More Calories Every Day?

Although weight training does not burn as many calories as cardio, it has numerous other benefits. Weight training helps build muscle, whereas cardio makes a tiny contribution to that. As per the study published in the National Institute of Health, muscle burns more calories at rest than some other tissues. Hypertrophy achieved by weight training is the key to increasing your resting metabolism, which is the number of calories your body burns when at rest.

Basic weight training exercises like a bench press during a day can keep the cardiologist away. The research was done at the Center of Inflammation and Metabolism, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark, which showed that weight lifting exercise burns fat faster than cardio.

Weight training can help reduce visceral fat, which surrounds the internal organs. As a result, you will have less belly fat and more lean muscle mass with regular weight training. Weight lifting also improves sleep quality and enables the good growth of muscles when the body is at rest.

As per the European Journal of Applied Physiology report, resting metabolism stays elevated for up to 38 hours after weight training, while no such increase has been reported with cardio. Also, a study by the National Institute of Health states that resting metabolism increased by about 140 calories per day in men. At the same time, it increases to about 50 calories per day in women. Therefore, weight training can help you burn calories for hours after a workout.

Conclusion

As per reports and studies, weight training and cardio should be part of your physical activity routine, as it helps develop muscles, reduce ageing, and avoid injury. On the other hand, cardio exercises enhance endurance and significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Lastly, for maintaining a healthy body, diet plays an integral role; make sure you maintain your daily calorie requirement intake. For weight loss, it is necessary to be in a calorie-deficit state

Disclaimer: This blog provides general information and discussions about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this blog, website or in any linked materials are not intended and should not be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Kindly contact your Doctor before starting a new medicine or health regime.

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Published on August 01, 2022