By There is a tug of war between cardio and weight training. Everyone has an opinion on what they believe is best, totally based on their own devices.
I have not always been a massive advocate of weight training, and unfortunately, it was because of old fashioned conditioning. Remember the old saying for many women that they don’t want to resemble a man? I’m ashamed of saying that and wish it weren’t true. But as they say, ignorance is pretty much a big part of this and media conditioning. That’s why I was the kind of woman on some form of cardio machinery. Day in, day out, that’s all I knew and continued with it.
What changed, you may ask? Well, I loved the tone and shape of those who lifted weights. It looked like they were athletic, strong and also fit. That combined all in one was a great goal to look at. I didn’t quite get the same from cardio. It felt like a natural transition towards doing something a little different and seeing what would become of it.
The big question is, was it weights or cardio that helped me lose body fat? I would have to say, a bit of both – but one did a lot more for your physique than the other.
For HIIT:
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High-intensity intervals lead to fat loss because training this way improves metabolic hormone levels and the body’s ability to mobilize body fat and burn it for energy (this does not include steady-state cardio).
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Lose belly fat faster Intervals by increasing oxygen consumption during the 24 hour recovery period after your workout. This is your bodies way of repairing damaged tissue cells.
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Prevent diabetes, and better insulin sensitivity Intervals train your body to burn fat for energy. This is called being “fat adapted”, making it so much easier to lose body fat.
For Weights:
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Muscle is protective for health and associated with longevity. Muscle is your metabolic engine, burning three times as many calories as body fat.
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Weights help you to preserve muscle mass when people cut calories to lose fat. Too much cardio can shave off that much-needed muscle mass, whereas lifting weights helps keep it and still fire up your metabolism.
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Tones shape and strengthen your body to provide you with a lovely form and prevent muscle wastage as you age.
So which one is best? The best option is one that will achieve your goals, but there is no saying you can’t also add something new to learn. We need to keep growing and developing our skills (as well as evolving our ideas). Both options are excellent. Therefore I would add HIIT and WEIGHTS to my training program and go from there.