A lot of people who have decided to lose weight often find themselves stuck with one important question, should I do cardio or lift weights? Cardiovascular workouts and weight lifting are two of the best weight loss exercises, but they differ in intensity, duration, and the group of muscles being used. They also burn calories in different ways. 

While cardio exercises are often seen as the best way to create a caloric deficit to help you drop a few pounds or sizes, it turns out weightlifting can help too! If you want to stay strong, burn calories, and build healthy bones, consider weight training. Before saying no to weights, take some time to challenge your preconceptions and learn more about the basics of weightlifting or strength training. Read on. 

What is Weight Lifting? 

Weight lifting is a type of strength training that employs the use of weights for resistance. As it gives stress to your muscles, it allows them to adapt and get stronger, similar to how aerobic exercises are strengthening your heart. This can be performed using free weights like dumbbells and barbells, or with the help of weight machines. 

The Basics of Weight Lifting 

To understand clearly the relationship between calories and weight, you have to know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise. 

Sustained aerobic exercises such as cycling and jogging are low intensity so that they can be done for a longer period of time. Your body will get enough oxygen to make sure that you will be able to sustain your planned routine. 

On the other hand, anaerobic exercises, which include weight lifting, is high intensity. With quick bursts of high-intensity workouts, your body will not get enough oxygen for your muscles quickly enough; hence it prompts your cells to break down sugars instead. And since it is quite impossible to maintain this level of intensity for very long, weight lifting and other anaerobic exercises are brief. 

While anaerobic exercises are short-lived, their calorie-burning effects are not! 

Weight Training Helps You Burn More Calories Daily

It is true that if you weigh approximately 73 kg, you will most likely burn 250 calories per 30 minutes of jogging at a moderate pace and running faster at 6 miles per hour can increase this number to as much as 365 calories. On the other hand, weight training for the same amount of time can only help you burn about 13-220 calories (1). 

However, if you will only gauge the effectiveness of weight lifting by the number of calories you burn in a single session, you’ll surely miss out on all the other fat-loss benefits weight lifting can offer (2). While it is true that cardiovascular exercises help you burn more calories per session, lifting weights allows your body to burn more calories long-term. 

Weight training can help you build more muscles as compared to cardio exercises. Muscles are more effective at burning calories as compared to other tissues in the body, including fat (3). Building muscle is also the key to increasing your resting metabolism, the number of calories you burn at rest. 

One study showed that weight training could give men a 9% increase in their resting metabolisms if they do 24 weeks of weight training. Women benefitted, too, but the increase is smaller, only amounting to approximately 4% (4). This sounds fairly good, right?

Aside from helping you build muscles and increase your metabolism gradually, weight training also has other significant calorie-burning effects. Several studies agree that you burn more calories in the succeeding hours following a weight training session, compared to cardio exercises (5, 6, 7). In fact, there have been reports suggesting that resting metabolism can stay elevated for up to 38 hours after weight training (7). All of these proved that the calorie-burning effects of weights are not only limited to when you are exercising. You can still burn calories for hours or even days after. 

What Are the Other Health Benefits of Weight Lifting? 

Strength training, which includes weight lifting, is a key component of overall health and fitness. It provides an important balance to aerobic exercises. Aside from weight loss, experts count the following among the many benefits of weight lifting.

1. Prevents Osteoporosis

Women experience hormonal changes as they age. They lose bone density, which makes them more susceptible to developing osteoporosis. Regularly lifting weights provides the mechanical stimuli needed for the maintenance and improvement of bone health (8). This can help slow down bone deterioration. Weight lifting will also help you keep your strength and reduce your risk of slow down the effects of osteoporosis. 

2. Reduces Injury Risks

By building more muscles, you are protecting yourself from possible injuries. It will also help strengthen your bones and connective tissues. This added strength will keep you safe from injuries. It may help reduce symptoms of back pain, arthritis, and fibromyalgia (9). 

Evidence showed that strength training had become a big component in the rehabilitation of sports-related injuries. It appeared that adding emphasis on continuous weight workouts has made a huge impact (10). 

3. Boosts Confidence

Training with heavy weights has shown to improve self-confidence. It also helped reduce anxiety, control depression, and increase happiness (11, 12, 13). While it may be difficult at times to get motivated to go to the gym, the benefits will surely outlast your initial struggle. 

4. Builds Your Brain

Weight lifting develops more than just muscles, and it also increases the production of different hormones such as IGF-1, which stimulates connections in the brain and improve cognitive function. Evidence showed that leg strength is directly associated with stronger minds that are less susceptible to the negative effects of aging (14). Weight lifting can help your ability to learn and think as you grow older. 

5. Improves Endurance 

While it may seem counter-intuitive, strength training exercises, like weight lifting, can help improve your endurance, speed, and running economy, which refers to the amount of energy you need to do something like running a five-minute mile (15). Lifting heavier weights are more effective in improving your "economy” as compared to lighter weights (16).

6. Preserves Muscle Mass

Aside from the increasing percentage of fat, inactive adults also lose 3-8% of muscle mass per decade as they age. What’s worse is that muscle weakness is associated with an increased likelihood of death in men (17). You can control this loss by lifting weights as it helps you build more muscles. 

7. Promotes Longevity

Evidence showed that even just a moderate amount of time in strength training, which includes weight lifting, is beneficial for longevity, independent of aerobic exercises (18). This lowers mortality risks in women, regardless of cause. 

Experts also suggested that having more muscles can decrease men’s risk of dying from cancer (19).

8. Better Insulin Sensitivity and Glucose Tolerance 

Evidence revealed that building muscles through resistance and endurance training like lifting weights can counteract the damaging effects of insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. This will help prevent diabetes (20). 

9. Lowers Blood Pressure 

Studies have shown that regular strength training like weight lifting can help lower your blood pressure over time. This has become another way to help prevent cardiovascular diseases. 

10. Enhances Balance, Stability, and Flexibility

As mentioned earlier, if we do not preserve muscle mass with strength training, we’ll lose them, along with our balance and flexibility. We may also suffer from weight gain. Lifting weights can help you work your joints through a wide range of motion, keeping them strong and flexible. 

How Should You Begin? 

You can easily start weight lifting and strength training at home or in the gym. The following can help you build lean muscles: 

  • Body Weight. You can use your own body-weight for resistance. This is one of the best ways to increase muscular strength. You can do push-ups, pull-ups, and abdominal crunches.
  • Free Weights. The standard types of free weights include dumbbells, barbells, and weight bars. You can easily score a good brand at a local sporting goods store. 
  • Weight Machines. Several fitness centers offer circuit-style weight machines to target several muscles in your body. Ask for assistance when using these machines for the first time, or follow the diagrams carefully. Weight machines can also be purchased for home gyms. 

How Much Weight Should You Use? 

The amount of weight you should use will depend on the number of repetitions you are planning to do. You would want to lift enough weight so that the last repetition will be tough enough. Naturally, it is best to use a heavier dumbbell for 6 repetitions than you will for a dozen, even though you’ll do the same routine. 

Do not lift so much weight that it will cause you pain. You are better off lifting too little than too much as your body gets used to lifting weights. Also, never use machines without a spotter or securing safety stops in place to prevent injuries. 

What Are the Best Weight Training Exercises for Beginners? 

Here’s a list of routines perfectly designed for newbies. You only need to allot 30 minutes of your time, twice weekly. For each of the following exercises, do the following: 

  • Begin with one set of 8-12 repetitions for the first 4 weeks. When choosing the right weight, remember that the last 2 reps should be more difficult. 
  • Increase to 12-15 reps in the next 4 weeks. 
  • When doing 15 reps becomes easy, add a second set of reps or use heavier weights. 

Make sure to take deep breaths while doing the exercises. Always exhale during the lifting phase of the routine. 

Dumbbell Chest Fly 

  • Lie on your back, placing excellent support under your head, shoulders, and upper back
  • Hold a 2-5-pound dumbbell in each hand
  • Inhale and push your arms straight up until your elbows are fully extended, palms facing each other. The weights should be placed directly above your shoulders. 
  • Slowly lower your arms out to the side, keeping your elbows slightly bent 
  • Continue lowering your arms until your elbows are slightly below your shoulders
  • Pause a little, exhale, and slowly close your arms back to the starting position

Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension

  • Stand with your feet slightly apart
  • Hold a 2-5-pound dumbbell in each hand with your arms extended overhead
  • Without moving your elbows, slowly lower the right dumbbell behind your neck, take a pause, and then lift it to the starting position
  • Repeat using your left hand

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

  • Sit on a chair with excellent back support and place your feet flat on the ground
  • Hold a 2-5-pound dumbbell in each hand 
  • Bend your arms so the weights will lightly rest on your shoulders, palms facing forward
  • Push the weights up until your arms are fully stretched, pause a little, and slowly return to the starting position

Single-Leg Squat 

  • Stand with your feet slightly apart and your arms out to the side, raised on the level of your shoulder
  • Lift your right leg out in front of you and slowly squat down. Stop when you feel like you are about to lose your balance. You can place one hand on the wall to keep your balance. 
  • Contact the muscles on your butt and legs to return to the starting position
  • Complete reps, then switch legs and repeat

Tips to Ensure A Safe and Effective Training 

Keep the following tips in mind to secure a safer and more effective weight lifting: 

1. Diet is Critical for Long-Term Success

We all know that exercise and a healthy diet are important for optimal health. Experts recommended changing both your exercise routines and diet to promote weight loss (21). Commitment to the best exercise program is not enough, as you still need to focus on your diet to optimize your progress. 

Evidence has shown that the best program for long-term weight loss includes a moderate reduction in calorie intake and an excellent exercise routine (22). Exercise programs that included diet were also more effective at keeping the weight loss.

2. Never Skip A Warm Up

While it can be tempting to do weight lifting straight from the locker room, you’ll be able to lift more if you warm up your muscles first for at least 5 minutes using aerobic exercises. Also, go easy on your first set of each routine, as mentioned earlier. 

3. Never Let Momentum Take Over 

When you lift weights too fast, you create a momentum, which often makes the exercise too easy on your muscles. Many are becoming lax on the return phase of a lift. They will usually hoist the dumbbells up slowly and then let them come crashing down. 

You must guard yourself against this by taking at least 2 seconds to lift, pause for a little while at the top of your movement, and take a full 2 seconds to return the weight to the starting position. 

4. Don’t Hold Your Breath 

A lot of people often forget to breathe when they lift. You will need more oxygen when lifting. Holding your breath or taking breaths that are too shallow can increase your blood pressure. Breathe through your mouth instead. 

As mentioned earlier, exhale when you lift or press the weight and inhale when you lower it. For routines that expand your chest cavity like upright or seated rows, it is normal to inhale as you lift and exhale as you release.  

5. Mix It Up

People often do the same routine in the exact same order for years. While it is comforting to master a program, your muscles will soon adapt and get bored, and so will you. 

As mentioned earlier, you can tweak your workout as early as 4 weeks. Others do it every 6-8 weeks. Change things like the number of repetitions, rest periods, sequence, angles, and the type of equipment you are using. Also, to keep making gains, you must increase the amount of weight you lift, but be careful not to exceed 10% at a time. Again, the last 2 or 3 repetitions should be more challenging. For most people, that is approximately 12-15 pounds. 

The Bottom Line

Both cardio and weights can help you become more fit and healthier. But building more muscles and keeping your metabolism elevated for a much longer period of time after weights are best achieved with weight-training exercises.  

With an excellent weight-training routine and a healthy diet, you’ll surely see good results in as fast as a few weeks. Keep up your effort and enjoy shaped muscles, better balance and concentration, and improved overall health! 

References: 

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21681120
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9927008
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2980962/
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11283427
(5) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02701367.2014.999190?journalCode=urqe20
(6) https://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jappl.1993.75.4.1847
(7) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00421-001-0568-y?LI=true
(8) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9927006
(9) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4574136/
(10) https://news.ufl.edu/archive/1997/10/sports-scientists-say-weight-lifting-is-key-in-preventing-severe-injuries.html
(11) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4090891/
(12) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23875555
(13) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1559827610368771
(14) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4789972/
(15) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24532151
(16) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-013-2586-y
(17) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/244918384_Mental_Health_Benefits_of_Strength_Training_in_Adults
(18) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5721806/
(19) https://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/18/5/1468.abstract
(20) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28778962
(21) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19127177
(22) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25257365

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