Many people think that they should restrict calories and do more cardio to lose weight and reduce fat. “I need to run more,” “I’m doing a low-carb diet now,” or “I’m working out 5 days a week and I still have this stomach pudge” are common things we may hear friends and family say.

The truth is, restricting calories and doing solely cardio is the worst thing you can do for weight loss and fat loss.

The FASTEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way to lose weight and increase fat loss is weight lifting and strength training. Not cardio.

How to Lose Weight Fast: Why Weight Lifting Is Your Friend

Muscle Burns More Than Fat

“But Peri, when I run on the treadmill, I burn way more calories than when I lift weights.” That’s true! But those results stop shortly after your workout. Rather, weight lifting will allow you to increase your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which is how many calories you burn at rest (aka, if you stay in bed all day). The more muscle you have, the higher your BMR will be, which means less work you have to do when you’re NOT at the gym. More muscle means more calories burned.

You Enhance Your Body Shape

Cardio is a big calorie-burning exercise, yes. But when you’re doing all cardio and no strength training, your body is burning both your fat AND your muscle. So you’re essentially left with a smaller, no-shape version of your current self. If you want that thin waist, toned booty/legs, and toned arms, you HAVE to incorporate weight training to build the muscle and develop a nice shape, all while simultaneously losing fat. Otherwise, you’re looking at no curves and no shape to your structure (beyond your genes).

You Don’t Plateau As Fast

Cardio can burn up to 800 calories in one hour. But if you’re spending an hour on the elliptical or treadmill 3 days a week, and/or are going to fitness classes that focus on more reps and less weight (such as Sculpt, Barre, or Orange Theory-type of workouts), then your body is going to get used to that activity, and you’re going to have to spend even MORE time on the cardio machines, and take even MORE classes in order to experience the same results. Alternatively, when you’re weight training, you can avoid plateauing by incorporating progressive overload (heavier weights), mix up your reps and supersets, and minimize rest periods.

Cardio is AMAZING for the heart and for circulation in general. Don’t ward it off completely. Instead, be SMART about your workouts.

Prioritize weight lifting and strength training for weight loss and fat reduction.
WHEN you do cardio (because you should!), focus on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to elevate your heart rate in a shorter amount of time.

Shout with questions! :) Until next time,

XoXo Peri