How to lose weight with strength training and why strong muscles are the way to ideal weight

by adnorthfloridaho
March 25, 2022
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Are you trying to shed extra pounds on a treadmill or bike, but the weight stays the same? Perhaps your body is used to monotonous exercises and it’s time to change the load: include strength training in your sports schedule. We tell how the barbell and squat work where cardio turned out to be powerless.

Why just cardio doesn’t work

We will make a reservation right away: cardio training is effective. But their main purpose is not at all to drive off a couple of extra pounds, but to strengthen the cardiovascular system and increase the overall endurance of the body. In this case, you will notice a slight weight loss at the very beginning of the same run. But when the body loses what it considered superfluous, without additional restrictions or purposeful efforts, weight loss can stop.

But what if short runs in the park three times a week or bike rides with the whole family on weekends are the most comfortable and only 1 month deca durabolin results acceptable cardio option for you? This is where weight training comes in handy.

How strength training works

Barbell and basal metabolism

Basal metabolism is the minimum number of calories that our body burns by default while at rest (approximately 60-70% of all calories ingested). That is, the energy that the body uses to support the functioning of vital organs and muscle regeneration. And in a state of physical activity (the one that is about losing weight and training), you burn from 15 to 30%.

Studies have shown that regular strength training increases the basal metabolic rate. The body burns calories for about 38 hours after you finish your workout. Even when you are sleeping. Is it really convenient?

By the way, our body does not care whether we use special strength training equipment or work with our own weight for training. Any option will help burn fat, the difference is only in the intensity of the exercises and the number of repetitions.

Load adaptation

A frequent occurrence when, with an absolutely identical training program, one person quickly loses body weight, while the second remains at the same level. This does not mean that the second is worse. It’s just that his body has already adapted to the loads and needs to move to the next level.

In cardio, this is quite difficult to do, unless you start exercising longer, but strength training allows you to increase the load as much as necessary without spending a lot of time.

Losing weight is not the same as losing weight

Sometimes people who come to the gym to lose extra pounds are in for a surprise. The exercises are honestly done, the body becomes slimmer, the size of the jeans is reduced, but the weight remains the same or even increases.

Do not worry. The fact is that in place of the excess fat burned by the load, heavier, stronger muscles come. Quite often, the effect of a weight plateau is also observed (we wrote about what it is and how to deal with it in our article). Therefore, trainers always advise evaluating the results of training not by the number on the scales, but by regularly taking body measurements with an ordinary centimeter tape.

Psychological aspect: from obsessive desire to count calories to healthy eating behavior

An excessive fixation on your own weight, maximum calorie restriction, and the desire to constantly exercise in order to look as thin as possible can be quite dangerous symptoms of an eating disorder. More often than not, people with eating disorders combine grueling cardio with a strict diet: we’ve all seen thin girls in the gym spend hours on the treadmill and eat two slices of cucumber and a sprig of dill a day.

Strength exercises in this respect are more honest and bring more benefits to the body. Muscle growth requires food, and food is varied: meat, fish, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruits. In situations where they are not enough in the diet, you can also connect special sports nutrition.

The most efficient way to build. Combining cardio and strength

American doctors in the early 90s of the XX century conducted a study in which they studied the effect of different types of sports activities on weight loss. The women were divided into two groups: in the first, the subjects were engaged only in cardio, and in the second, they alternated cardio with strength exercises. The participants also followed the same diet.

After 14 weeks, doctors found that in both groups, women had lost approximately the same amount of total body weight. However, in the first group, the loss was approximately 67% fat and 33% muscle, and in the second – 86% fat and 14% muscle, which is much more beneficial for health and appearance.

Modern coaches agree with this study and also recommend a combination training program. However, it is advised to undergo a medical examination before starting classes: if weight gain is associated with hormonal changes, then only medications prescribed by specialists can help.

For fat burning, the best strength exercises are considered basic multi-joint: squats, pull-ups, push-ups, deadlifts, as well as various types of jumps.

Are you trying to shed extra pounds on a treadmill or bike, but the weight stays the same? Perhaps your body is used to monotonous exercises and it’s time to change the load: include strength training in your sports schedule. We tell how the barbell and squat work where cardio turned out to be powerless.…