Ask the Expert: Is Cardio or Weight Lifting Better For Losing Weight?
By Steve Edwards
If you're looking to
lose weight,
you might be wondering: Should I focus on doing cardio or should I
weight train? The answer, for those of you not interested in hanging
around for the "why" part of the answer, is both. What matters most is
the way you train, the system you train under, and your lifestyle.
The cardio vs. weight lifting question stems from the days when
"cardio" usually meant going to a low-level aerobic class and "weight
lifting" meant spending a couple of hours in the "free weight room,"
chatting with your buddies between attempts at "out-benching" each
other.
These days, most workout
programs
incorporate both, often during the same workout. Most "cardio" work has
an element of resistance training, either in the form of added weight
or plyometric movements, while most "weight lifting" work has a cardio
element because it's done in circuits.
There are two myths inherent in this age-old question. The first is
that weight training will make you bulky. The second is that cardio
doesn't build muscle. Let's dispel these once and for all.
Myth 1: Weight Training Will Make You Bulky
Gaining bulk is hard. I wish I had a nickel for every time I've seen a
hardcore gym rat who's been lifting for months, desperate for a few
pounds of lean muscle mass, blow his stack when he hears a woman say,
"Weight training will make me bulky."
It takes a ton of energy for your body to add muscle. During the
initial stages of any kind of intense training, especially one you're
not used to, your body releases excess amounts of the hormone cortisol,
which causes your body to retain water. Some people think this means
they are bulking up when, in reality, it's just the body adapting to the
training.
It happens whether you are trying to gain or lose weight and has nothing to do with gaining actual muscle mass. Once your body adapts to the new training, the cortisol release ceases and your body flushes the excess water.
Myth 2: Cardio Doesn't Build Muscle
This second myth is trickier. Low-level, steady-state aerobic
training will atrophy muscle, so it can be true. But "cardio" hasn't
meant aerobic zone training since Richard Simmons' heyday in the 80s.
Cardio is a catchall term for any training that elevates your heart rate
for the entire workout. These days, since almost all weight training is
done circuit style, your heart rate remains elevated during both cardio
and weight training workouts. Modern cardio training is almost always
an offshoot of interval training, which means it's a mix of aerobic and
anaerobic training. And
this builds muscle.
Probably the easiest example to help you understand this is to look at some of the Beachbody
Success Stories.
Take a look at the results from INSANITY and those from P90X.
INSANITY is a "cardio" program that uses no equipment. P90X, on the
other hand, requires you to lift weights every other day. Yet, the
results you'll see from the two programs are remarkably similar. People
tend to both lose weight and gain muscle. Adding muscle increases your
metabolism and that's what helps you lose weight . . . as long as you're
not eating too much.
What Is the Best Way to Lose Weight?
The best way to lose weight is to follow a solid training system that
targets weight loss. A system takes into account your entire lifestyle,
workout, diet, sleep, and supplements. Why? Because all of these things
affect your body's ability to change.
The key to weight loss is to change your metabolism. While it's
easier to alter your metabolism through weight training than cardio,
both will do it if the workouts are well designed. The word you're
looking for to make this happen is
intensity. By that, I mean
you need to force your body to work in the anaerobic realm. Because your
body depends on air to live, forcing it beyond its ability to breathe
causes it to release performance-enhancing hormones to survive. When
done consistently, these hormones change your metabolism.
Of
course, you'll die if you stay in the anaerobic zone for too long,
which is why you only do anaerobic work in short intervals. In between
these intervals, your heart is working out aerobically to recovery. As
long as the breaks between your anaerobic sets are strategic, you get a
powerful cardio workout during every anaerobic workout. For example:
circuit weight training—consisting of many sets to failure, with short
breaks—is not only a great anaerobic weight training workout, but also a
very effective workout for your cardiovascular system as well.
The next factor when it comes to boosting your metabolism and losing
weight is recovering properly between workouts. This is why having a
system is so important. Intense anaerobic training is stressful for your
body. You need this stress to change your hormone balance, but if you
overstress yourself, it will lead to problems in the form of
overreaching and, if you do it too long, overtraining (both responsible
for maladies from lack of results to injury or illness). A proper
exercise program takes this into account by scheduling different styles
of workouts next to each other to create a balance between intensity and
recovery.
Your nutrition and lifestyle are very important for proper recovery.
The better you eat, the faster you recover. Ditto for sleep. (I don't
care how many episodes of
Game of Thrones you need to catch up on.) Sleep is when your body produces its natural PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs). So get your shuteye!
All of this is why Beachbody never sells individual workouts that
aren't attached to a program—or system—for your training. It's not that
doing random exercise isn't good for you. It can be. However, we design
workout systems that synergistically combine aerobic and anaerobic
training (along with sundry other types of training, not to mention
proper nutrition) to give you results. That way, it's much easier for
your body to change its metabolism, and for you to lose weight.
To recap, whether your exercise routine is focused on cardio or
weight training has very little to do with whether you'll lose weight.
The best training programs have elements of both aerobic and anaerobic
training and the important factors for weight loss are: pushing yourself
beyond your comfort zone (aka intensity), eating enough to recover (but
not too much), and resting enough between your workouts. Balance these
factors correctly and your metabolism will shift and the pounds will
melt away.
Partying all night long. 
Exercising. 
