If you too are on the seemingly endless quest to lose weight, you’d know that it’s no easy task. For one, you need to give up those fries (and burgers) for the most part, and then there’s that religious commitment to hit the gym every day. When it comes to working out too, there are plenty of myths that can send you off track.

Well, fret not, because we’re here to make life a little easier for you. You may have wondered if you should lift weights or stick to cardio for losing weight. Here’s the answer!

Lifting Weights For Weight Loss

“Weight training, after establishing a caloric deficit, significantly contributes to weight loss”
To understand if lifting weights really helps, it’s important to realize how weight loss actually happens. The only way to lose weight is by establishing a caloric deficit – that is, consuming less calories than you burn. So, anything that establishes this caloric deficit can help you shed those pounds. Yes, taking the stairs at work, giving up those sugar cravings and even lifting those weights – can all help you lose weight. Besides, spot reduction doesn’t really work and when you’re lifting weights, you are burning fat in different body regions – including your belly.

Backed By Science

In fact, a study done by Harvard Researchers showed that men who lifted weights for 20 minutes a day accumulated less belly fat, as compared to those men who spent 20 minutes doing cardio. Find it hard to believe? Another study showed that weight training in women significantly reduces their risk of fat in the belly region.

Weight Training & Metabolism

“Muscle growth increases fat burn & also boosts your metabolism – even in the resting stage”
Even better, weight training obviously helps build muscle. Compared to fat, muscle burns more calories, which in turn fuels your metabolism. Studies have shown that nine months of weight training can increase the resting metabolic rate by nearly 5 percent!

Of course this doesn’t mean that you should build muscle and then get back to your couch potato ways. It’s not like having more muscle automatically burns large amounts of calories – one pound probably burns about 5 to 10 extra calories.  Although this may not seem very substantial in itself, it’s definitely a step in the right direction towards losing weight.

The Right Way To Lift For Weight Loss

“An intense strength training workout with heavier weights is one of the best ways to burn calories”
It’s important to realize that when it comes to burning fat, intensity is the key. A challenging workout session has a greater impact on your metabolism, which leads you to burn more fat not just during the workout, but even after it. For instance, experts believe that lifting heavier weights for even a few reps increases calorie burn significantly, as compared to calories burned doing more reps with lighter weights.

One thing to remember is that when it comes to weight training, the results may not always show up on the scale (remember, muscle is denser than fat). So instead of fretting about the weighing scale figures, continue your workout routine and reach (and surpass) your fitness goals for a healthy and toned body!

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