Cardio Vs Weights For Weight Loss: Cardio Before Or After Weights?

It’s the question that gym-goers have been asking since the dawn of time: should you do weights or cardio?

The floor is split into hardcore bodybuilders and those who run on the treadmill non-stop. Bodybuilders swear that running is the devil and runners won’t step foot in the weights room. So, which is the best for you and your goals?

In today’s article, our experts weigh in the age-old cardio vs weights debate. Read on to discover the advantages of both exercises for weight loss:

Advantages of Cardio

1) It kills calories

We all know that cutting calories is the ultimate weight loss goal. If you’re looking to trim the chub, then you’re going to need an exercise that burns the most calories, and there’s no way that lifting weights trumps running or biking, right?

Cardio is a bonafide calorie-killer!

Scientists have found that people who do cardio alone (swimming, running, jogging, etc.) burn four times more calories than those who only practice strength-training. So, to answer the cardio vs weights debate, cardio is the clear winner – that’s if you had to select one exercise. But as with any kind of weight loss, a lot depends on your body and specific goals.

2) It makes you less hungry

Ever gone for a jog and found that you’re not hungry afterwards? Surprisingly, cardio can overcome feelings of hunger and focus the mind on other things. That’s because high-intensity workouts move blood around your body, which diverts it away from your gut and makes you feel less hungry.

But, it burns muscle…

Bad luck, bodybuilders. Cardio will burn the muscle that you are looking to retain. If the calories are dropping off though, it’s all good, right? Not exactly. For those doing cardio for weight loss, then you want to burn fat and not muscle.

The higher your muscle percentage, the more calories you burn at rest. If you only do cardio, then you run (get it?) the risk of burning muscle, which is needed to support a defined physique.

Advantages of Weight Training

1) It turns fat into muscle

Weight training, on the other hand, turns fat into muscle, which aids weight loss. When you lift heavy weights, you break down muscle, which causes it to repair itself and get stronger. This process requires energy, so your body will turn to your fat supplies to keep those muscles fed.

What’s more, lifting weights can speed up your metabolism, which means that you burn calories all hours of the day and night. You don’t have to be in the moment working out to see a benefit.

2) It can improve posture

Lifting weights can work wonders for your posture. The gym is filled with newbies who have a shocking posture; their shoulders stooped and back arched as they painfully bend to lift weights. With guidance from a personal trainer or gym buddy, however, that won’t last long.

Because lifting weights combines movements (squats, crunches, bend, lunges, lifts, etc.), it works just about every muscle in the body. With cardio, you are performing repetitive movements, which can result in poor posture and muscle imbalances.

While lifting weights can improve your posture, getting the technique wrong can do more harm than good. For example, squats are notoriously tricky to master. Those looking to get that Beyonce booty will lift their heels and hunch their backs in an attempt to ‘drop it like a squat!’ For those of you wondering, no, this is not the correct stance.

Instead, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and pointed at about 15 degrees. Tense your abs like someone is about to punch you in the gut and stand tall. Resist the urge to let your knees go inward, hunch your back, or lift your heels off the floor. These are all common mistakes that will harm your posture.

3) It sculpts your body

A bonus of busting a gut in the gym is definition. Cardio is great for fat loss, as we’ve established. However, it won’t tighten those tummy muscles, give you ripped abs, or a bubble bum. Combine core workouts and weight lifting to sculpt your body.

Cardio vs weights for weight loss

Cardio means losing weight from everywhere. Fat is systemic – it covers all the body, which means that you can’t control where you lose weight.

Weight training allows you to target your problem areas through building muscle. Building muscle also means that you increase your body’s ability to burn calories, as muscle tissue requires more calories, so you’re losing weight all the time. Basically, weight training will target fat from specific areas of the body, whereas cardio will make you generally slimmer. 

It doesn’t take a genius to work out why cardio is the most efficient for weight loss, as you’re moving for longer periods at high-intensity. However, lifting weights allows you to focus on specific areas of the body. If you’re looking to lose weight from those pesky problem areas (belly fat, arms, legs, etc.), then a combination of cardio and weights is your best bet.

Cardio and Weights Workout

We would recommend a cardio and weights workout. A standard cardio and weights workout is split across the week. For example, you may choose to do cardio workouts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Your lifting days are reserved for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sunday is your ‘rest day’ or a chance to get in some yoga.

Can’t cram all that exercise into one week? It’s possible to do both cardio and weights in the same session. While some people consider weights before cardio to be the best way to workout, there is no evidence as to the benefits of one sequence over the other. Our advice is to do what works best for you and fits in with your routine. For example, you may find that running with fresh legs to be the most effective. If you refuel with water afterwards, there’s no reason why you can’t finish with a strong weights workout.

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