A lot of people wrongly assume that if you want to lose fat, you do cardio, but if you want to build muscle, you lift weights. It’s easy to understand where these assumptions come from, but they’re a little wide of the mark.
In this article we’re going to discuss weight training for fat loss - something our clients here at AdMac Fitness will be well aware of. It’s a fundamental part of our training approach and is one of the major reasons our clients achieve such excellent results.
We’re going to discuss how and why weight training for fat loss works, and why we use it as our go-to approach.
A History of Fat Loss
What we know to be true is that in order to lose fat, we need to create a calorie deficit. By burning more calories than we consume, the body is forced to use up fat stores to satisfy our bodies energy demands. No matter which approach you take, fundamentally they all abide by this core principle.
The reason historically it was believed that ‘cardio’ is better for fat loss than other forms of training is because we know that cardio burns more calories. Sounds logical.
The thing is, it’s not that simple.
Cardio is fantastic at burning calories whilst you’re doing it, and a little while after. These factors are enhanced when we perform HIIT (high intensity interval training), which is the approach we use here at AdMac Fitness. Research has consistently shown that HIIT combined with moderate calorie restriction sustained over a long enough period of time is a very effective way of producing a sustained loss of body fat.
What we also know is that relying on cardio and diet alone isn’t a particularly good long term fat loss strategy, and here’s why…
A combination of calorie restriction and endurance exercise is shown to increase muscle atrophy (muscle loss). This can be slightly offset if the person following a cardio and calorie restriction approach includes a lot of protein in their diet, but even then significant lean body tissue loss occurs. This isn’t what we’re trying to do - we want to preserve our lean body tissue, whilst losing fat.
It’s possible to lose weight by weight training and doing no cardio, but it’s a process that takes longer and it means you have to be tighter on a diet. Many people prefer to eat slightly more but burn more calories in the gym. If you aren’t going to do any cardio, you have to be strict with your calorie intake - without a calorie restriction, fat loss using weight training alone is very difficult.
Weight and fat are different things altogether, because you can be heavy and lean.
Research show that what happens when you combine weight training with a calorie restricted diet, is you effectively prevent all muscle loss yet you maintain the rate of fat loss seen in those who do cardio. This is a huge result, because muscle is both an aesthetically pleasing tissue and a metabolically active one, which means it burns a lot of calories at rest, giving you a little more headroom when it comes to your dieting.
More muscle typically means a high metabolic rate, so you can afford to eat a few more calories in your diet, which is never a bad thing when you’re trying to lose fat!
Is There a Weight Training Strategy That Works Best for Fat Loss?
The short answer is that no, one approach over others is not known to be significantly better, because there are too many variables at play. People work at different intensities, with different weights and selecting different exercises. There are commonalities though, which we’ll discuss in a few moments.
What we can be sure of though is that throughout various studies, the most effective approach to fat loss and general health improvement includes both a resistance training and cardio training element. Ideally the cardio element is high intensity interval training and the resistance training is full body, high intensity. Whether the resistance is provided by bodyweight, dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells etc is basically irrelevant.
Frequency of training appears to be very important as well. Results from this study show that when subjects trained 4 or more times per week, they lost 3 times more fat than those who trained 2-3 times per week.
Here are the key elements of a resistance-based training programme for fat loss….
It has to be high intensity. The aim is to help create a calorie deficit, so keep rest periods short and weights relatively high.
Training has to be done 4+ times per week if fat loss is the goal.
Workouts should be full-body. More muscle trained = more calories burned.
The workouts should contain a cardio element, ideally HIIT and not low intensity, steady state training.
Weight Training for Fat Loss Conclusions
What we’ve learned is that weight training mixed with a cardio element is better for fat loss than cardio or weight training alone. We’ve learned how to go about the session, what elements we need include and what type of cardio we should go for.
Weight loss is what we specialise in here at AdMac Fitness, so don’t worry - you’re in very capable hands when it comes to your fat loss journey!
Let AdMac Help You Lose Weight!
As professional personal trainers, it’s our job to help you exercise safely and effectively. We also work out of our private studio in Bow, East London. We operate in a safe, socially-distanced way and assure you that our standards of hygiene and cleanliness are second to none.
If you want to let us help you lose weight, contact us on 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!