“Which is better? Weightlifting or cardio?”
This is a common question I get from women looking to lose weight + get a toned body. Over the years there have been SO many mixed messages on the internet about which is better.
Either way, both weightlifting + cardio are highly beneficial for anyone because they both help keep your body healthy over time. So, I always recommend infusing both into a weekly workout routine for optimum results.
But, if you’re wanting to know which of the 2 is superior when it comes to sculpting your body, burning fat, losing weight, + seeing long-term results… the answer is weightlifting.
Today, I am going to go over 4 reasons why weightlifting is better than cardio, overall.
1 | WEIGHTLIFTING BURNS MORE CALORIES + FAT OVER TIME
The first reason weightlifting is better than cardio is that it allows you to burn more calories + fat over time. When you lift weights you build more muscle on your body, which is what helps your metabolism speed up + burn more fat over time.
The more muscle mass you have on your body [think “toned” muscles… not bodybuilding], the more calories you’re going to burn while your body is at rest. So, while you might burn more calories while doing some of your cardio sessions, your body continues to burn calories + fat hours + hours after lifting weights.
2 | WEIGHTLIFTING WILL GET YOU LEAN + “TONED”
Cardio mostly just builds muscles in the lower legs [hence why most runners have great calves!]. But, other than that… it just burns calories + fat for the rest of your body + doesn’t provide that lean + “toned” look you are probably looking for. But, weightlifting allows you to develop almost every muscle in your body, not just your lower legs.
When you strength train, it doesn’t necessarily mean your body gets any bigger. What’s happening is you’re sculpting your muscles + shedding the fat around it to give you a leaner look… not just a “skinny” look that cardio often creates for most men + women.
3 | WEIGHTLIFTING WORKOUTS TAKE LESS TIME
Most women that come to my blog to read health + fitness posts are career-driven +/or supermoms who have a finite amount of time to fit in workouts every day. So, if you’re looking for the best return on your time, you should choose lifting workouts.
You can simply do a 25-35 minute lifting workout using challenging weights to see great results. To burn a similar amount of calories while doing cardio, you might need to run 2-3x longer than your 1/2 hour lifting session. Remember: your body KEEPS BURNING calories + fat long after you finish your lifting workouts.
4 | LIFTING LEADS TO LESS INJURIES + FIGHTS ANTI-AGING
People who use cardio for workouts primarily endure many injuries over time compared to weightlifting. Weightlifting allows you to improve your mobility over time since the moves are done using various ranges of motion, which protects your joints from everyday injuries.
In addition, it helps you maintain muscle mass + bone density over time that can be fantastic for anti-aging [both your overall health + how you look as you get older]. Once you hit 30, your muscles start to deteriorate more + more, which slows down your metabolism — hence why you gain weight faster.
BONUS: you can’t do cardio at any age, but you can certainly lift throughout your entire life using modifications + weight variations.
Leave a Reply