Cardio Vs Resistance Training for Weight Loss

Ah, the age old question. Is cardio or resistance training more effective for weight loss (decreasing body mass and body fat). Most people tend to favor one over the other, you'll see individuals at the gym, sweating away on the treadmill as the clock ticks away, while others spend their time lifting weights, then heading out the gym door. But, which is actually better to get rid of that stubborn fat and midsection?

The STRRIDE-AT/RT research study provided a unique opportunity to research the relative benefits of resistance training when compared with aerobic training and the combination of the two on body composition measures, which focused on total body mass and fat mass.

The report represents the largest randomized trial to directly compare changes in body composition induced by comparable amounts of time spent doing resistance and aerobic training, or both in combination.

The data was acquired in nondiabetic, previously inactive overweight or obese adults.

The study found that resistance training alone did NOT reduce body mass or fat mass. What resistance training did do is increase lean body mass and strength.

Now, does this mean that you should skip the weight room and focus solely on aerobic workouts? Not necessarily.

Muscle is more dense than fat. Although 3lbs of muscle weights the same as 3lbs of fat, it takes up less space in your body, which will ultimately equal you weighing the exact same on the scale (if all other outside factors aren't the same).

Then comes comes the argument, well, you know...building muscle contributes to increasing your resting metabolic rate, resulting in an increase in energy expenditure. Because of the increase in energy expenditure, I can just skip the cardio anyways. Wrong.

Comparisons between the group doing cardio and the group doing resistance training in the study suggest that cardio decreases both body weight and fat mass significantly more than resistance training".

So bottom line, if all you care about is losing weight and body fat Cardio is the clear winner.

But really, the question is, what are your goals?

Are you solely losing to lose body fat and weight?

Maybe aerobic training is the right answer for you.

Do you want to build muscle and have a more favorable body composition?

Make sure to include resistance training into your program and focus on your body composition (notice how your clothes start to fit more favorable on your body, etc, even if the scale isn't going down in number as quick as soley cardio).

I do want to note that this study did not take into account multiple factors that are very important, which include the benefit of resistance training on your bones and joints, nutrition, calorific deficits, etc.

For example, if you're overweight and inactive, that will take a toll on your bones and joints, making it much more challenging to do certain kind of cardio, such as the treadmill, which can lead to injury, especially if the cardio is progressed at a rapid pace, instead of slow and pragmatic.

Resistance training will strengthen your bones, increase your lean body mass and create a much more stable frame for you to safely lose those lbs on the treadmill.

But ultimately, if your time is limited during the day, you may have to prioritize whether to do Ailey cardio, resistance training or a combination of both, depending on your goals.

If time isn't an issue, then do both resistance training and aerobic training to shed those pounds, lose body fat, gain lean body mass, and build stronger bones, why would you possibly want to miss out on any of those if time permits!?

REFERENCES

Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, Shields AT, Piner LW, Bales CW, Houmard JA, Kraus WE. Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2012 Dec 15;113(12):1831-7. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01370.2011. Epub 2012 Sep 27. PMID: 23019316; PMCID: PMC3544497.