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Originally Posted On: https://fitnesscfgyms.com/exercise/strength-training-vs-cardio-which-is-better-for-weight-loss/

It’s not uncommon for people to mistake strength training and cardio for weight loss. The truth is while both forms of exercise are beneficial to your body, they provide different results.

In this post, we’re going to dive deeper into how strength training at a fitness center can be useful when it comes to fitness for beginners and much more. By the time you’ve finished scrolling through this post you’re going to have everything you need to know to start lifting weights like a pro.

Know the Difference

As promised, we’re going to shine a light on the difference between cardio and strength training. You might find strength training under several titles including resistance training or weight training.

It’s key to know that strength training can also take the form of functional training. As you move through strength training, you’ll learn to lift weights and as you become stronger you can start lifting heavier.

Cardio is known as cardiovascular training, and it helps increase your breathing and heart rate by using oxygen. If you’re wondering who enjoys doing cardio, we’re here to let you know that quite a few people do.

Now that you’ve got an understanding of the immediate differences between both it’s time to jump into the benefits of strength training and cardio.

Strength Training Benefits

When you strength train it’s in the hopes of burning calories while building muscles, you’ve heard the word gains before we assume. The thing to remember is as you strength train is it will take time to see change, but as long as you trust the process it’ll happen.

One advantage of lifting weights is you can increase the density of your bones. By doing this you decrease the chances you’ll experience injuries while participating in daily tasks.

As you get older it’s not uncommon to deal with things like:

• Fractures
• Breaks
• Osteoporosis

Strength training can help you create stronger bones, which keeps your body healthy as you continue to age. Not to mention as you create stronger muscles it supports other things such as your joints.

Many people blame a low metabolism for the reason they aren’t able to lose weight. Does this sound like you?

If so, you’ll be happy to know that regular strength training can aid in boosting your metabolism. When your metabolism is operating at a quicker rate it means you’re able to burn more calories throughout the day.

Even when you’ve stopped working out, you’ll continue to burn calories.

Cardio Benefits

Your heart is an important muscle in the body that you need to take care of to remain healthy and thriving. In order for the heart to remain strong, you’ve got to exercise it like you would other muscles in the body.

Cardio helps you to do this. Cardio allows you to work the muscles by increasing the heart rate, pumping blood throughout the body quicker. It’s best if you do this several times a week to ensure your heart remains in top condition.

Cardio is also beneficial when it comes to your hormones because it helps your body produce more hormones that make you feel good. The better you feel about yourself daily the more improvements you’ll notice when it comes to symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Cardio remains a fantastic way to rid your body of pent-up tension caused by life’s stressors. When you’re doing your cardio you can burn a massive amount of calories without thinking about it.

It’s making the most of the time you’re spending in the gym working on your fitness levels.

Do You Need Both?

It would be great to say that you don’t need both to achieve your goals, but that’s not the case. Both strength training and cardio used in combination are beneficial to people hoping to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time.

You’re getting the best of both worlds without overdoing it. If you’re a fitness beginner you might not understand how to combine these two, but if you attend one of your local fitness gyms they can show you how.

The thing to remember is as you lose weight you’ll want to allow the way you feel and visibly changes to keep you motivated. If you’re focused on burning more calories daily you should focus on cardio before moving onto your strength training exercises.

If you want to become stronger you should put your strength training before you jump into your cardio exercises for the day. We recommend you start out slow and then build because if you’re new to exercise you don’t want to work out the same way a bodybuilder would.

Start going to the gym a few times a week schedule permitting and as you increase in lifts you can also increase the amount of time you spend working out. Take time to speak with a trainer about a regime that will work for you and your needs.

Start Strength Training Today

The truth is you need a combination of strength training and cardio to achieve the weight loss goals you want. Strength training will help you build the muscles you want while becoming leaner.

While cardio helps you to burn calories and shed unwanted weight. Are you looking for personal training or group classes to participate in? Join Fitness CF today, we provide you with a gym to work out in and can help you achieve your functional fitness goals.

Take charge of your health now.