By: Chris Gates

When starting a fat loss journey, you might wonder whether cardio or lifting weights is the best choice for getting results.

• Does cardio burn more calories than lifting?
• Should you do high- or low-intensity exercise?
• Should you lift heavy weight for low reps, or light weight for high reps?
• Is one form of exercise better than another?

Those questions and more are some of the most popular related to health and fitness.

And while both forms of exercise play unique and valuable roles, there is a specific combination of each one you can use in your workout routine to get the best results.

Finding the right balance can make a significant difference in achieving better results, and having those results be more sustainable.

In this article, I’ll break down the the pros and cons of both cardio and lifting weights so that you can put together a weight loss plan that works!

Along the way, we’ll cover the crucial role of a calorie deficit, dispel common misconceptions about weight loss, and MUCH more.

So if that all sounds good to you, let’s dive into everything!

Time to answer the question of the day: Is cardio or weights better for losing weight?

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How to Lose Weight: Why a Calorie Deficit Matters

Before diving into cardio and strength training specifics, it’s important to understand the core principle behind fat loss: a calorie deficit.

There’s only one way to lose body fat, and it’s by eating fewer calories than your body burns each day.

When your intake (calories consumed) is less than your output (calories burned), you get your body in something called “negative energy balance,” which is a fancy way of saying you’re in a calorie deficit.

And since your body is getting less calories than it needs to get through the day, it’s forced to convert stored body fat into energy.

That’s how fat loss happens. And that’s how you lose weight.

No matter how much you exercise, or the specific types of exercises you do, without a calorie deficit, fat loss cannot occur.

Exercise will help you…

• Maintain and build new muscle.
• Improve your heart health.
• Enhance mobility and stability.
• And increase the amount of calories you burn each day.

But it doesn’t inherently burn fat.

Rather, exercise helps you change your body composition and improve your health while weight loss occurs. Sustainable results require behavior change with your diet, and once again…

You need to get into a calorie deficit consistently to accomplish that.

You can learn much, more more about calorie deficits by reading my article: how to know you’re in a calorie deficit.

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Is Cardio or Weights Better for Losing Weight? The Power of Strength Training

Most people think cardio first when it comes to losing weight, which is a shame.

If your first thought is to hop on the treadmill, I’m glad you’re here reading this article. Because I’ve got news for you…

That’s the wrong approach.

Strength training is often underrated in the fat loss conversation, yet it is one of the most impactful ways to shed fat sustainably.

Here’s why strength training can be a game-changer for fat loss:

• Preserves and Builds Muscle: The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn throughout the day in addition to having better functional strength, mobility, and overall health and longevity. By strength training, you’ll add muscle to your frame.
• Prevents Muscle Loss in a Deficit: When in a calorie deficit, it’s common to lose some muscle mass along with fat. But strength training helps protect your muscle mass, ensuring that the weight you lose is predominantly fat.
• Increases Metabolism: The process of building and maintaining muscle slightly raises your basal metabolic rate (BMR), allowing for more calorie burn over time.
• Constantly Overloads Your Body: If you’re implementing progressive overload in your strength training workouts, it’s going to continually force your body to adapt. Whereas if you solely do cardio to lose weight, your body adapts quickly and you actually burn fewer calories each time you do the same workout.

The list goes on and on, but those are the main ways in which strength training is actually the optimal form of exercise for losing weight.

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Is Cardio or Weights Better for Losing Weight? Cardio is a Helpful Tool

So we’ve covered the fact that strength training should probably be your primary tool to drive fat loss from an exercise perspective.

But don’t discount cardio as a really effective secondary tool.

Cardio offers valuable benefits that support overall health and can enhance your results:

• Improves Heart Health: Cardio strengthens your cardiovascular system, reducing the risk of heart disease, improving endurance, and enhancing recovery.
• Increases Calorie Burn: Cardio can make getting into a calorie deficit easier because yes, it will help you burn additional calories. (But please don’t rely solely on cardio to create your calorie deficit.)
• Boosts Mental Health: Cardiovascular exercise releases endorphins, which improve mood and reduce stress. A lower stress level can help prevent overeating and contribute to a successful fat loss journey.

And when you step back and think about it, it makes a lot of sense… Being in better overall health will help you stick to your weight loss goals more effectively.

So use cardio as a tool for that. Your approach should not be…

1. “Cardio burns calories.”
2. “I need to burn calories to get into a calorie deficit.”
3. “So, I’m going to do as much cardio as humanly possible to lose weight.”

That’s the mindset that will get you on the fast track to really disordered habits with fitness and food. So many people make this mistake, and it leads them down the path of feeling like they need to “earn” their food.

That’s disordered eating, which is obviously a huge problem.

Think of cardio as a supplement to your strength training routine rather than the foundation.

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Dispelling Myths About Exercise and Losing Weight

The fitness and weight loss industries are extremely popular, because let’s be honest… Most people need to move more and lose a little bit of weight.

But with that popularity comes a lot of misinformation around how to actually make progress that lasts.

Everybody wants to sell you their “magic solution,” and it understandably gets confusing to figure out what works, what’s a gimmick, and what path you should take to see results.

Nobody wants to spin their wheels or waste time and money on stuff that doesn’t work, right?

Well, that’s where I can hopefully help you out. Because I don’t have a magic pill, powder, or potion to make fat melt off your body.

My 1-on-1 online fitness coaching clients work hard on the fundamentals, give the process time, and adopt habits that lead to long-term weight maintenance. There are no gimmicks or fad diets here.

So let’s set the record straight on some common myths…

Is Cardio or Weights Better for Losing Weight? Myth Busters.

• Myth #1: “Cardio Is the Only Way to Burn Fat”
  Many people think that cardio is the only way to lose weight, but as we already discussed, strength training is the most crucial component of an exercise plan for sustainable fat loss. Cardio has its place but doesn’t replace the benefits of muscle-preserving strength workouts.
• Myth #2: “Strength Training Will Make You Bulky”
  Building large amounts of muscle takes years of consistent training, eating in a calorie surplus, and optimal genetics. For most people, strength training will make you look leaner, not bulkier.
• Myth #3: “Spot-Reducing Fat Is Possible”
  Exercises that target fat loss in specific areas of your body — like doing crunches to lose belly fat — won’t lead to fat loss in those spots. Where you lose fat, and the rate in which it comes off, is almost entirely determined by genetics. There’s nothing you can do to change that. Losing weight happens gradually across the entire body through a calorie deficit, consistent exercise, and giving your body ample time to adapt to the process.
• Myth #4: “More Exercise Equals More Fat Loss”
  Overdoing exercise, especially cardio, can lead to burnout. The “more is better” approach is way off base, and often leads to worse progress in the long run. Effective fat loss comes from a balanced approach, including both nutrition and exercise.

As much as we’d all love it, there really aren’t any hacks or quick fixes if you want to lose weight.

Sure, you could try a fad diet or take a detox supplement and lose a few pounds really quickly, but that’s not progress that lasts.

Meaningful progress that’s sustainable comes from making behavior change with your diet and exercise routine, and be consistent with those changes for an extended period of time.

What’s the Perfect Combination of Exercise for Losing Weight?

So, what’s the best way to lose weight sustainably?

If you’ve made it this far, then you get a special gift. I’m going to break down a weekly exercise calendar that you can use immediately.

First, let’s recap the basic principles we’ve covered thus far…

• Prioritize Strength Training: Lifting weights should be your main focus, and you should aim for at least two strength workouts per week. Train the major movement patterns (pushing, pulling, squatting, and rowing) and try to progressively overload and see your performance go up week to week.
• Incorporate Cardio for Health: Include an additional 1-3 days of cardio, and feel free to participate in whatever form of cardio you enjoy the most. Whether it be a brisk walk, hopping on the spin bike, going for a run… Whatever. Just pick what you like, and do it with the sole focus of improving your cardiovascular health — not to burn calories.
• Maintain a Calorie Deficit: Track your diet to create a manageable calorie deficit. Remember that your diet is what creates fat loss, and your exercise routine will enhance your body composition.

Is Cardio or Weights Better for Losing Weight? An Example Workout Schedule

Here’s what an example week might look like for you on this type of weight loss plan:

• Monday: Upper body push strength training workout (chest, shoulder, and triceps)
• Tuesday: Moderate-intensity cardio of your choice.
• Wednesday: Lower body strength training workout.
• Thursday: Rest day (off).
• Friday: Upper body pull strength training workout (back and biceps).
• Saturday: Moderate-intensity cardio of your choice.
• Sunday: Rest day (off).

That schedule will allow you to train all of the major muscle groups, hit regular cardio, and give your body ample time to recover and build muscle.

If you can sustainably complete that type of workout schedule and eat in a calorie deficit consistently, you’ll be set up to make TONS of progress.

Final Thoughts: Building a Sustainable Fat Loss Routine

The combination of strength training and cardio, along with a calorie deficit for your diet, creates the foundation for effective and sustainable fat loss.

In fact, we can go a step further and say it GUARANTEES that you’ll lose weight, and have the majority of that weight loss come from body fat.

By prioritizing strength training and using cardio as a supplementary tool, you can burn fat, protect muscle, and improve overall health.

Ready to get started?

If you’re looking for expert guidance to tailor a fat loss plan to your lifestyle, goals, and preferences, check out my 1-on-1 online fitness coaching service. Together, we can build a sustainable path to your health and fitness goals.

Thanks for reading!

~ Chris