Does weight training burn fat?

Posted on fitness And tagged fitness, weight training, toning

Is it just about cardio or does weight training also burn fat? We have put together the facts about the topic.

Many of us want to strengthen ourselves, build muscle and lose fat. But a question we're often asked is: “Will weight training burn fat, or just pump me up like Schwarzenegger?”

If you're one of many who desire this holy trinity of body goals, then you'll be happy to hear that fat loss and weight training actually go hand in hand. It certainly won't make you want to be built like Arnie — unless that's what you want.

As with anything in fitness, there are other factors to consider: your diet, your exercise routine, and the transformation that your body undergoes after a workout. Let's take a closer look...

Weight training to burn fat

What do you need

Do you want to lose kilos? Science says you need an effective and regular workout that includes compound exercises — only then will strength training burn fat. A compound exercise is a multi-joint movement that targets multiple muscles at once — for example, a squat uses your core, lower body muscles, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. An example of a compound upper-body movement is a biceps curl, which engages your hips, back, forearms, and shoulders.

Choose the right weights

Choosing the right weights for your height is crucial when it comes to burning fat. If you want to rely on endurance, choose lighter weights and increase your reps — but if you want muscle tone, use heavier weights with fewer reps.

Get a proper rest

Resting between sets is important if you want your muscles repaired and the body doing 110% during your next session. However, to burn fat, you should avoid resting too long. Read our Guide to maximizing your time and effort at the gym for more about that.

Include other exercises as well

Adding cardiovascular workouts helps burn fat during weight training — but they're best done after weightlifting. From hormone changes to the “afterburn effect,” Here isWhy you should wait after weight training before moving on to cardio exercises.

Circuit training with weights

Incorporating abdominal and core exercises into your workout helps burn fat during weight training. You can also incorporate weights into circuit training: Diversify your workout by taking our 15-minute circuit training classes. Xpress functional classes include throwing and catching SandBells (such as medicine balls) - weighted tools that help burn fat.

Weight training and your diet

A healthy, balanced diet with lots of protein, good carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables is beneficial for burning fat. Certain foods are also better for your energy and insulin levels, as well as your metabolism. Eating highly processed, unhealthy, fatty foods can still help you burn fat while weight training—but we wouldn't recommend it. Portion sizes are important: Make sure you eat large enough portions without eating too much or gaining too much weight.

The transformation process

Don't be discouraged if you don't see immediate results. The best results in weight loss with weight training are achieved around six months after regular exercise. After half a year, you will notice fat loss and improvement in muscle tone - but you need to do weight training properly to get the results you want.

Posted on fitness And tagged fitness, weight training, toning.