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Why You Have to Lift Weights in Order to Lose Weight

Ricky Singh 04/11/19

There are many misapprehensions that weight training makes you put on weight and you must avoid them to achieve weight loss however this opinion is due to a lack of understanding as to how the weight loss process actually occurs.

When we compare a cardio based training session to a weight training session, the cardio calories will be much higher in comparison however is because aerobic and weight training both place different stress levels on the muscle.

In our opinion if you only measure your training by how many calories you burn during a workout then you are missing out on the greater benefits of strength training, particularly when it comes to losing weight. When you don’t lift weights and your only form of exercise is cardio you may harm your body as you break down valuable muscle tissue. Too much aerobic activity can be catabolic to the body as breaking down fat also breaks down muscle which in turn decreases your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) as your BMR is determined by your muscle mass.

The greater amount of muscle an individual has the higher the BMR will be – meaning you will burn more calories at rest. It is also known that your BMR can burn anywhere from 60-75% of your total daily calories.

1 pound of muscle can burn 7-13 calories over 24 hour period

1 pound of fat can burn 2-5 calories over a 24 hour period

This is a big difference and it’s important that we try to maintain/increase muscle mass when trying to lose weight as having extra muscle will help is lose weight. By adding extra muscle, the amount of calories we burn at rest will increase, in turn will helping us burn more fat.

After a cardio session your most likely to not burn many additional calories, but with weight training you will burn more as strength training (lifting weights) causes a different stress to the muscle than aerobic training (cardio).

The stress that is placed on the muscle will cause a greater turnover in muscle which will cause an increase in the repair process what will lead to more calories being used. As a result of this process, the calories burned post exercise stay elevated for a longer period of time.

We would recommend a formula of cardio and weights when it comes to losing weight as a studies have found that when people took part in a 12 week program, the group that did weights and cardio lost more weight than those that only did cardio. 

At Ricky Singh Personal Training Glasgow, we would recommend 3-4 weight training sessions per week, 2-3 cardio sessions and an active recovery session such as yoga or pilates and 1 rest day. As a personal trainer in Glasgow who has been working with both male and female clients for close to 10 years, Ricky is a certified Personal Trainer with invaluable experience in body transformations in Glasgow and fat loss in particular.

 

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Get in touch with me to see how I can help you achieve your fitness goal, call 07725 988 144 or email ricky@rickysingh.co.uk.

Personal training is carried out in the excellent facilities at The Sinclair Building, 18-20 Eagle Street, Port Dundas, Glasgow, G4 9XA.

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