Lifting vs Cardio
What workout will get YOU to your goals?
This seems to be a reoccurring question of those entering a healthy lifestyle. Keep reading as I will be sharing what has worked for me & what hasn't!
As I mentioned in my "Get to know me" & "My health journey" posts, I have been in the weight room all throughout high school due to sports and just for the love of being active. I am a runner and competed in Cross Country & Track, both making their presence in the weight room. This was also back when I mindlessly thought about what I put in my body & my goals were focused on how much I could squat. Through being in the weight room everyday & coaches encouraging you to up the weight constantly, my body became bulky for my body type. Incorporating my own type of cardio and workouts, I have found what truly works the best for me & will for many!
I truly believe it depends on your body type. Personally I am 6'1, gain my weight below my butt, however have a fast metabolism. You might be short, gain your weight in your stomach/arms & struggle with maintaining weight.
Here I will share what each has done for my body & which I prefer!
LIFTING :
Speaking from personal experience & trial and error, lifting bulks as it does for many people. If you are a lifter or have been lifting believing it will help you lose weight - remember muscle weighs more than fat, so your weight may go up (but don't look at numbers). ALSO lifting doesn't burn many calories because you are preforming static lifts. However if you love lifting and aren't motivated by cardio whatsoever, try incorporating HIIT style workouts before, after, or during your lifting sessions for increased fat loss & to challenge your body!
Your diet also plays a huge role in how your body responds to lifting, if you consume a lot of calories (bad calories) you may tend to bulk faster and appear bigger because your fat cells are inflamed from your diet - aka bloating 24/7.
Try eating more fruits & veggies, for they are full of water and antioxidants to flush your body of things that are causing inflammation.
If you love to lift, but trying to appear leaner, change up your style of lifting. Lifting lighter and preforming higher reps will elongate the muscles - making for a leaner look. Opposed to heavy weights & less reps.
Do not get me wrong, bulky is beautiful - however for some body types it is natural to gain lean muscle.
Overall, I believe it depends on your body type & lifestyle, this is just my experience and opinion on heavy weight training.
CARDIO / HIIT
Cardio and high endurance training is what my body responds extremely well to. My workouts consist of cardio x body weight exercises, all at a high intensity - encouraging fat loss during AND after the workout. Not only are you burning calories while exercising, but after your workout is done you continue to burn calories because your body is using so much energy to recover. That is why it is so incredibly important to eat after your workout to FUEL your body processes. Cardio also boots your metabolism, all the chemical processes preformed in & throughout your body, which means when you are doing high intensity, or even on long runs, your metabolism is working extra hard trying to keep up with your activity. Aka burning all the fat off!!
For me, runs are extremely rewarding. It clears my mind, relaxes my muscles & directs my day towards positivity, giving me motivation.
If you have a hard time with cardio, or have a hatred towards it, but want more of a challenge and high intensity. Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with your body weight or lighter weights after your lifting session to rack up your heart rate & encourage fat loss.
If you DO like cardio - or don't mind it too much, running for miles upon miles isn't the only way to increase endurance or burn calories. Many workouts on the track, treadmill or even outside do wonders to the health of your body and most importantly your mind, releasing stressors and easing the mind and muscles of tension.
Thank you so much for reading, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment to interact with others!
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