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Q:

When trying to lose fat, should I focus on doing more cardio or lifting heavier weights during my workouts?

Hi everyone,

I am currently trying to lose body fat and I am not sure whether I should focus on doing more cardio or lifting heavier weights during my workouts. I have been going to the gym for a few months now and I have been mainly focusing on cardio exercises such as running and cycling as I have heard that cardio is the most effective way to burn fat.

However, lately, I have been thinking about incorporating weight lifting into my workout routine as I have also heard that lifting heavier weights can help increase metabolism and burn fat even faster.

I am currently 27 years old, 5'6", and weigh 160 pounds. My goal weight is 145 pounds and I am looking to achieve this within the next 6 months. I currently have a moderate level of fitness and stamina and I can run for about 45-50 minutes without stopping.

So, should I focus on doing more cardio or lifting heavier weights during my workouts? I would appreciate any advice or suggestions on what has worked for others who have tried to lose fat in the past.

Thank you in advance!

All Replies

verdie92

Hi there,

Based on my personal experience, incorporating weight lifting into my workout routine was really helpful for me when I was trying to lose body fat. I used to do a lot of cardio exercises like running and cycling, but I found that I wasn't seeing the results that I wanted in terms of fat loss.

When I started lifting weights, I noticed that I was not only losing fat but I was also gaining muscle. This was really encouraging because I could see my body changing and becoming more toned.

What worked for me was doing a combination of cardio and weight lifting. I would start my workout with 20-30 minutes of cardio (either running or cycling) and then move on to weight lifting exercises like deadlifts, squats, and bench presses. I would also make sure to include some ab exercises and stretching at the end of my workout.

In terms of the weight that I lifted, I started off with lighter weights and gradually increased the weight as I got stronger. I also made sure to challenge myself by increasing the number of reps and sets that I did each time.

Overall, I found that a combination of cardio and weight lifting was really effective for me when it came to losing body fat. It helped me to increase my metabolism, burn more calories, and build muscle. I would definitely recommend giving it a try if you haven't already!

Hope this helps!

mathew.yundt

Hey there,

From my personal experience, I found that focusing primarily on lifting heavier weights was more effective for me for losing fat. When I first started working out, I was doing a lot of cardio like running and cycling, but I wasn't seeing much of a difference in terms of losing body fat.

After a few months of struggling, I decided to switch things up and started focusing mainly on lifting heavier weights. I found that this really made a difference and I was able to see my body fat percentage drop significantly.

I would normally start my workout with a quick warm-up on the treadmill or the CrossFit machine and then move on to heavy compound exercises like the bench press, deadlift, and squats. I found that these exercises helped me to burn more calories as they engaged more muscles.

I should mention that I did not completely cut out cardio from my routine. In fact, I would still do cardio for about 15-20 minutes after my weight lifting session to help my heart rate slow down gradually. I'd usually do this on the stair climber or the rowing machine.

To answer the question of whether to focus on cardio or lifting heavier weights, I would say that it really depends on your preference and fitness goal. However, from my experience, lifting heavier weights was more effective and helped me to lose fat significantly. But whatever workout regimen you choose, consistency, discipline and a healthy diet remain key to achieving your desired results.

Hope this helps you in making an informed decision.

nina25

Hey everyone!

In my personal experience, when trying to lose body fat, I found that lifting heavier weights, coupled with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, was the most effective way for me to reach my desired results.

HIIT workouts involve short bursts of intense activity, followed by periods of rest or low-intensity activity. For example, 30 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds of rest, repeated for around 10-20 minutes. This type of workout can keep your heart rate elevated and your body burning calories for hours after the workout is done.

I would start my workout with around 5-10 minutes of cardio warm-up, then I would move on to lifting weights. I preferred to focus on compound exercises because they engaged multiple muscle groups, allowing me to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time.

Then, I would finish my session with a 10-15 minute HIIT workout. This would often involve activities such as sprinting, jumping jacks, burpees, or box jumps, followed by a short rest period, before repeating the activity again.

By combining heavy lifting with HIIT workouts, I was able to increase my metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. I started seeing significant changes in my body composition within a couple of months of following this training regimen.

In conclusion, if you're looking to lose body fat, I would recommend trying a combination of heavy lifting and HIIT workouts, along with a healthy diet. The key is to keep pushing yourself and challenging your body to keep seeing results.

dooley.otha

Hey everybody,

In my experience, combining both cardio and weight lifting was the most effective approach to losing body fat. Initially, I focused mainly on cardio exercises such as treadmill running, cycling and jump rope, but I realized that after a certain period of time, the fat loss slowed down.

At that point, I started incorporating weight lifting exercises into my routine. Gradually, I built up the weights and added in compound exercises such as deadlifts, squats, and lunges. This helped me to continue burning calories even when I was not active since weight lifting increases metabolism for several hours post-workout.

What worked best for me was to mix things up with my workouts. Some days I would start with a cardio warm-up and follow that up with weight lifting exercises. Other days, I would start with weight lifting exercises to get my heart rate up, and then finish the workout session with cardio activities for an additional calorie burn.

Overall, combination workouts helped me to lose fat faster than just focusing on cardio or weights alone. With consistency and the right nutrition, I was able to see significant changes in my body composition within a couple of months.

In conclusion, my recommendation would be to mix things up and try different workout combinations to keep challenging your body and see what works best for you.

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