Do you spend your exercise goal mostly doing cardio? Ever considered lifting a few weights to burn that fat faster? Here’s a few reasons why we love to pick things up and crush it at the gym week after week!
Adding Variety
Running day after day or continuously doing the same high intensity cardio activity on repeat can be extremely useful in increase respiratory function and lung capacity, but may be tiresome on the joints. Cardio can also just be a drag after you’ve done the same run a few days in a row. Try incorporating a few days of light lifting, and even add higher reps to continue to build on your endurance and break a sweat! Weight lifting a few times throughout the week is a good way to add variety into your workout schedule, which prevents burnout and boredom. Who knows, you may even come to love it more than your morning run!
Building Strength
Building strength is a bit of an obvious side effect of weightlifting, but so often it’s over looked, especially when a person’s goal is to lose weight. Building strength prevents injury, which sometimes can hold us back from losing weight. Strength training is also a fantastic way to build bone density, potentially preventing late onset bone issues like osteoporosis. Don’t be afraid of weights because of silly thoughts like looking bulky. Strength comes in many shapes and sizes, and not all of us lifting weights look like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. Start small with higher reps to build endurance, strength and burn fat!
Burning that Fat!
Building muscle via weight lifting may burn fat at a higher rate than high amounts of cardio in a shorter amount of time. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll get a six pack overnight. But it does mean it might be worth fitting into a regular routine during the week. To build muscle, our body often uses fat stores as energy during weight bearing activities. Cardio often uses carbohydrates/sugars as a first line of energy, and it takes longer before the body switches over to burning fat – both are useful and have their own purposes. But if you’re looking to target fat, we suggest incorporating weight lifting in addition to aerobic activities!
If you’re new to weight training, remember there are a lot of ways to build strength. Weight lifting is one of the most commonly turned to strength building activities, but other activities like rock climbing and yoga also builds muscle by baring your own body weight. Whatever activity you find fun to incorporate, we always suggest asking for assistance where needed. Personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and other health professionals are all great resources to learn about proper form and exercise safety!