Controversial? Not really, if you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know that we firmly believe in a well balanced training programme that encourages the correct levels of aerobic exercise (cardio), flexibility/mobility, balance and strength.
However, with regards to body composition, which is fat loss and lean tissue gain, strength training could be your best friend.
Resistance training is highly effective for fat loss as it increases lean muscle mass, elevates basal metabolic rate (BMR) and daily caloric expenditure (Wang et al., 1999).
This is somewhat unlike low-intensity cardio, which burns calories primarily during activity with very little after burn.
Resistance training boosts post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), keeping metabolism elevated for up to 38 hours (Schuenke et al., 2002).
Cardio alone can also lead to muscle loss, lowering BMR and increasing fat regain risk (Weinheimer et al., 2010).
In contrast, resistance training preserves or increases lean mass during calorie deficits (Hunter et al., 2008) and improves hormone function by elevating testosterone and growth hormone, enhancing fat metabolism and overall health (Kraemer et al., 1990).
Resistance training also helps to improve insulin sensitivity (Holten et al., 2004) and reduces cortisol, preventing muscle breakdown and abdominal fat gain (Hackney, 2006).
In many respects resistance training could be viewed as far superior for sustainable weight management and metabolic health.
Of course, healthy, sustainable weight loss is predominantly influenced by what you consume.
This is why we created our 21-day cleanse and 12-week fat loss maintenance programmes on our online nutrition portal.
| let’s get in our very best shape today! Until next time stay awesome! Vanessa x |
 |
