Fat loss is by far the most common goal out of the hundreds of people I talk to every year. “Cardio” is the most common answer I hear when I ask what they are currently doing, and unfortunately, cardio is at the bottom of the list when it comes to fat loss.
The answer is strength training, and I’ll tell you why.
There are many different benefits to strength training, but today we’re going to focus on why strength training is king when it comes to fat loss. I’m going to keep this as simple and straightforward as possible. When you strength train consistently, you build muscle.
There’s a laundry list of benefits when it comes to building muscle, but today we’re going to stay on task and discuss fat loss.
When you build muscle, you increase what is called your Basal Metabolic Rate. Your basal metabolic rate can be defined as the amount of calories you burn as your body performs everyday functions. Calories are defined as the amount of energy your body breaks down from food to use as energy. In order to burn fat, the amount of energy we expend needs to exceed the amount of energy we take in.
Muscle requires a lot of energy for your body to maintain.
This means that the more muscle you have on your body, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be. A higher basal metabolic rate means you will burn more calories on a daily basis. This means that the more muscle you have on your body, the more of a calorie deficit you can ultimately put yourself in. Even better news: The higher your metabolic rate is, the more calories you can consume and still be in a deficit!
Think of muscle like a fat burning battery. The more muscle you have, the more powerful your fat burning battery will be. The best part is that this battery still works while you’re sleeping, working and driving in the car! This is the main reason why strength training is far superior to traditional cardio training.
When you’re done with your 30-60 minute of cardio, you stop burning fat relatively quickly. Even worse- too much cardio can lead to loss of muscle and power.
When you invest the time to build muscle, you turn your body into a fat burning machine.
I hope this helps motivate you to start incorporating strength training into your routine. Aim for 2-3 days per week of full body strength training. Stick with it, be patient, and allow that muscle to work for you!
If you need help or have any questions, please reach out or comment below.
Have a great one!
-Steve
