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A holistic approach to wellness calls for a well rounded workout and eating plan in order to see the best results reflected in your body. While there are a number of workouts you could try, from HIIT to yoga classes and anything in between, there are some routines which may work better for fat loss than others, helping you to reach your goals more quickly and with less effort. If you’ve just begun working out or want to streamline your routine, this is the workout style that trainers recommend following to boost weight loss and feel great in your body without running yourself into the ground.
Both cardio and weight lifting have merit when it comes to losing weight, with one helping to build up your muscles and the other useful for shredding excess fat and helping to lean you out. With that logic, a mix of cardio and weight training is the best workout combination to follow for reaching your goals and building up your fitness level. Beachbody trainer Autumn Calabrese tells Shape, “I love to use cardio strength training when the goal is weight loss, meaning you're using your weight training routine to build muscle but you're moving in a way, and you're lining your reps up in a way to allow your heart rate to stay up.”
Following an isolated strength training or cardio plan may have its benefits, building up your muscle and endurance, but adding both exercise methods into your weekly routine will maximize your body’s fitness levels while improving your physique across the board. If you want to include cardio into your training plan but hate running, HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is going to be your best bet for getting in a quick and effective workout that torches calories long after you’re done exercising.
Prevention explains, “The intensity resets your metabolism to a higher rate during your workout, so it takes hours for your body to cool down again. This is what's known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). That means you burn calories long after you’ve finished your workout compared to doing a workout at a continuous moderate pace (a.k.a. LISS), according to a 2017 study from the European Journal of Applied Physiology.”
Conversely, strength training is great for building up your muscles, naturally providing your body with a metabolism boost. Trainer Chris Dorset tells Prevention, “The more muscle you have, the less fat you have since your metabolism runs higher,” Ryan says. “A higher metabolism leads to more calories burned and more fat lost.” In tandem with HIIT or another form of cardio throughout the week, you will be able to increase fat burn and build up strength, allowing for a leaner and more fit physique to emerge through this combined training.
Ultimately, the training style that will work best for you is the one you enjoy the most and will be able to stick to easily in your day to day life. However, alternating between strength and cardio training will fine-tune your muscles and your endurance, burning more fat, leaning out your frame, and allowing you to feel great in your body without ever hitting the pavement for a run if you don’t want to. Training doesn’t have to feel like a chore, and finding the right form of activity can make all the difference in keeping up with your routine so it becomes something you look forward to instead of something you dread.
