Can a weight training workout like Total Body Tri-Sets help you lose weight? Some people spend hours at home or at the gym working out on cardio machines hoping to walk or run off the fat. Then they walk past the weight rack, never bothering to pick up a weight. This isn’t the best strategy for successful weight loss. Here’s why.
Weight Training to Lose Weight: Does It Help?
A combination of weight training and aerobic exercise is better than cardiovascular exercise alone for losing weight. Need convincing?
In a study published in Fitness Management Magazine, 72 overweight women and men ate similar diets and exercised 30 minutes a day. One group did 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, while the other did 15 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 minutes of weight training.
The results?
At the end of the 2 month study, the aerobic exercisers lost an average of 3 pounds of body fat. This sounds okay until you compare it to the 10 pounds of fat the group that both strength trained and worked out aerobically lost. The strength training group also lost more total weight while gaining more lean body mass. Which group would you rather be in?
Why Weight Training to Lose Weight Works
If you only do aerobic exercise, you may lose weight if you also watch your calorie intake. But not all of the weight you lose will be body fat. You may also lose lean body muscle. Why is this important? Muscle is metabolically more active than fat tissue. So having more muscle kicks up your metabolic rate so you burn more calories even at rest.
When you increase your lean body mass by weight training, you’ll look better too. If you don’t strength train, you may end up small but still flabby. Being a certain weight won’t necessarily make you swimsuit ready, but increasing your lean body mass while losing fat will. Looking good in a tank top involves more than just losing weight. You have to shape your muscles too.
Don’t Be Too Focused on the Scale
When you combine weight training with aerobic exercise, the bathroom scale is not an accurate reflection of how lean you are. When you weight train, your muscles hold on to water, and after a period of time you gain lean body mass as you add more muscle. A more accurate reflection of your leanness is your percentage of body fat. There are scales that can measure this, but not all of them are accurate. If your clothes are starting to feel looser and you see more definition, you’re on the right track.
Can Total Body Tri-Sets Help You Lose Weight?
Not only does Total Body Tri-Sets help with weight loss, it enhances your appearance in a way aerobics alone can’t do. Even if you’re just starting out, don’t neglect strength training. It’s the real key to a slimmer, firmer body. And since Total Body Tri-Sets keeps the rest between sets to a minimum you will even get an increased after-burn effect and some cardiovascular benefits too!
References:
Shelter Online. “Weight Training to Lose Weight”
Exercise Physiology. Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance. Seventh edition. 2009.
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