Cardio vs Weight Lifting: Which Is Better for Weight Loss?

If you have stumbled upon this blog post, it is safe to assume that you want to lose weight but are confused between cardio and weight lifting. Both forms of exercise offer unique benefits and play different roles in a fitness routine. 

In this blog, we will examine the pros and cons of each to understand which is more effective for your weight loss goals.

Let’s begin! 

What is a cardio workout?

Cardio exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, is a movement or activity that increases your heart rate into your target heart rate zone. This zone is where the most fat and calories get burned. 

Some of the common examples of cardio workouts are walking, cycling, and swimming. Even household chores, like vacuuming and mopping, also fall under the category of cardio exercise. 

Now, cardio training is of different types. Here are some of the common ones. 

Before we move forward, you must understand the meaning of the term “maximum heart rate,” as we are going to use it multiple times in this blog.  

MHR is the highest number of beats a heart can pump per minute when it’s under high stress, whether physical or under other conditions. To check MHR, you can use the maximum heart rate calculator. The number varies according to your age, height, and weight. 

• Low Intensity, Long Duration

This training involves intensities of around 40% to 60% of the maximum heart rate. 

These are generally slow, continuous, and easy exercises, like walking and cycling, that go over 40 minutes. 

Individuals who are just starting with cardio should go for this type of training. 

• Medium Intensity, Medium Duration

This kind of cardio training involves work done at around 70% of max HR. It’s harder than low-intensity, long duration, and cannot done for long, usually between 20 to 40 minutes.  

• High Intensity, Short Duration

High intensity, short duration gets done at around 80 to 85% of HR max. It is a very demanding form of training that lasts 10 to 30 minutes. 

Types Of Cardio Exercises

The primary purpose of cardio is to strengthen the immune system, heart, and lungs. So, here are some exercises that you should perform on a regular basis- 

• Running and jogging
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Aerobic dance classes
• Stair climbing
• Brisk walking
• Jumping rope
• High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Elliptical training
• Rowing

Also Read: Walking Outside vs. Walking on a Treadmill: Which Is Best for Your Health?

Pros of cardio workout for weight loss

• Reduced Stress And Anxiety

Cardio exercise helps in reducing stress and anxiety by releasing endorphins which is a happiness hormone. The release of endorphins improves mental health, boosts the mood naturally, and reduces depression. 

• Strengthens Immune System

Cardio exercises help the body sleep better, reducing stress, and providing better oxygen and blood to the cells, which helps strengthen the immune system.  Also, it decreases the chance of getting any infections and chronic diseases. 

•  Improves Lung Health

As the supply of oxygen gets increased, it leads to respiratory and cardiovascular systems, which in turn makes the body efficient in performing more physical activities. It improves lung health, strengthens the heart and other muscles, and decreases the chance of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.

• Weight loss

Combining cardio with a balanced diet will help in the weight loss journey. Cardio exercises help in burning calories and improving overall health. By doing regular activities like swimming, climbing stairs, skipping rope, and cycling, you will see a change in the body. 

• Increased Stamina

Cardio helps in improving stamina and overall endurance. By doing this regularly, individuals work out for a little longer, which helps with weight loss and increased stamina. 

• Healthy Joints

The cardio exercise involves a lot of movement of the joints. Whether it is cycling and stair climbing or swimming and aerobic dance, the movement of joints is happening. People with bad knees find it really helpful as it causes less stress on the body. 

Cons Of Cardio For Weight Loss

• Risk Of Injury

The cardio exercise involves a lot of repeating, which may lead to stress fractures, sprains, and strains, and to reduce the risk, it is necessary to perform a warmup and have a proper form. 

• Burnout

Performing cardio excessively can lead to burnout both physically and mentally, which in turn results in problems in maintaining a consistent routine. 

• Heart Stress

Although this form of exercise has multiple benefits for the body. But if you are already a heart patient, it is advisable to avoid intense workout sessions and perform under medical supervision. 

• Muscle Loss

Cardio turns the body into a caloric deficit state, and for fueling, muscles become the source, which in turn results in the loss of muscles. 

What is Weightlifting?

Weightlifting is the act of lifting weights in the form of dumbbells, barbells, or weight machines like plate-loaded kits to increase strength and muscle mass. The primary goal is improvement in muscle definition, size, or symmetry. 

Sometimes, it is incorporated into aerobic exercises to increase the heart rate during a cardio session. Along with contributing to functional strength, it focuses on body aesthetics. Additionally, it can increase power and enhance general health. 

Weight Lifting Exercises

These are the common weightlifting exercises that are helpful in gaining strength and muscle mass. 

• Squat

• Chest Press

• Deadlift

• Leg Press

• Overhead Press

• Biceps Arm Curl

• Triceps Pushdown

• Seated Cable Row

• Lat Pulldown

• Crunch

Pros Of Weightlifting

• Helps in weight loss

While losing weight, muscle mass also reduces, and to maintain that, weightlifting exercises are mandatory. Start including weight training in your fitness routine for muscle strengthening.

• Better posture

Regular weightlifting helps in strengthening the shoulder, back, and core. Your body will start gaining muscle, strength, and posture, which will help you sit and stand more upright.

• Lowers the risk of injury

Weightlifting helps improve the range of motion, strength, and mobility of your muscles,  tendons, and ligaments, which in turn helps increase strength around the knees, hips, and ankles and reduces the risk of injuries. 

• Increase bone density

It increases bone density and stimulates bone growth, which is essential for preventing fractures and bone-related diseases like osteoporosis. People who are at risk of bone-related disease should start weightlifting or doing training exercises. 

• Improves balance

Weight training helps keep legs and core muscles healthy and prevents imbalance. With increasing age, it assists individuals from the risk of falling, stabilizing the feet and correcting any physical imbalances.  

Cons Of Weightlifting

• Not doing warmups

Every type of exercise requires a little warmup to prevent injuries. Take some time to prep muscles and bones before you start hitting the gym. For weightlifting, warming up is necessary as muscles are not ready to hold the heavyweight, and not preparing them may lead to severe injuries. 

• Improper weightlifting technique

Before lifting any type of weight, it is crucial to understand the technique of weightlifting. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced professional, make sure you have a proper form and technique to prevent injuries. 

• Acute injuries

Many gym goers see fitness trainers and try to copy them without having knowledge of the form, which may lead to injuries in shoulders, knees, and elbows as these are the injury-prone areas and handle the most amount of weight. 

• Overtraining

Overtraining is one of the disadvantages of weightlifting if you are working at high intensity without taking any breaks or slowing down in between, and it will result in persistent soreness, heavy muscles, an increase in tension, anger or confusion, an inability to relax, and poor quality sleep. 

• Tight muscles

Flexibility varies from person to person. Although there is a chance of improving but, certain factors like age, previous injury, and genes may affect it. So, to get rid of tight muscles, which is a sign of heavy weightlifting, you should start post-workout flexibility exercises.

How To Get Most Out Of A Workout Routine?

Regardless of the form of exercise you choose, the primary motive is weight loss and gaining muscle strength. So here are some tips that will help you get the most out of a workout routine. 

• Instead of focusing on the weight, give more importance to form. Align your body appropriately and move it in the form the trainer has advised. Start with lifting light weights and focus more on easy and slow lifts, as poor form will only lead to injuries and slow gains.
  
• Many people work out for 1-2 hours in the gym doing intense workouts, repeating sessions, and lifting heavy weights, whereas studies suggest that a workout of more than 30-40 minutes is not beneficial. So, it is advisable to work out for a short duration but with great intensity. 
• Give your muscles some time to relax, as strength training can create little tears in muscle tissues. However, these tears are harmless and play an essential role in growing muscle strength. So, give your muscles at least 48 hours to relax and recover before the following strength training session.
• Along with giving enough time to cardio or muscle strength training, one thing that is necessary to get excellent results is protein intake. If you are not adding the required protein, the result will be slower growth than desired. So, try to add whey and soy protein to get the most out of a workout. 
• To focus on a good form, avoid heavy weights in the beginning phase of exercising. Once you get the form, you can lift the heavy weights. 
• Rather than focusing on one part of the body, spend time doing compound exercises that work on multiple muscles at once. Some of the best compound exercises are squats, deadlifts, lunges, pushups, bench presses, military presses, dips, rows, pullups, and more.
• Going for the same routine every day may break your consistency. So, pick something enjoyable in between that forces you not to skip the gym sessions. Add workouts like running, walking, biking, hiking, swimming etc. 
• Do not make your body habitual to the same workout pattern, as the body will adapt to the stress level. So, change your routine every few weeks to gain strength. And for cardio, try cross-training. 

Recommended: Healthy Travel Tips, According to a Personal Trainer

The Bottom Line

Depending on the person’s history, age, exercise preferences, and motivation, the form of exercise may vary. Each exercise has its potential advantages and disadvantages. 

Both cardio and weightlifting will help you become more fit. Cardio burns more calories and improves cardiovascular health, and weightlifting helps build mass. And, a HIIT session will reduce calories in fewer minutes. 

The main thing is the movement of the body in a way that helps you complete your fitness goals. So keep your body fit and maintain a balanced diet to keep your energy up. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Is warming up really necessary before workout sessions?

To prevent injuries and enhance performance, warming up is necessary. Your body has not been in any sort of movement for a long time, so warming will help in joint movements, blood circulation, and nutrient delivery to muscles. It will also help in increasing body temperature and boosting flexibility. 

• Which type of exercise is best to lose weight?

All types of exercise or regular physical activities, like brushing or getting up for a glass of water, burn calories. If you prefer strength training, it will reduce the fat mass and build muscle mass, whereas if you pick cardio, it will burn fat and improve heart health, along with managing blood pressure. 

• Does cardio strengthen the immune system?

The answer is yes. It reduces stress and provides better oxygen and blood to the cells, which helps strengthen the immune system.