4 Reasons you MUST use Strength Training to Lose Weight

For some reason everyone thinks cardio is what you need to be doing to lose weight.

That is wrong. It’s terrible advice.

Countless studies have shown that cardio, spending 30-60 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical, is one of the least effective forms of exercise for fat loss.

H.I.I.T. is more effective. Circuit training is better.

But better than all of those is strength training.

Here’s why:

Metabolically Active Tissue

This may be the biggest reason you HAVE to lift weights when losing weight.

Building muscle helps you lose weight faster.

The reason is that it takes a certain amount of energy (calories) for your body to keep itself alive every day even if you laid in bed from sun up to sun down. This is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This number will go up as you build muscle because muscle takes energy to keep alive.

Using strength training to build muscle means you will keep your metabolism high even as you lose weight.

Focus on the Positives

For most people weight loss is a very negative process–it is centered around taking away. Losing pounds, taking away dress sizes, missing out on activities you might usually enjoy like parties or nights out drinking.

Even the positives (fat loss) are used with negative terminology.

Strength training is critical for balancing all of this by allowing you to focus on what you gain during the process.

Build muscle. Gain strength. Develop confidence. Add new skills to your repertoire.

Unlike most cardio sessions that are boring & repetitive, every strength training session will challenge you in new ways.

You will lift more weight for more reps than ever before. You can make alterations to exercises that challenge your muscles differently. You can set personal bests. Structure your workouts in novel orders and follow different programs.

Strength training is an entire world of knowledge to pour your focus into while the weight loss becomes something that just happens.

Posture

Carrying extra weight for a few years really messes up your posture. You probably gained the extra weight by sitting too much, and this makes your hips tight and causes your shoulders to roll forward.

It completely shifts the way you use your body to stand up from chairs and this means you develop some overly strong muscle (your thighs) while leaving others in the dust (your glutes).

Strength training will undo all of this. It will fix your slumped shoulders. It will improve your back pain.

Strength training will make you walk taller and appear more attractive. That’s a win.

The Final Reveal

Losing a significant amount of weight is going to completely change the way you look.

But only if you fill in all the fat you lose with muscle.

Firming and toning only happens if you build the muscle needed to, you know, firm and tone.

Fat loss without muscle building leaves you looking like a deflated bag.

Strength training ensures you have the body you want when you get to the end of your fitness journey.

We have compiled the perfect program for you to get started in strength training. Our free beginner program will hone your workouts in on building lean mass at a high intensity to burn fat and lose weight. Skip the disappointing results from cardio and finally get the body you want.