Dec 07, 2020

Strength training is necessary

Whether you are losing, gaining, or maintaining weight, a strength training routine is necessary to keep your body in shape. It is obvious when you are trying to gain weight that you should lift weights (unless your goal is to get fat). But maybe strength training is not so obviously necessary when losing weight. However, I would argue it might be even more important when you are trying to lose weight.

This is not due to the amount of calories burned through lifting weights. Strength training actually barely burns any calories when compared to cardio. But it’s important because your true goal isn’t to lose weight. Your goal is to lose fat. We track our weight because it is much easier to accurately measure than body fat percentage.

If you do not strength train when losing weight, you will lose muscle. And losing muscle is very bad for your fat loss. Muscle mass burns a lot of calories. As you lose muscle, the total calories you need to eat in a day to maintain your weight will decrease. In order to keep losing weight at this decreased calorie limit, you will have to reduce your calories even more. Which further causes you to lose more muscle and this cycle repeats until you’re a weak, starving sack of potatoes.

Therefore, while cardio is good to incorporate into your fitness routine for a healthy heart and to burn extra calories, the primary focus of your physical exercise routine should be strength training.

- Orlando, FL