5 Outstanding Ways In Which Strength Training Supports Fat Loss

Despite there being a wealth of material out there on the advantages of weight training (including right here on our blog!), there still exists plenty of misunderstanding on the subject. Especially when it comes to fat loss, there's this belief that only cardio will help to burn body fat. 

We want to set the record straight. And explore five ways in which strength training is just as good, if not better, for fat loss, when compared to the regular cardio workout. 

1. More muscle mass = better metabolism

One of the biggest wins of resistance training is the impact it has on your metabolism. Your body's muscle mass has a direct relationship with your resting metabolic rate (RMR). 

Strength training leads to an increase in your body's lean muscle mass. Hello, higher metabolic rate! Muscle tissue is unique in that it is metabolically active. So, your body needs energy to maintain it. More muscle, more energy burnt. 

So even if you and your friend weigh the same, if you have more muscle than your friend, your body will be burning more calories as you have more lean muscle mass. 

2. Holds on to muscle mass 

Resistance training also ensures that your body holds onto this muscle even when you are in a calorie deficit. 

If weight loss is your goal, you might be a bit more vigilant about the amount of calories you are consuming, taking in fewer calories than you did before. While it is true that a calorie deficit would result in weight loss, strength training will help with fat loss too. By lifting weights, you will ensure that you do not suffer any loss of lean muscle mass and the weight you drop is coming from the excess fat you were carrying. 

This is important as the older you get, retaining muscle becomes more and more important. If your body composition gets skewed due to muscle loss, this will have a lasting impact on your health. This is why if running is your primary love, it is still advisable to lift weights a couple of days a week to ensure you are not losing vital lean muscle mass.

3. Epic EPOC

The cherry on top of strength training gains is that, long after you have finished training, your body continues to burn calories, leading to increased fat loss. 

This state of elevated calorie burn happens long after the conclusion of a strenuous training session. This is because of your body entering EPOC or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. EPOC means that, unlike your steady-state cardio session, the after-effects of the training session are felt long afterwards, when your body takes in oxygen at an increased rate so that the torn tissues and muscle fibres could be repaired and glycogen stores replenished. Harder your training session, harder the afterburn effect!

Next time you find yourself asking why you gave up your comfy bed to do heavy kettlebell swings at 5.30 AM, think of EPOC! 

4. Works on insulin sensitivity

With metabolic diseases on the rise, words like insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity, prediabetic etc are all, unfortunately, becoming all to familiar. All of these have to do with the way your body processes glucose in your bloodstream and how insulin is used in this process. 

The one thing guaranteed to put the spanner in the works of this vital mechanism is being sedentary. Less movement, more metabolic disorders. This leads to weight gain, droopy belly, spare rolls of fat around the middle, and eventually, diabetes. 

Weight training can be a boon in such instances as it impacts how your body processes carbs. Instead of it being stored as fat, as it tends to in sedentary bodies, your weight training will ensure your body converts the carb to energy. If your doctor told you to get off the sofa and start moving more, especially in light of your family history of diabetes, heading to the weights area is the way forward. 

5. Helps get rid of visceral fat

While it is true that spot reduction and targeted fat loss is not possible, it is also a proven fact that resistance training does work on visceral fat. 

This is the harmful fat that wraps itself around your body's internal organs and is intricately linked to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. With increasing age, many tend to acquire a softer middle. This is an alarming sign that fat is beginning to accumulate in your body. And it is important to nip this in as soon as possible. 

Doing the basic compound movements - push, pull, squat, hinge and carry - at least thrice a week with a challenging weight will turn your body into a fat-burning machine and make you healthier.

So how do you achieve this? 

If you are new to strength training, it is best you work with a trained coach. You do not have to run straight into a high-intensity interval training session. Start slow. Even bodyweight exercises are effective in building reflexive strength, improving your endurance and yes, promoting fat loss. 

Do slow and controlled bodyweight squats and deadlifts; spend a little while doing full-body planks. You can augment this by adding in resistance bands to increase the intensity of your workout. 

If you think you would love to give weight lifting a go, then good news. Dumb bells, kettlebells and barbells are all excellent for weight training. A good personal trainer ought to be able to work out a challenging 12 week program to get you going. 

If you have access to a gym with weight machines, the resistance machines there are great for resistance training. Rowing machines, leg press, lat pulldowns are all really good to build muscle. The machines will not only target your major muscle groups, they will go easy on your joints too. 

Just be mindful of maintaining good form; else you will run the risk of injury.

Long term fitness and health is beyond the basic weight loss efforts. It requires making a healthy diet a priority. And for life, not just for the next few weeks! It involves getting a regular fitness routine that isn't purely focused on weight loss alone - though being in a healthy weight range is good for long term health benefits - but one with a focus on overall health. 

It means consistency, doing the same boring but important things every single day, as your body is yours for life. Not for a season.

Have questions about the right strength training or improving your fitness? Get in touch with us to get started!