Weights vs Cardio: Which is Better for Fat Loss?

Weights vs Cardio: Who wins?

There are two types of people in the gym (well, that matter anyways): Those who live and die by the iron, and those wasting their muscle away doing endless bouts of cardio. In most cases, either party seems to appear relatively lean — with the exception of the bulk master half-repping his way to glory.

This brings us to the question of “Weights vs Cardio: Which is better for fat loss?”

Throughout the years cardio has been labelled the “daddy” of fat loss efforts, but is that really the case? If you perform cardio alone, you’ll undoubtedly see weight loss to some degree; in most cases this means both fat and muscle loss. Sounds like a bummer, right? Cardio = muscle loss? There’s no victory to be had there. What if I told you that there is way to offset, or at least decrease the muscle wastage caused by cardio?

If you know the answer, kudos to you, sir. As for the rest of you uneducated ignorants, the answer is simple: Weight training.

Yeah, cardio will cause muscle to be used as energy to fuel your cumbersome, slow-paced, long-distance endeavor. But by incorporating resistance training, you stimulate muscle growth (obviously), thereby decreasing the muscle atrophy effects caused by said cardio.



Does this mean that all forms of cardio are bad?

Not in the slightest. Now, I’m not going to tell you about the whole “do HIIT because of this and that” or “steady-state cardio is the way to go” bullcrap. They both work. The question is, which of these two methods suits me best? Do I have 45 minutes to spare for cardio? It all comes down to personal preference. 15 minutes of HIIT might equal 40 minutes of steady-state cardio, but they both deliver the same results when it comes to burning the fat. You might lose a little muscle with the lower intensity option, though.

The reason why HIIT is preferred over steady-state is because it has a similar impact on your nervous system as weight training does. When HIIT is performed first thing in the morning it gives a spike in your metabolic rate throughout the day. This is because of a reaction called Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).

Studies show that the effects of EPOC can last for up to 36 hours after performing HIIT. This means that you’ll be burning a few extra calories while resting for about a day-and-a-half.

Where does weight training fit into fat loss?

As you might have known, muscle mass plays a role in your resting metabolic rate (RMR). What this means is, the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn during periods of being sedentary during the course of your day.

Intense weight training sessions also have the same reaction as HIIT; the EPOC reaction. But for it to really have an effect, you’ll have to train with fierce intensity.

So now we know that muscle mass affects your metabolism, right? The more muscle I have, the faster my metabolism. And even thought that statement is true, your metabolism isn’t determined solely on your muscle. Muscle does have an impact, yes, but not as much as you would think. That’s not to say that you can’t utilize the size of your muscle to burn more calories.

How do you do that?

Well, that’s where weight training comes in. After a heavy, and intense training session, the muscles that were trained secrete something known as GLUT (Glucose Transporter), which comprises of a family of that belongs to the Solute Carrier family group. The beauty of the GLUT’s is that they absorbs sugar whenever blood levels have risen. The one’s to focus on, however, are GLUT 4 and 12.

Cells that contain GLUT 4 & 12 (in this case, skeletal muscles) react to the presence of insulin by moving these GLUT’s from the interior of the cell membrane to the surface. These GLUT’s absorb glucose into the cell, which might be stored as glycogen or triaglycerol.

To put it in a nutshell, heavy weight training (not ego heavy) makes your muscles push GLUT’s 4 and 12 to the surface, ready to absorb any glucose in the bloodstream. To get blood sugar levels elevated, you’ll need to spike your insulin with a simple-ass sugar; dextrose, maltose, an overly ripe banana — because insulin is what transports sugars through the bloodstream.


So be sure to save your carb-laden meals for post-workout, and don’t be afraid to supplement with a little leucine while you’re at it.

What if you were to combined the two?

It’s clear that cardio burns fat, and weight training builds muscle mass which affects your RMR — so what’s to say that you can’t join forces and perform both in one workout? This, again, is dependent on personal preference, but for great results, it’s best to follow your workout with a quick cardio session. Don’t worry, you won’t lose any gains.




If you’re unable to squeeze in some cardio following your workout, just focus on keeping your workout as intense as you possibly can. And if your goal is to have a decent build that will pull chicks in from all corners of the earth, opt for weight training above cardio — even if it’s HIIT.