Cardio Training vs Resistance Training for Weight Loss

Weight loss is a simple equation of energy in vs energy out - the amount of food and drink we take in, versus the amount of energy used for daily living.   While losing weight can be anything but simple there are two ways your body can burn more energy; increasing your physical exercise and increasing your metabolism. 

Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns energy for daily living.  Individual's metabolisms' all work at different levels, but you can increase your metabolism by increasing your muscle mass. Muscle burns energy, so the more muscle you have the more energy you will burn!

So what exercise should we do to help lose weight and build muscle?  

Cardio training by walking, running, cycling, x-training, or rowing all expend energy while you are working out.

The length of time - duration
How hard you work out - intensity, and
How many times a week you work out - frequency,

are all factors in how much energy you will burn. However even if you combine all three areas above you will still only burn energy while you are working out. And while cardio training will build some muscle, it may also break down muscle over time due to the amount of exercise you do. How can you increase your muscle mass and metabolism?

Resistance training is training your body, using weights or your body weight to build strength.  The bonus is that resistance training not only burns energy while you are working out, your body will keep burning energy as it recovers after your workout.  Resistance training will also build lean muscle mass, which will lift your metabolism, and your bodies ability to burn fat. But don't worry girls, you won't look like a body builder!  The idea is to build strong muscles, not add bulk. In fact resistance training is great for women because along with a vamped up metabolism, better body tone and a straighter posture, resistance training also improves bone density and strength.