If you want to lose weight––and not simply from a shopping excursion, though those bags make terrific weights––you’ll want to optimise your workout regimen. In the end, most individuals want to know: “Is cardio better than weights for weight loss?”

Cardio vs. weights
Let the contest begin to see who will be crowned the best efficient weight reduction tool. Let’s find out.
Cardio
In one corner, we have cardio, a proponent of the heart-pumping technique. When you run, your body enters aerobic workout mode, using oxygen to break down glucose, fat, and amino acids into ATP. So it’s an excellent fat burner.

Cardio also strengthens your cardiac muscles, improves your mood, lowers your blood pressure, and reduces stress. It helps tone your muscles, making them seem more defined and as if you’ve lost weight.

Now let’s see how cardio stacks up against weights.

Cardio calorie burn:

460 cal sprints (30 minutes activity)
370 calorie swim (30 minutes activity)
370 jog (30 minutes activity)
Weights
Strength training is next in the blue section, weighing-in at whatever you’re lifting. The first gym myth is that strength training makes you appear like a beefcake.

To obtain a bodybuilder’s physique, you’d need to spend a lot of time in the gym, eat more, and perhaps use supplements; therefore don’t stress about appearing like a champion wrestler.

Instead, consider this: strength training may help you lose weight, but not in the same way that cardio does. Strength training develops muscle, which raises your BMR (the calorie burn rate, just for you to survive). So, even after your workout, consistent strength training may help you burn more calories overall.

But, of course, getting to this level takes work; you don’t just wake up with those muscles. So, how does exercise compare to weight loss? See.

Strength training calorie burn:

Weightlifting: 130-220 cal (per 30-minute session)

Did you expect it to be so easy?
Okay, so the headline was a little tough, but the reality is that to lose weight and keep it off, you need to combine aerobic with weight training.

A balanced strategy is your best bet. If you want to lose weight, you should receive 150 minutes of activity every week, or 22-30 minutes per day.

No matter which method you take––strength training, cardio, or both––remember that weight reduction requires a combination of elements, including food.