Cardio can help you shed some unwanted weight, but it’s definitely not the only way to do it. You actually don’t have to do any cardio at all if your goal is just to drop some pounds. I’m sure you’ve heard this before: weight loss is all about controlling the calories you’re consuming. Well, that’s pretty much true, but let me share a surprising story to illustrate this point.
When I was training for my first marathon, which was a four-month process of running four days a week, I actually gained five pounds by the halfway mark of my training program. It turned out that I was simply overestimating how much I could eat with all the exercise. And I treated myself to calorically dense sugary snacks (that all the running somehow made me crave even more) because I felt like I earned them. Honestly, someone who wasn’t training at all and just managing their caloric intake could have easily lost pounds while I gained five as an active runner.
I’m not trying to poo-poo cardio here because it’s effective in helping to burn fat, lower blood pressure, and maintain overall cardiovascular health. But it’s important to blend in resistance training if you’re trying to lose weight or want to begin cardio of any kind for greater health/weight loss. The latter part of my marathon story helps explain why.
After I adjusted my diet during the second half of my marathon training to include more whole foods and less calories, I began to notice a loss of lean muscle mass. My shirts were getting pretty loose through the chest and shoulders. Friends who hadn’t seen me in a while would do a double take and not in a good way. So I consulted a nutritionist and learned the loss of lean tissue (muscle) was due to both inadequate protein intake and not performing any strength training – good lessons learned.
According to a study by Krista Varady, professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, for every pound lost, up to 25% of each pound can come from lean tissue.
We need muscles not just for the aesthetic, strength, and physical resilience they provide, but because muscle tissue burns a lot of calories maintaining/repairing itself – it boosts your metabolism. This really helps to transform body composition when combined with cardio workouts.
If you only do cardio for weight loss, it’s likely that your results will plateau after some time because you’re not building enough muscle to really rev your metabolism. It’s essential to have a balance of cardio and strength training to change body composition.
If you are just starting out with some cardio workouts and not sure how to combine weight training, please reach out to me with your questions.
Feature photo by Photo by Photo by Photo by Fitsum Admasuon Unsplash
