Cardio or Weight Lifting for Weight Loss

Although cardiovascular exercise effectively burns calories for fast weight loss, weight lifting---particularly circuit training---holds its own in the gym and on the scale. In both types of exercise, you burn more calories the harder you work. For example, barely breaking into a jog at around 3 miles per hour burns fewer calories than running at 5 miles per hour. Moreover, weight training while seated with 1 minute rests between sets burns fewer calories than a circuit training workout performed standing with no rest between sets. Ultimately, it's the volume and intensity of work you perform that determines the calories you burn.

Calories Burned

Common cardiovascular exercises such as running and cycling burn around 540 calories per hour when performed at 5 miles per hour and 12 to 14 miles per hour, respectively. However, that number drops to 386 calories for low-impact aerobics. General weight training burns about 218 calories per hour, whereas vigorous weight lifting, such as circuit training, burns around 386 calories per hour. These calorie counts depend on your weight, and those listed here reflect the energy expenditure of a 140 lb. person performing these activities.

Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption

Before you hop on the treadmill, consider this: comparing the calories burned during exercise only tells half of the story. Excess postexercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC, refers to an increase in metabolism following exercise. According to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, circuit training with weights produces greater EPOC than aerobic exercise. So although you may burn fewer calories in the weight room than you would running on the treadmill, the increase in metabolism thereafter makes cardio and weight training equally matched competitors in the battle against the bulge.

Increasing Lean Muscle

Circuit training with weights increases lean muscle mass to a much greater extent than cardio, particularly when you use heavy weights to fatigue the muscle within 12 to 15 repetitions. Lean muscle burns more calories while you're at rest, so the benefits of weight training continue long after you've left the gym.

Synergy

Clearly, both cardio and weight training aid in weight loss independent of one another. However, a study published in the "Journal of Sports Science and Medicine" indicates that combining the two may work synergistically to help you shed pounds. The study followed 50 formerly sedentary adult males over 16 weeks and found that those who combined cardio and weight training consumed about 500 fewer calories each day following their workout, whereas the calorie consumption of those who performed one or the other remained unchanged.

Better Cardio

Make the most of your cardiovascular workouts by performing endurance exercises such as running or cycling vigorously. To increase the amount of fat burned during exercise, perform short bursts of high-intensity effort followed by equally short recovery periods. After just 2 weeks of interval training every other day, you can increase your fat oxidation during exercise by 36 percent, according to a study published in the "Journal of Applied Physiology."

Circuit Weight Training

To lose weight with resistance training, go to the gym with a plan in hand of which exercises you'll perform in which order. Select challenging weights, and move quickly from station to station---instead of resting between sets---to keep your heart rate elevated and the total volume of exercise high.

References

• Health Status: The Most Accurate Calories Burned Estimator
• "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training"; M. Clark, S. Lucett, R. Corn; 2008
• "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Two Weeks of High-Intensity Aerobic Interval Training Increases Fat Oxidation; December 7, 2006
• "Journal of Sports Science and Medicine"; Self-Reported Dietary Intake, June 2008