Exercise will assist your efforts to lose weight, but not every type of exercise will burn the same amount of calories. Cardio exercises, or those that raise the heart rate, will burn more calories than strength training exercises, but both exercises will help you lose weight. Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have injuries or health concerns.
Burning Calories
Any type of physical activity or movement will burn calories, but to lose weight, you must burn enough calories to create a deficit. You must burn 3,500 calories more than you consume in order to lose 1 lb. of fat. This may require an adjustment in both your exercise routine and your diet. Cardio exercises burn more calories, so do cardio for a minimum of 30 minutes, every day. Weight training exercises help tone your muscles and will burn some calories, but these exercises will probably not cause weight loss on their own. Practice weight training exercises two to three times a week.
Calories Per Hour
Lifting weights and doing other strength-training exercises will burn approximately 219 calories per hour if you continue exercising for the entire hour, if you weigh 160 lbs. Cardio exercises like running, on the other hand, will burn approximately 986 calories if you run at a speed of 8 mph for an entire hour. The specific amount of calories you burn while doing either cardio or weight-training exercises depends on your weight and the intensity of the exercise. For example, if you bench press 150 lbs., you are burning more calories than someone who bench presses 100 lbs.
Exercise Schedule
For best weight-loss results, combine both weight training and cardio exercises into a weekly routine. Try exercising for 60 minutes, six days per week. Do cardio exercises every day, with three, 30-minute sessions of cardio every week. When doing strength exercises, try circuit-training activities that involve switching your movements every few minutes. This will increase the amount of calories you burn and help strengthen the muscles all over your body.
Weight Loss Maintenance
Continue doing both cardio exercises and strength training exercises to keep the weight off once you've lost it. Although cardio exercises and weight-training exercises are both beneficial, you may run out of time one day and need to skip an exercise. If you must cut your workout short, eliminate the weight training portion. You'll burn more calories if you continue your usual cardio workout and continue your usual weight-training exercises the following week.
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