If you're looking to lose weight, you might believe that spending an hour on a treadmill it will be effective in and of itself. Indeed, this will burn more calories than an hour of weightlifting --- but the benefits you'll see after a weightlifting session outweigh those you'll see following an aerobic workout. You should incorporate both types of exercise into a weight-loss program to maximize results --- after you get your doctor's approval.
Effects
There is a common misconception that weightlifting will cause you to become bulky. The exact opposite is true: Muscle is more dense than fat, meaning it takes up less body space. As you progress with weight training, your body will begin to build muscle and it will become easier to achieve and maintain weight loss. With a regular weightlifting program, MayoClinic.com reports, you will lose body fat, increase lean muscle mass and burn more calories throughout the day.
Metabolism
Your metabolism --- the number of calories your body burns while in a resting state --- can be altered through lifestyle changes such as incorporating weightlifting. The American College of Sports Medicine notes that every decade after the age of 20, your resting metabolic rate slows 2 to 3 percent due to the loss of lean muscle. As your metabolism slows, it is harder to lose weight; weightlifting can help you counteract the effects of muscle loss.
Recommendations
The American Council on Exercise recommends you choose exercises that work each muscle group --- calisthenics, free weights or weight machines, or a combination. To save time and burn more calories, you can do exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time --- a squat with a shoulder press, for example. You should start with a weight that is comfortable and at which you can perform eight repetitions safely. Add more weight and/or repetitions when the exercise becomes easy.
Considerations
Lifting weights should not be your only path to weight loss. For a successful weight-loss program, you need to incorporate weightlifting with a healthy diet and aerobic exercise. You should also change your exercise routine every four weeks to avoid a weight-loss plateau --- adding more exercises, increasing the frequency of exercise or changing your workout days, for example.
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