Ok, so you’re looking to lose some lb’s in time for a season of swimsuits, tank tops, pool parties, and pickleball tournaments. And you know just what to do (heck you’ve done it a bajillion times before): you grab a 3-gallon water jug around with you, fill your fridge with celery sticks, and get ready for yet another 97-minute elliptical session. 

If this sounds like you, and we really hope it doesn’t, there’s something we think you oughta know about: strength training for weight loss. 

It may seem counterintuitive, but spending some extra minutes on those muscles can be the secret sauce you need for dropping those pounds (and keeping them off for the long term). So sit right down, put your feet up, and tune in, because we’re giving you the skinny on why strength training to lose weight may be the key to your goals. 

Weight Loss vs. Fat Loss

Before we actually begin, let’s get one thing straight. You do NOT want to lose weight. I know it sounds a bit strange to hear, but you don’t. If you lost 20 lbs today, and 6 of those were water weight, another 8 were muscle tissue, and only 6 were actual fat loss, we don’t think you’d be too happy with that outcome. Call us psychic, but we’re pretty sure that of all your personal bucket-list health and fitness goals, the term “skinny fat” isn’t on that list. Of course it’s not! The truth is, your weight is just a number on a scale, and so weight loss is all but meaningless. What you want is FAT loss. 

Cardio vs. Strength Training for Fat Loss

Let’s start with the biggest culprit behind the chub: calories. You know you’ve got to get into some kind of caloric deficit to burn that fat, so what’s best: heart-pumpin’ cardio or muscle-pumpin’ weight training? The truth is, both — equally. Here’s why: cardio burns more calories in the moment, strength training burns more calories all day. When you cycle, run, jog, row, climb stairs, or anything else that gets your ticker ticking, you’re absolutely shredding those calories. And that’s great — but what happens when you’re not doing those things? Not much else. However, when you actually build muscle throughout your body, your resting metabolic rate increases, which helps you burn fat while at rest. It also allows you to be able to eat more and still lose weight, providing you’re still in a deficit. 

Changing Body Composition

Since we’ve already established that you don’t want to be skinny fat (not that there’s anything wrong with that), let’s talk about body composition. A lot of times, when we’re thinking about fat loss, we’re imagining changing our silhouette, our profile, and our general shape. That’s where body composition comes into play. When we build muscle through a strength training routine, we slowly change our overall shape, for that toned look that so many of us desire. 

Better Sleep Quality

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: the secret weapon to any fitness routine is sleep! And a lack of sleep will terrorize your system more than a dozen donuts will (maybe we exaggerate, but only a little). Strength training is so effective for fat loss because it helps you fall asleep faster, and is even an effective treatment for insomnia. When you get better sleep, your body goes into overdrive for things like muscle growth, reduced stress, and appetite control. 

Setting Healthy Habits

Another reason, albeit an ethereal one, of why strength training is effective for fat loss, lives in our minds. When we’ve finished a strenuous strength training routine, we simply feel better and are encouraged to be healthier in other aspects of our lives. But it doesn’t end there. Because throughout the day, the next day, and sometimes a few days afterwards, we’ll feel our muscles in full rebuilding mode — a little sore, somewhat tight, and in the process of growing. There’s really nothing like that hurts-so-good feeling you get after a good strength workout, which carries over into wanting to eat better, sleep better, etc. 

And the Winner Is…

Both! The long and short of it is that if you’re trying to lose fat and keep it off, you need to incorporate both strength training and cardio workouts into your fitness routine! And the best way to do that is with Studio SWEAT onDemand! We offer an endless library of virtual workouts, including cardio blasts such as indoor cycling, HIIT, and kickboxing…plus tons of body sculpting classes to keep your guns and buns locked and loaded! And with our 7-Day Free Trial, you can get started shredding those cals with a complimentary week on us. Ready to pump, ready to burn? Sign up today!