The worst feeling is when you work yourself into the ground in the gym and get to the scales to find you have not lost any weight. Today is the day we help you change this. 

 

At Isle Health, we always put the health of our clients at the very front of everything you do. In some cases, it’s about weight maintenance or weight gain but in this case we’re talking about weight-loss and weight training may not be the best thing. You should get in touch to discuss your needs further, and then you can put this article into practice. 

So, let’s firstly talk about cardiovascular (cardio) training! Cardio training’s major benefit is improving one’s cardiovascular health. But can it assist you in losing fat? 

 

The simple answer is yes! Due to the continuous nature of cardiovascular training such as: swimming, running and cycling, our bodies burn a higher amount of calories than in weight training. As a matter of fact, training cardio is four times more likely to burn fat than doing weight training alone. 

 

In order to achieve your best results through cardio training, you should create exercise goals for yourself. At Isle Health, we are on hand to talk you through these goals and help you decide the intensity of cardio training that you should include during your activity sessions. As a guideline, your exercise plan is dependent on a number of considerations. If you are at the start of your weight loss journey and would like to lose some of the initial weight that has been hanging around, low intensity steady state (LISS) is probably the best place for you to start! 

 

Cardio training helps regulate your appetite too, so don’t be surprised if you start moving more and you’re feeling hungrier this is normal. It’s then important you make the calories you’re eating count (towards the good)! For those trying to maintain a calorie deficit, this can be tough and this is when your will power kicks in. A calorie deficit is essentially burning more calories than your body takes in through food and drink. Therefore, having a regulated appetite and control over your hunger provides the ideal situation for those looking to burn fat. By not needing to snack regularly, you are much more able to burn calories. 

While weight training is predominantly used to build muscle, it can also be used to lose fat. 

Weight training builds muscle through putting the muscle against resistance. This causes the muscle to have small tears through fatigue. As those tears then rebuild the muscle grows stronger and bigger. 

 

So how is this important for fat loss? The answer is what building muscle does to your basic metabolic rate or BMR. Your BMR is determined by: 

 

 

But understanding your BMR gives you a great chance to lose weight (or manage weight) easier. If you are looking to understand how your BMR works and effects weight loss further, get in touch with us at Isle Health for a more detailed breakdown. 

 

A better BMR means that your body can break down the calories you have taken in quicker. By doing resistance training and improving your BMR, you are helping your body lose fat quicker. 

 

Furthermore, a weight training session will help your body burn calories in a ‘slow burn’ manner after training throughout the day, as opposed to cardio exercise which is more ideal for burning calories while exercising. 

A combination of both cardio training and weight training is best for burning fat. It’s more about understanding your individual goals and finding a programme that is tailored for those goals. 

 

Here is what company director Megan has to say on the fat loss topic: 

 

 

 

If you are looking to lose weight we do have coaches that specialise in this. Just drop us a message on social media or book in with Megan for an informal chat and we’ll get you started!