Strength or cardio for fat loss? Experts share ..................

The short answer is to incorporate strength and cardio into your training plan and to also follow a balanced diet, but what does that mean?

BY BEN LOXLEY AND RYAN O’GRADY PERSONAL TRAINERS AND STYLE COLUMNISTS YOU NEED TO BE STRONG

Your muscles do one of two things; they either shrink, or they grow.

Now, before I elaborate (and this is for the ladies) when I say grow, I do NOT mean that you will look like Arnold Schwarzenegger when your muscles grow – quite the contrary actually.

Any female that strength trains will tell you exactly how hard it is to gain ANY muscle at all, they have to work their butt off for it! Females are hormonally NOT set up to gain huge amounts of muscle – so ladies, do not worry!

SO, HOW DO MUSCLES SHRINK OR GROW?

From the age of about 30 years young, when you do not strengthen your muscles they shrink, this means they waste away – simple as that. What is worse is that they can waste at the rate of up to 0.5kg / year. That’s 5kgs of meat (muscle) that can actually leave your body every 10 years.

Have you ever held 5kg of raw steak and seen how much that is? It’s alarming.

When you strengthen your muscles, your body turns into a fatburning machine.

DO I WALK OR RUN TO BURN FAT?

Interestingly enough, the topic in more than 95 per cent of situations extends back to how to “lose the beer gut”, “get rid of that roll over the jeans” or “reduce those chunky legs”.

Basically people are looking to lose body fat and lose it fast.

Popular exercise wall charts will have us understand that if we are exercising at lower heart rates and lower levels of intensity that we are just simply melting fat away.

Similarly, as our exercise level of intensity increases, so too does our cardiovascular demand and consequently our fitness increases.

While this theory is in some ways correct, it also fails to give an understanding as to the process that occurs.

To put it very simply, while you are exercising, your fuel source will be from fat and carbohydrate stores.

When you are walking, the percentage of fat burned is proportionally (as opposed to the fuel you burn from carbohydrates) greater.

However, although you are burning a greater percentage of fat as a fuel source (as opposed to carbohydrates), the total amount of fat burned may actually be less (as a total amount), due to the amount of total calories burned.

TRAINING TIPS

1. Always keep in mind that lower intensity means that you need to exercise for a longer duration.

2. As you increase the intensity (effort you put in) you need to adequately fuel your body. More intensity means more fuel burned.

If you need an extra kick in your workout, check out @benloxley_coach or @ryanog_coach on Instagram.