Can’t I lose weight by doing cardio alone?

Dear dailymuscle,

Need advice…
~sweatygal

Dear sweatygal,

Hmm… how much do you sweat that you have to call yourself that? :P

Sure you will be able to lose weight with cardio alone. But all too often, you’ll only wind up being a ’smaller’ version of your flabby self right now. Significant muscle tone, definition, great health & strength are rarely achievable from cardio work alone.

Weight training IS your best friend and your best ‘training partner’ for any weightloss/weight management program simply because by gaining some muscle, you will be able to:

- eat more (muscle uses more calories)
- get a firmer/tighter physique
- wear a smaller size clothing (even at the same scaleweight)

In fact, the amount of calories you burn during the day goes up when you lift weights - so you’re actually burning extra calories all day long and not just when you’re doing your cardio. This is because weight training causes your muscles to ‘tear’ in order to recover/grow and these ‘tears’ require energy to heal. The healing process takes anywhere from 24-48 hours during which time your body is expending energy (calories).

If you were to stick to aerobic(cardio) training alone, the level of energy consumption is minimal due to the fact that there is no ‘tearing’ down of muscle tissue. It’s as simple as that.

If you are clueless on using dumbbells, just start slowly by doing some basic exercises like the ones found here in this exercise directory. You should target to perform 2 - 3 exercises per bodypart.

And sorry for not being able to help with the noisy men and their creepy stares. Perhaps they think you’re hot! So try to take it as a compliment? ;)

Don’t forget to get plenty of rest, and Happy exercising!

Your friend and coach,
DM

Articles you might like:

1. Weight Loss - What Is The Best Time To Do Cardio? When you do cardio training first, you deplete most of...
2. The Starvation Response - Do You Starve Yourself to Lose Weight? We've all heard stories about people getting lost in the...
3. Cardio - Tap Into Your Fat Stores and Start Burning Some Fat! Note: This is for those who want to shed some...
4. Cardio or Weight Training - Which comes First? Many of us wonder if there is some sort of...
5. Should You Just Stick To Cardio & Lift Light Weights To Transform Your Physique? Another gym myth I hear too often. The only thing...