In this article about losing weight with strength training, here's what you need to know: Do you want to feel better in your body, lose some pounds before summer starts, or simply reach a healthy weight? Then losing weight with strength training is a good idea. Here's what you need to know before you start.
Losing weight with strength training: what you need to know explained
The basics of losing weight: burning calories
If you want to lose weight, you often think directly about the end goal you have in mind. However, it’s important to become aware of what losing weight actually is, so you know what you’re getting into and how to approach it best. Losing weight is fundamentally very simple. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If you burn fewer calories than you take in, you will gain weight. Of course, there are nuances, and one metabolic system works differently than another. But your energy intake plays a significant role if you want to lose weight. Additionally, movement helps you burn calories. The type of movement you choose also influences your weight loss.
Losing weight with strength training or cardio training?
Hockey, running, or strength training: these are all examples of activities that burn calories. However, they do not all have the same effect on your body and your metabolic system. How many calories you burn with a particular type of exercise largely depends on your weight and the intensity of the movements. In the example below, you will find an overview illustrating the effect of various forms of exercise on your metabolism.
60 kg
- Running (30 min, 10 km/h): 310 kcal
- Hockey (30 min): 145 kcal
- Strength training (30 min): 100 kcal
80 kg
- Running (30 min, 10 km/h): 410 kcal
- Hockey (30 min): 190 kcal
- Strength training (30 min): 135 kcal
When you look at this overview, it’s immediately clear that you burn the most calories with cardio training. However, your energy intake and the number of calories you burn are not the only important factors if you want to lose weight. Therefore, let’s dive deeper into the benefits of losing weight with strength training.
Three benefits of losing weight with strength training
Eating fewer calories and burning more calories is fundamentally what helps you lose weight. However, losing weight is not just about your calorie consumption and the number on the scale. You probably find it especially important to feel good in your skin and be happy with how you look. In this, your body fat percentage, muscle mass, and the balance between the two play an important role. And that’s where strength training comes into play. Losing weight by eating less and moving more is relatively straightforward, but lowering your body fat percentage and maintaining (or increasing) your muscle mass requires a targeted approach. When you lose weight, you lose both fat and muscle mass. By only doing cardio training, you lose both fat and muscle mass. Therefore, losing weight with strength training has advantages because with this form of training, you lower your body fat percentage while building your muscle mass. Here are some benefits of losing weight with strength training summarized.
Increasing and Maintaining Muscle Mass
With strength training, you effectively train your muscles, allowing you to build muscle mass. If you only choose forms of exercise that do not train your muscles, your body may start to look flabbier and less toned. Losing weight with strength training helps you maintain or increase your muscle mass, making your body look firmer. And that is often what you want. If you are just starting to lose weight with strength training, the number on the scale may not drop as quickly as you would like. This is because muscle mass weighs more. Therefore, try not to focus too much on the number, but rather on how you feel in your body and whether you are happy with how you look.
Increasing Caloric Burn
The impact on your muscle mass is not the only benefit of losing weight with strength training. Muscle tissue is active tissue that burns calories even at rest. By increasing your muscle mass, you also increase your caloric burn throughout the day. This not only ensures a healthy metabolism but also contributes to weight loss. Compared to cardio training, you may burn fewer calories during strength training, but the afterburn is significantly greater. This is also known as the afterburn effect and is a major advantage of losing weight with strength training.
Improving Fitness
Another benefit of losing weight with strength training is that your overall fitness improves. While cardio training primarily works on your endurance, strength training focuses on your stamina and muscle strength. As a result, you become more vital and better able to handle all daily activities, such as chasing after your children or carrying groceries. Losing weight with strength training not only contributes to a firmer body but also to a body in which you feel fit and strong.
These are the three main benefits of losing weight with strength training. Do you want to lose weight and wonder which form of exercise is best for you? We definitely recommend doing strength training. For variety, combine strength training twice a week with cardio training once or twice a week (depending on the time you have).
Nutrition & Losing Weight with Strength Training
Not only your exercise but also your nutrition is important if you want to lose weight. All the calories you consume must ultimately be burned off. Nutrition plays a significant role when you want to lose weight. There are various ways to lose weight with the right nutrition. However, it is important not to go on a crash diet or rely on meal replacements. Healthy weight loss requires a carefully chosen number of calories per day (you can calculate that here, for example) and a balanced diet with the right amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.
Want to know more about healthy weight loss? These tips will help you sustainably reach your goal.
Weight Loss with Strength Training at Daadkracht
Do you want to lose weight with strength training and could you use professional help and personal attention? At Daadkracht, we focus on training, nutrition, and recovery to optimally assist you in achieving your personal goals. Book a free trial lesson in our studios in Overveen or Heemstede.
