If you’re trying to lose weight and keep it off, you may think cardio is the key to success.

While cardiovascular exercise can be beneficial for burning calories and improving heart health, it’s not the only way to shed unwanted pounds and maintain a healthy weight. In fact, muscle strength training is an effective way to not only lose weight but to also keep it off for the long haul. Here we’ll explore how to unlock the secret to continued fat loss with muscle strength training.

The benefits of strength training

Strength training is important because it builds muscle mass, which helps to increase your metabolism. A higher metabolism means that you burn more calories at rest, making it easier to lose weight and keep it off.

Additionally, strength training helps to prevent muscle loss that often occurs during weight loss, keeping your body strong and healthy overall. It also has numerous other benefits, such as:.

Improved bone density and joint health
Reduced risk of injury
Improved balance and coordination
Increased flexibility
Improved mood and mental health

How to maximize fat loss with strength training

To get the most out of your strength training workouts for fat loss, you need to follow a few guidelines. Here’s what to keep in mind:.

1. Focus on compound exercises

Compound exercises are those that work multiple muscle groups at once. Examples include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups.

These exercises burn more calories than isolation exercises (exercises that work only one muscle group at a time) because they engage more muscle mass. Include compound exercises in your strength training workouts to maximize fat loss.

2. Lift heavy weights

To build muscle, you need to challenge your body with heavy weights. Using lighter weights for higher reps may tone your muscles, but it won’t increase muscle mass enough to make a significant impact on your metabolism.

Choose weights that you can lift for 8-12 reps with good form. If you can lift more than 12 reps with ease, it’s time to increase the weight.

3. Use progressive overload

Progressive overload means gradually increasing the weight or intensity of your workouts over time. This keeps your body challenged and prevents plateauing.

Instead of doing the same workout every time you hit the gym, aim to increase the weight or reps of your exercises by a small amount each week.

4. Incorporate HIIT

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is a form of cardio that involves short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest. Incorporating HIIT into your strength training workouts can boost your metabolism and help you burn more fat.

Try adding 30-second sprints on the treadmill or burpees between your strength training exercises.

5. Watch your diet

To lose fat, you need to be in a calorie deficit (burning more calories than you consume). While strength training can help you increase your metabolism and burn more calories at rest, it’s still important to watch what you eat.

Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and avoid processed foods and added sugars. Aim to get enough protein to support muscle growth (about 0.8-1 gram per pound of body weight) and get plenty of fruits and vegetables for important nutrients and fiber.

Putting it all together

To unlock the secret to continued fat loss with muscle strength training, you need to combine all of these strategies. Here’s a sample workout that incorporates everything we’ve discussed:.

Warm-up

5-10 minutes of light cardio
Dynamic stretching

Strength training

Squat: 3 sets of 8 reps
Bench press: 3 sets of 8 reps
Deadlift: 3 sets of 8 reps
Pull-ups or lat pulldowns: 3 sets of 8 reps
Dumbbell shoulder press: 3 sets of 8 reps
HIIT: 30-second sprints on the treadmill or burpees between sets

Cool-down

5-10 minutes of light cardio
Static stretching

Remember to increase the weight or intensity of your exercises over time and keep an eye on your diet to see the best results from strength training for fat loss.