Confused about best exercise for weight loss and muscle gain

[losenotloose]

I know diet is also crucial but which exercise is best? Cardio? Strength training? Both? I've been told that cardio like running and spin will halt my muscle building progress. Is this right? Is cardio counter productive?

Thanks!

Someone more knowledgeable will give a much more detailed answer but you’re looking for two aims and need a mix of both.

So cardio for weight loss and strength training for muscle building? I'd love to hear from people who have real knowledge about this as I keep seeing conflicting information!

From what Ive been told strength training is great for weight loss too.

That's what I've been hearing too, and that it's also good for cardio health. Does that make running, cycling etc redundant?

My understanding is that high intensity cardio burns more calories and weights / resistance work increases muscle mass and metabolism so means your background resting calorie burn is greater

What is best for you, will depend on your body type - there's not a magic bullet that works for everyone.

However, the key is sustainability - and to keep it up, you have to enjoy it. So do more of what you enjoy (or, what you don't hate the most...).

Strength training and cardio training have different benefits, and ideally most people should do a mix. How you do that will depend on what you enjoy, how much time you have, what equipment/support you have access to, among other factors.

If you enjoy running or cycling then keep doing it, but make sure it's always challenging - e.g. including distance work, speed work, hill work etc; and add in some strength training for a session a week. If you prefer to focus on strength, then the other way round. Key is to always be working, not coasting...

Hi losenotloose. There is no one exercise that's best. We need to satisfy several components of exercise, for any training regime to be truly beneficial to you.

The important factors are having a fitness instructor guide you through each component, consistency, variability and something you will enjoy doing. I am more than happy to go into detail about this with you, as generic information is never the whole picture.

Yes please SanusVivere!

When you first start doing structured weightlifting you have a window of time where it is possible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.

Lifting weights enables you to build a base of strength, which is extremely functional for life. If you just do cardio you won't build muscle so you may lose fat but you will regain it as soon as you stop doing that level of cardio or eat more.

As a pp said, muscle is heavier than fat so it requires more calories to maintain, giving you more leeway to eat more. It also has huge benefits for bone density and overall health.

Obviously this doesn't have to be in a gym, you can do bodyweight or do things outside that may suit you more.

It is very difficult to build muscle and lose fat at the same time, which is why body builders bulk and cut. They eat at a surplus to build muscle and then cut calories to lose the fat they gained and to show off the new muscle.

As others say, do a mixture of cardio and resistance to lose fat and maintain your muscle mass. 80% of weight loss is down to food though so just do whatever exercise you enjoy and can sustain.

I recommend swimming if you're good at it. It's made a big difference to my body, but I have been doing it for a long time.

Have a look at the James Smith website and social media. He has a really refreshing attitude and says the best exercise for weight loss is the one that you enjoy as it's the one that you'll stick to...