The Significance of Weight Training in Relation to Weight Loss
By Brittany L.
Humans have this innate and natural tendency to pursue what will be the most gratifying to themselves, and to produce the best results for that present moment. We hear the words, “more for the moment,” and we are immediately sold on the idea.
Like me, many people read or hear that they will burn more calories per workout session doing cardio over weight training and believe that cardio is the answer to burning fat and for quick weight loss. Although an athlete, I never appreciated the specific and sincere long-term benefits of weight training until I was in my early twenties. After finally becoming tired of not experiencing the results I wanted to from my workouts, I researched the importance of each of the body’s different energy systems in depth, and discovered the significance of weight training in relation to weight loss.
Although it is true that cardio workouts can burn more calories per workout session than weight training, the reality is that cardio workouts stop burning calories when the cardio activity stops. When you perform a session of weight training, your metabolism remains elevated long after the exercise and your body continues to burn calories for hours– and up to days– after a session of strength training. Strength training has what is known as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, where for several hours after a workout, the body continues to use any food that has been ingested and oxygen, to replenish the storage of glycogen in its skeletal muscle tissue.
In addition to EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption), weight training builds muscle much more effectively than any cardio workout. The importance of this is that muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, and is more metabolically active than other tissues in the body. Henceforth, larger muscles will increase your resting metabolic rate, and the amount of calories your body burns at rest. Even when you are not working out, therefore, your body will be burning more calories and using more energy when it has more muscle. Contrary to what I thought I knew, I learned it is not cardio, but rather, strength training that boosts your metabolism and develops sustained fat and weight loss.
With that said, a good, sound workout regimen should truly incorporate both weight and resistance training as well as cardiovascular exercise.
During a four-year tour of duty with the United States Army where she worked as a combat engineer constructing bridges, Brittany received the “Soldier of the Year” award for her unit, two consecutive years in a row–an award given to soldiers for outstanding excellence among their peers. Afterwards, she decided to pursue her passion in the health and wellness field.
Brittany is no stranger to competitive sports, as she was a collegiate athlete when she attended Eastern Connecticut State University. Being an athlete all her life, Brittany has experienced injury and has learned the vital role that proper training plays in the success of an individual’s physical performance and mental aptitude.
As a recreational supervisor’s aid, Brittany designed and instructed numerous personal training circuits that were able to be form-fitted for each individual’s needs and desires. She has trained not only athletes, but also, those individuals who seek personal training as a means to improve their health and wellness.
Intrigued by the substantial benefits of physical exercise and proper nutrition on a person’s mental stability, emotional intelligence and overall happiness, Brittany endeavored to become a certified yoga and meditation instructor. As a practitioner of high intensity workouts, she also uses her knowledge and experience as a yoga instructor to build and strengthen muscle while also toning and revitalizing.
Brittany, is in the process of obtaining additional certifications and a more in-depth knowledge of the health & wellness field to maximize her ability to help every individual achieve their own optimal health through a holistic approach. As a means to touch the lives of as many people as possible, she also speaks Spanish.
