Which is Better, Cardio or Lifting Weights?

How many times have you heard these statements?
"I don't want to bulk up by lifting weights. I want to lose the fat first and then I will try to build muscle."
"You've got to do a lot of cardio if you want to drop excess pounds and inches."
"I don't care about getting strong. I just want to get skinny."
The list goes on and on.

Each one of these statements is born of misinformation and is totally counterproductive to everyone's weight loss and fitness goals.

Here are the facts:

1. One doesn't get bulging muscles like the Incredible Hulk accidentally just because they walk by the weight rack at the gym regardless of their gender or genetics. Men have to work extremely hard for many years to gain the type of mass that might turn off the average Joe Q Public. Women have to work even harder because their levels of testosterone are much lower than their male counter-parts. Add to this calculated dietary manipulation and only a small segment of the population will ever achieve such large amounts of muscle.

2. Cardiovascular activity, while it may be heart healthy is very catabolic (which means it tears down your muscle mass) if done to excess. The simple truth is that most people require a brisk twenty minute walk about 3 times per week in order to attain and maintain good heart health. Giving up your muscle because of "the magic number" on the scale is extremely counterproductive as this will slow your metabolism overall and will actually cause you to gain fat in the long run.

3. Although you burn more calories while performing cardio than you do while at rest, you won't burn as many calories during cardio as you will while performing a rigorous weight lifting routine. Your body will also continue to burn calories for several hours after lifting weights. Your metabolism will not remain so elevated after cardiovascular activity,

4. Your body burns most of its calories from fat when you are sleeping. Think hibernation. Your body still needs energy to sustain itself even though you can't eat. The more muscle you have, the higher your body's metabolic rate will be even at rest.

So the answer to the question is quite simple. This is not a question of either weight lifting or cardio. You need to utilize both strategies to become physically fit. Additionally you need cardio to achieve any long term fat loss goal. The best route to take is by putting an emphasis on weight lifting as this will cause the body to build muscle which will rev up your metabolism around the clock. Cardio vascular activity should be supplemental to insure proper heart health and additional calories burned while you strive to reach your fat loss goals.