Diet Vs Cardio Vs Strength Training

Diet:

It is important to not go over board and eliminate too many calories from your diet, or you will end up craving more food, as well as, lowering your resting metabolism. Your body will also search for immediate energy and end up consuming muscle tissue, which you don’t want since you want to maintain your existing muscle mass. The more muscle you have the more your body burns calories at rest.

Cardio:

A combination of different types of cardio exercise will keep your body guessing, therefore it will work harder since it will not go into “automatic”. As well, interval training of different intensities is recommended for optimal results. Train at a moderate level of intensity between 50-70% of max heart rate (H.R.) for 4 minutes, see note below to calculate max H.R. Then increase your intensity to 80-85% of max H.R for a minute. For those who do not use a heart rate monitor you can always use your rate of perceived exertion (R.P.E) using the scale of 1-10, so 80%-85% would be an R.P.E of 8-8.5. Another tool to use in order to know if you are working at the above mentioned level is called the talk test. If you are able to carry on a conversation this definitely means you are not working at your optimal. Repeat this pattern six to twelve times for a total of 30-60 minutes.

Strength Training:

Strength training builds muscle, which speeds your metabolism so even at rest your body will burn more calories. It defines your physique and tightens your body tissue. To save time at the gym, it is preferable to do compound moves which train more than one muscle group at a time. An example of a compound move would be a push up, which you would work your chest, shoulders and arms.

If shedding pounds is your ultimate goal and you have to pick only one of the above then strength training would probably be your best pick. Its metabolic boost from muscle gain is best for fat loss.

*Determine your maximum heart rate using the formula: 220-your age= max H.R