Trying to shed excess fat? Then you should mix cardio and strength training. This way, you’ll build lean muscle and burn fat while increasing your metabolic rate. The key is to strike a balance between the two. Too much cardio can slow down your metabolism and lead to muscle loss. Knowing how to balance cardio with strength training can be challenging. Here are some tips to help you out:
Set Your Goals
Assess your goals and decide how much weight you want to lose. Consider your body type and fitness level. Do you gain muscle easily? Are you naturally slim or heavy? What type of cardio have you done so far? Keep in mind that you can not lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. In order to shed fat, it’s necessary to create a calorie deficit. Muscle building requires a calorie surplus. The best thing you can do is to preserve as much muscle as possible while losing fat.
Create a Workout Plan
Depending on how much time you have, schedule three to five strength training sessions per week. Each session should last 40 to 50 minutes. You can do cardio immediately after weight training or anytime throughout the day. For example, some athletes do cardio in the morning and lift weights in the evening. Others start the day with strength training. It all comes down to your preferences.
Choose a Type of Cardio
Not all forms of cardio are created equal. HIIT burns the most calories, but it’s not suitable for newbies. Steady state cardio works well for most people, but it’s boring and time consuming. Swimming, hiking, tennis and other sports are great for weight loss too. Decide what type of cardio suits your needs, then plan your workouts accordingly. In general, HIIT sessions last eight to 20 minutes. If you choose steady state cardio, limit each session to 40 minutes.
Check out our Cardio Sculpt routine below to kill two birds with one stone. There’s plenty more where this came from on gymra.com:
