If you walk into any big boxed gym you would look around and see a few different things. I notice mainly women taking over the cardio section of the gym, slowly walking on a slight incline, on that boring old treadmill, barely even breaking a sweat. I can guarantee that these women do the same monotonous cardio routine every time they walk into the gym and I can also guarantee that these women are seeing minimal results, if any. These are also the people who will buy a gym membership, come often for the first month, then fall off the radar because of the lack of motivation presented by results. Then I see the free weight section filled with big buff guys and slender females mainly, sweating like dogs in there cut up gym shirts that show off their defined muscles. These gym goers often seem as if they are doing a set structured routine that targets specific muscle groups. They are also the ones who you can tell see results and seem to be dedicated for longer periods of time to their health.
This isn’t just by chance that the people lifting weights have better results, stay dedicated longer, and look and feel better overall. The truth is that initially while doing a structured cardio routine you may burn more calories upfront, compared to doing a structured weight training routine. However, after doing a weight training routine at a moderate to high intensity you will burn more calories in the long run by increasing the body's metabolism. This happens because your body has to use more energy for restoration and growth of muscle fibers, after the use of weights versus cardio. Weight training tends to cause more microfiber tearing, which is a GOOD thing! This tearing causes your body to produce more amino acids, the building blocks of muscles, so that it can repair itself. The body sees these tears as a stimulus to create bigger muscles to better support the activity. Therefore, strength training causes your muscles to grow more and look better. Larger amounts of muscle and less body fat tends to correlate to a higher metabolism. I’m NOT saying that cardio is for the birds, it definitely has its health benefits. All I am saying is that if you want to get more results out of your workout, finding a structured strength training routine will provide greater results, that last LONGER. PLUS strength training can have greater variety, which means it doesn’t become dull and boring. If you aren’t sure what strength training exercises you should be doing to produce the fastest results, I recommend you coming in to see a fitness expert today. Getting a couple solid routines from a professional and a meal plan to support muscle growth is much more beneficial and safer then following a random person on YOUTUBE! Come see a fitness expert today and find the new you!