Strength training for fat loss
Strength training is a very good way to burn fat compared to many other sports. This is based on the so-called afterburning effect. This means that the muscles continue to burn fat even after their actual effort.
This effect is all the greater the more the muscles are stressed. Long, moderate endurance training thus almost exclusively ensures energy consumption during acute stress, while intensive strength training, during which the musculature is heavily stressed, has a significantly greater afterburning effect, i.e. it ensures an increased energy turnover even after the actual stress. Nevertheless, fat loss is only possible if the calories consumed exceed the calories supplied, i.e. the body is in a calorie deficit.
According to studies, however, optimal fat burning is achieved through so-called high-intensity interval training. Here phases of maximum stress alternate with phases of moderate stress that are three to four times as long. However, a “targeted” fat burning on certain parts of the body by training the muscles located there is not possible. Where the fat loss starts first and where last is subject to individual factors and cannot be demonstrably influenced by targeted training. It is considered normal for men to have a body fat percentage of 15-25%, while women usually have a slightly higher body fat percentage of 20-30%.
Strength training and fat burning
Many athletes assume that fat can only be burned through targeted endurance training.However, the actual fat burning takes place in the muscle cell, and the more muscle mass, the more fat is burned. Losing weight through strength training is definitely possible. At the same time, muscle building is another component that helps to lose weight.
As with all weight loss projects, the simple principle applies here too: the body’s calorie consumption must be greater than the amount of calories it consumes. Only in this way is our body forced to break down our stored energy reserves in the form of carbohydrate storage and also fat tissue. The muscle gain resulting from strength training supports us in this process, just as the training method itself does.
During intensive strength training, the so-called afterburning effect occurs after the training session. An increased energy consumption of the body in the hours after the actual exercise, which correlates with the intensity of the training. The additional muscle tissue is responsible for an increased calorie turnover, since muscle tissue has a higher calorie consumption for its maintenance metabolism than fatty tissue.
The more muscular our body is, the more calories it burns, even when we are not exercising. It should be noted here that the calorie consumption in strength training depends on the intensity of the training. So the more intensive I train, the more calories I burn during the workout.
Strength training is normally characterized by longer breaks between the individual load units, in which no strain is placed on the body and therefore no increased calorie consumption takes place. Permanently performed exercises such as running, swimming or cycling therefore provide a higher calorie consumption due to their constant load. Various sources on the Internet indicate a consumption of approx. 500kcal per hour for strength training, whereas one hour of so-called cardio training (running, swimming, cycling) can burn up to 750kcal. In the long term, however, the muscle mass gained through strength training is able to increase the basal metabolic rate – the normal calorie consumption without physical activity – because the energy supply for the muscles leads to an increased passive calorie consumption and the so-called afterburning effect sets in during strength training.
