Exercise for fat loss | Peak Physique VIPs

By popular demand, this blog post will be comparing the benefits of endurance cardio, HIIT cardio and resistance exercise in the role of fat loss.

“What sort of training should I be doing to lose weight?” is probably my most commonly asked question, so I thought I would cover this in this weeks blog!

So, what’s the difference between these training modes?

Interval training – a cardio workout that mixes higher-intensity and lower-intensity exercise. It is generally performed for a shorter period of time than endurance workouts.

Endurance training – a cardio workout that increases endurance capacity. This is generally performed at a low- intensity to moderate-intensity level for a lengthy period.

Resistance training – involves moving your body against a resistance/any force that makes the movement harder to perform. Resistance can be provided by moving your body against gravity, adding resistance using cables or bands, or by adding weighted equipment such as dumbbells, barbells and kettle bells.

When it comes to fat loss – which is better?

Endurance training, when regularly performed, induces major adaptation in muscle. Muscle fibre mitochondrial content is increased, the major metabolic consequences of this is a slower utilization of muscle glycogen and blood glucose, a greater reliance on fat oxidation and less lactate production during exercise. These adaptations play a very important role in the body’s ability to perform prolonged exercise at increasing intensities (1).

Because endurance training at about 60-70% VO2 max primarily involves aerobic energy metabolism, you can exercise far longer without fatiguing (2). Exercising at lower intensities for longer periods of time allows the body to use oxygen to help convert fat to energy.

However, when performing endurance training your body can go into a “save energy mode” where it will try to use as little energy as possible to conserve its resources. For this reason, long endurance training sessions can actually be counterproductive if we are trying to lose weight (3). It is so important to get the correct balance in training volume to maintain optimal calorie burning.

Low intensity steady-state training (LISS) involves low to moderate intensity exercise that is capped after 20-40 minutes. This enables us to burn extra calories without putting our bodies at risk – and they are generally capped before our bodies go into this energy saving mode.

Fat loss – Endurance vs HIIT vs Resistance Training

Interval training is performed at a much higher intensity than endurance training. Studies have shown that interval training is much more effective for weight-loss than endurance training (2), this is because HIIT training boosts the metabolism and creates an afterburn effect.

The energy pathways used during HIIT are extremely different to those utilized when performing steady-state endurance exercise. Interval training uses both your aerobic and anaerobic metabolism, this is because your body is trying to generate enough energy to fuel intense efforts.

Research into HIIT shows that the utilization of multiple energy systems seems to have a whole list of other possible benefits, many researchers believe that the hormonal changes that happen during HIIT make fat burning more efficient and effective after the exercise session is finished (afterburn) (2). HIIT helps promote fat-loss, toning and reshaping of the body.

The results of interval training reinforce the notion that for a given level of energy expenditure, vigorous exercise favours negative energy and lipid balance to a greater extent than low to moderate intensity exercise (7). What does this mean? - The metabolic adaptations taking place in the skeletal muscle in response to HIIT programs appear to favour the process of lipid oxidation, leading to an increased fat burning capacity.

Strength and resistance training has several benefits, including an increase in bone density, muscular strength as well as helping to increase lean tissue mass. Increasing your lean muscle mass is associated with increases in resting energy expenditure (REE) and your resting metabolic rate (RMR) (5). This is because it takes your body more calories to maintain muscle than it does to maintain fat, so if you build muscle and reduce fat, you'll burn more calories all day long. Estimates are that for every 1 lb of muscle you gain, your RMR goes up 30-50 calories! (6). Strength training has a much greater level of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption than aerobic exercise. This means that when you finish your workout, your body needs to do a lot of work to replenish itself to come back to a normal state. Doing this takes a lot of energy, and some studies have shown that it can boost your metabolism for up to 38 hours after you finish your workout.

Weight training may increase your weight slightly. But muscle is denser than fat. So, even though your body weight may increase, your body size may shrink and your shape may change.

So, “What sort of training should I be doing to lose weight?”

If you are mainly interested in seeing body composition changes, focusing on a healthy diet and a balanced training regime that incorporates all facets of training is key. I would suggest performing strength training and cardiovascular training 2-3 times a week each to keep it balanced while also allowing your body enough recovery time.

Concentrating on resistance training while eating a clean, healthy diet, may be the ultimate key to success. If you are looking for the simplest, most effective way to reach the right body composition for you, do some weight lifting and choose which type of cardiovascular exercise you prefer—short, intense intervals or long, slow cardio—because either will help produce changes in body composition. I’m a huge advocate for enjoying the training mode that you are doing, it is so much easier to stick to a training program that you enjoy!

- Ash

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