What it is:
Today, Apeiron Life Senior Physical Performance Specialist John Snyder, is going to break down how exercise affects weight loss and the types of training most effective to reach your goals.
What the science says:
Weight lifting, interval training, and steady-state cardio are all effective forms of exercise that can contribute to weight loss when combined with a proper diet. Each has its unique benefits and considerations. Let's compare them in the context of weight loss:
Weight Lifting (Strength Training):
Benefits for Weight Loss:
Muscle Building: Strength training helps build lean muscle mass. More muscle increases your resting metabolic rate, leading to more calories burned at rest.
Afterburn Effect: Intense weightlifting sessions can elevate your metabolism for hours post-workout, contributing to calorie burn.
Improved Body Composition: As you lose fat and build muscle, your body composition improves even if the scale doesn't show a significant weight loss.
Considerations:
Lower Initial Caloric Burn: While strength training is effective for long-term weight loss due to muscle gain, it may not burn as many calories during the actual workout as cardio exercises.
Potential for Muscle Gain: Some individuals may gain muscle mass while losing fat, which can initially result in little to no change on the scale.
Interval Training (HIIT - High-Intensity Interval Training):
Benefits for Weight Loss:
Efficient Calorie Burn: HIIT workouts can burn higher number of calories in a short time due to their high intensity.
Afterburn Effect: HIIT can elevate your metabolism and continue calorie burn after the workout.
Time-Efficient: HIIT workouts are often shorter, making them suitable for those with busy schedules.
Considerations:
Intensity: HIIT can be very demanding and may not be suitable for everyone, especially beginners or those with certain medical conditions.
Recovery: Adequate recovery time between HIIT sessions is essential to avoid overtraining and injury.
Steady-State Cardio:
Benefits for Weight Loss:
Calorie Burn: Steady-state cardio can burn a significant number of calories during the workout, especially during longer sessions.
Lower Impact: It's typically lower impact than HIIT, making it accessible for a wider range of fitness levels.
Stress Reduction: Steady-state cardio can have a calming effect and help reduce stress.
Considerations:
Time-Consuming: Steady-state cardio often requires longer durations to achieve the same calorie burn as interval training.
Lower Afterburn: It may not have the same afterburn effect as HIIT, so calorie burn post-workout is generally lower.
In summary, strength training is best for building muscle, which in turn boosts long-term metabolism. Interval training is effective, with immediate calorie burn and a long-term metabolism boost. And steady-state cardio is great for low-impact, calorie burn with the added benefits of endurance improvements and stress reduction.
Interval training and Long, Slow, Steady-State Cardio
These two types of exercise differ in many ways and allow an individual to reach different goals. Interval training involves exercises at a high-to-maximal intensity with a designated amount of rest in between bouts. It targets specific energy pathways and can be done with a wide variety of training modalities, including running, cycling, swimming, rowing, resistance training, or any other type of exercise that does not involve large eccentric movements. It is great for targeting the highly metabolic visceral fat (VAT). Anaerobic and High-Intensity Interval Training training should not be performed until you have a firm base of aerobic endurance. Limit higher-intensity interval training sessions to 1-2 days per week to allow your body to recover and reduce injury probability. Steady-state cardio focuses on endurance and long-term health outcomes such as mental health and joint health.
Interval Training:
Intensity: Interval training involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by periods of lower-intensity recovery or rest. This high-intensity phase gets your heart rate up quickly.
Duration: Interval workouts are typically shorter in duration because of their high intensity, often lasting 20-30 minutes.
Calories Burned: You can burn a significant number of calories in a short amount of time due to the high intensity. Plus, the afterburn effect (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC) means you continue to burn calories post-workout as your body recovers.
Benefits: Interval training can help improve cardiovascular fitness, increase metabolism, and improve insulin sensitivity.
Long, Slow, Steady-State Cardio, Low Intensity:
Intensity: This type of cardio exercise involves maintaining a consistent, moderate-intensity pace for an extended period, such as jogging or brisk walking.
Duration: Steady-state cardio workouts are often longer, ranging from 30 minutes to several hours.
Calories Burned: While slow, steady-state cardio burns calories during the workout, it may not have the same EPOC effect as interval training, so the calorie burn post-workout is generally lower.
Benefits: Steady-state cardio can help improve endurance, provide a low-impact option for those with joint issues, and promote relaxation and stress reduction.
In summary, selecting your workout depending on your current needs can help you reach your goals efficiently and effectively. Areas to consider include:
Time: If you have limited time for exercise, interval training can be more time-efficient due to its shorter duration and potential for a higher calorie burn.
Fitness Level: Interval training can be more challenging, so if you're a beginner or have certain physical limitations, starting with slow, steady-state cardio may be a better option.
Variety: Some people find interval training more engaging because it offers more variety in terms of exercises and intensity levels. This can help with long-term adherence to a fitness routine.
Injury Risk: Steady-state cardio is generally lower impact and may be a better choice if you're concerned about the risk of injury.
Combination: Many people incorporate both types of training into their routines. For example, you might do interval training a few times a week and steady-state cardio on other days to keep things interesting and balanced.
To get started, below is a sample interval training session:
Aerobic Interval Training
Performing bouts of exercise at or above your lactate threshold
Minimal 4 minutes of work
Work:Rest ratio = Around 3:1 or 4:1
Example: 4m on, 1m recovery
Benefits: Improves VO2max and anaerobic metabolism.
Anaerobic Interval Training
Performing bouts of exercise near your VO2max
2-10 minutes of work
Work:Rest ratio = Around 3:1
Example: 3m on, 1m recovery
Benefits: Improves anaerobic metabolism and running tempo.
High-Intensity Interval Training
Performing bouts of exercise at or above your VO2max
<30 seconds of work
Work:Rest ratio = Around 1:5
Example: 20s on, 100s recovery
Benefits: Improves muscular endurance and rate of recovery.
As exercise and nutrition are interlinked, how you perform each habit can have different outcomes. One area to focus on is the difference between exercise in a fed versus fasted state.
Working Out Fasted:
Pros
Increased Fat Oxidation: Exercising in a fasted state can potentially enhance fat burning because, in the absence of readily available carbohydrates, your body may rely more on stored fat for energy.
Improved Insulin Sensitivity: Fasting before exercise may improve insulin sensitivity, which can help regulate blood sugar levels and potentially have long-term benefits for weight management.
Cons
Decreased Performance: Some individuals may find that their workout intensity and performance are reduced when they exercise in a fasted state. This can make it harder to maintain a high level of effort during the workout.
Risk of Muscle Breakdown: In a fasted state, your body may not have enough readily available energy, which can lead to muscle protein breakdown. This is a concern if you're aiming to preserve or build muscle mass while losing weight.
Working Out in a Fed State:
Pros
Increased Energy: Eating before exercise provides your body with readily available energy from carbohydrates, which can improve workout performance and help you work out harder and longer.
Reduced Risk of Muscle Breakdown: When you consume protein and carbohydrates before working out, you can help protect your muscles from excessive breakdown, which is especially important if you're strength training or trying to preserve muscle mass.
Cons
Delayed Fat Burning: Exercising in a fed state means your body may initially rely on the energy from the food you've eaten rather than tapping into stored fat for fuel. However, over time, your body will still burn fat during and after the workout.
Digestive Discomfort: Eating too close to your workout can lead to digestive discomfort, such as cramps or nausea, during exercise.
In summary, the approach to utilize for weight loss comes down to personal preference, individual responses, and the type of exercise you're performing. Neither approach is definitively better than the other for weight loss. What matters most is the overall energy balance—calories in versus calories out—over the course of the day. And your ability to be consistent long-term with the chosen exercise.
If you enjoy working out fasted and it doesn't negatively impact your performance or well-being, you can continue to do so. On the other hand, if you find that you perform better when you've had a small meal or snack before exercising, that's a valid approach as well.
Our take:
Your success long-term is dependent on the lifestyle you lead, the goals you’ve set, and your ability to stay consistent in the long run. We offer a wide array of physical activities and nutrition programs to optimize your health and reach your weight goals.
Will this benefit you?
Recognizing there is no one-size-fits-all approach to optimal health is the first step to reaching your potential and enjoying the journey toward the health goals you’ve set for yourself. Speak with your Apeiron Life Client Advocate for a personalized approach to training, nutrition, and overall health.
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