Should you do cardio or lift weights?

Cardiovascular exercise (cardio) is a form of aerobic activity. It increases breathing rate, burns calories quickly, and Check this improves overall endurance. Examples of aerobic exercise include cycling, dancing, jogging and running, and swimming.

The ACSM defines anaerobic exercise as intense physical activity of short duration that uses fuel from energy sources within the contracting muscles rather than relying on inhaled oxygen. Lifting weights and sprinting are both examples of anaerobic exercise.

Strength training, including weightlifting, helps people gain muscle, which speeds up metabolism and burns more fat in the long term.

How long do the effects last?
Cardio generally has less prolonged aftereffects on muscle gain and metabolism than lifting weights. Cardio does have long-lasting effects on the overall cardiovascular system and heart hearth.

In many studies, experts use “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption” (EPOC) to measure this effect. EPOC refers to the amount of oxygen that the body requires to return to its pre-exercise or resting state.

For example, researchers working on a 2014 studyTrusted Source used EPOC to measure the positive effects of cardio on men with metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that can lead to heart disease and diabetes.

Lifting weights usually leads to higher EPOC levels than cardio, resulting in more significant muscle breakdown. This means that the body continues to burn calories even after completing a weightlifting workout.

Which aerobic exercises burn significant calories?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source recommend the following high-intensity aerobic exercises to burn calories effectively:

jogging or sprinting
competitive sports, such as football, basketball, and soccer
jumping rope
inline skating or rollerblading at a fast speed
cross-country skiing
swimming laps

For example, riding a stationary bicycle at a moderate pace for 30 minutes may burn between 210 and 294 calories depending on a person’s body weight. Cross-country skiing for 30 minutes may burn between 198 and 293 calories depending on a person’s body weight.

Calculating the calories that weightlifting burns
Online calculators can help a person establish how many calories they burn, taking their weight and physical activity of choice into account.

In general, weightlifting for 30 minutes can burn between 90 and 126 calories, depending on a person’s body weight. Vigorous weight lifting for 30 minutes may burn between 180 to 252 calories, depending on a person’s body weight.

For example, the Calorie Burn Rate Calculator outlines various calorie burn counts depending on body weight and the type and intensity of physical activity.

Similarly, the Omni Calculator uses the activity type and duration to estimate the total number of calories that a person burns. It also helps predict how much weight a person can expect to lose.