Does Weights or Cardio Burn More Calories?

We already know that weights and cardio both go hand in hand for maximum results to your fitness routine, but which one actually burns more calories?

There have been thousands of studies done on this topic it seems, but there’s ONE thing that needs to be made clear:

If you are interested in getting in shape, the MOST important thing you can do for yourself is adjusting your diet and focusing on a clean eating plan which has you snacking often, such as this one.

Your diet is responsible for 75% of your weight loss success or failures. Having a freaking awesome clean diet can get your body to places you never imagined before. Load up on lean proteins, lots of greens, colorful fresh veggies, fruits, and whole carbohydrates and try to stay away from fast foods and things that come pre-packaged.

Let's start with cardio. Cardio is wonderful if you have a few hours to burn your time with,  just happen to love running, or have no idea what you are doing in the gym. But it has been proved time and time again that it is NOT as effective as weights in the terms of calorie burn.

So why isn’t cardio efficient when it comes to burning calories? There’s very little Exercise Post Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) with cardio, which means you only burn calories when running; not much happens afterwards.   This term refers to how long your metabolism is elevated after exercise, enabling you to burn fat long after finishing your workout. EPOC takes place because your body needs energy to repair your muscles after you've challenged them. Studies show that a well-designed strength program can elevate your EPOC or metabolism for up to 38 hours after the workout.

Per minute, cardio burns more calories than weights, which could explain why compared to strength trainers, aerobic exercisers lose more weight in less time, according to a recent Duke University study.

Still, cardio doesn't do much for your muscles.

Case in point: In one Penn State study, dieters lost 21 pounds whether they performed cardio or strength training. But for the cardio group, six of those pounds came from muscle, while the lifters lost almost pure fat—and probably fit into their skinny jeans better because of it. The goal is not to lose muscle and whither away here-it is for a toned and sexy physique.

Strength training is the number-one way to build more muscle. And for every three pounds of muscle you gain, you can expect to burn an extra 120 calories a day without moving a single one of those muscles! Cool, right?

According to Harvard Medical School, a 155-pound person performing a weight lifting workout burns 112 calories in 30 minutes. However, a 240-pound exerciser expends 133 calories in 30 minutes of doing the same workout. A 155-pound person who jogs at 5 mph for 30 minutes burns 298 calories, while the 185-pound exerciser uses 355 calories in half an hour. By session, cardiovascular workouts clearly burn more calories than weightlifting exercise. "While it is evident that cardiovascular exercise burns more calories than lifting weights, the amount of calories burned after weight training is higher,” reports the CTER Eportfolio System website. Metabolism increases after cardiovascular exercise only lasts 30 to 60 minutes, whereas post weight training metabolism increases up to 38 hours.

The verdict?

A combination of cardio and resistance training gives a multitude of health benefits and will not only result in fat loss, but also tone, and strengthen your body, but it all depends on what your goals truly are.

No matter your goals, one thing is to remain certain: No matter how much exercise you do to burn calories, if you are eating too much and consuming too much energy, you will not get the fat loss that you are aiming for.