How to burn more fat with weight training (even more than cardio)

If you’re looking to maximize your workout results in terms of burning fat while building muscle, circuit training and full-body workouts are two excellent approaches to consider. Each offers its unique advantages, whether you’re aiming to build strength, burn calories, or improve overall fitness. 

Circuit training combines quick transitions between exercises, pushing your heart rate higher by blending cardio and strength movements, making it a great option for those focused on fat loss and endurance. In contrast, a full-body workout targets all major muscle groups in one session, providing a more deliberate approach to building balanced strength and functional fitness.

Both methods can be easily adapted to suit any fitness level or goal, making them practical for just about anyone.

Circuit Training

Circuit training is a workout method that involves a series of exercises performed in sequence with minimal rest in between. It combines weight training and cardiovascular exercises, providing an efficient, full-body workout. Circuit training can be tailored to various fitness levels, goals, and equipment availability.

How to Apply Circuit Training:

1. Choose Your Goals: Decide whether your focus is on strength, endurance, fat loss, or overall fitness.
2. Select Exercises: Pick a mix of exercises that target different muscle groups. Aim for a balanced workout that includes both strength and cardio movements. Include exercises like squats, push-ups, burpees, planks, and jumping jacks.
3. Set the Structure: Determine how many exercises will be in your circuit (usually 6-10), the duration for each exercise (e.g., 30-60 seconds), and the rest time between exercises (e.g., 10-30 seconds).
4. Plan the Circuit Rounds: Decide how many rounds of the circuit you’ll complete (typically 2-5 rounds).
5. Warm-up and Cool-Down: Start with a light warm-up to get your body ready, and end with a cool-down to stretch and lower your heart rate.
6. Intensity: Adjust the weights, resistance, or speed based on your fitness level and goals. Keep the intensity high, but maintain good form throughout.

Example of a Circuit Training Workout:

Here’s an example of a beginner to intermediate-level circuit:

• Jumping Jacks (Cardio): 30 seconds
• Bodyweight Squats (Lower Body): 30 seconds
• Push-Ups  (Upper Body): 30 seconds
• Plank (Core): 30 seconds
• Lunges (Lower Body): 30 seconds
• Mountain Climbers (Cardio): 30 seconds
• Rest: 1 minute between rounds
• Rounds: Complete 3-4 rounds total

This structure targets the entire body and includes both cardiovascular and strength elements, giving you balanced and effective weight training in a short time for you. The exercise options are endless. Switch up the exercises frequently to tame the exercise doldrums and keep improving your body.

Full Body Workout

The full-body workout in my opinion is one of the best programs in both building muscle and losing weight, especially for beginners.

A full-body workout is a simple but powerful way to train all the major muscle groups in one session. By incorporating exercises that target the upper body, lower body, and core, you can build strength, improve fitness, and save time. Whether you’re a beginner or more advanced, this type of workout is incredibly versatile and adaptable to your goals.

Why a Full-Body Workout?

1. Time-Saving: Instead of breaking your training into separate days for different muscle groups (like legs one day, chest another), you hit everything in one session. This is perfect if you don’t have time to work out 5-6 days a week.
2. Balanced Muscle Development: Since you’re working all major muscle groups in one go, there’s less chance of neglecting any part of your body.
3. Higher Calorie Burn: A full-body workout gets your heart rate up and keeps it there. More muscles working means more energy (calories) burned.
4. Functional Strength: Many full-body exercises mimic real-world movements, improving your overall coordination, balance, and strength, which translates to better performance in everyday activities.

How to Set Up a Full-Body Workout:

1. Warm Up: Always start with 5-10 minutes of light cardio or dynamic stretches to get your muscles ready.
2. Focus on Compound Exercises: These are exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time (like squats, deadlifts, and push-ups). They’re the most efficient way to build strength and save time.
3. Exercise Order: Begin with the bigger, compound moves (like squats or deadlifts) that demand the most energy, and finish with smaller muscle groups (like arms and shoulders).
4. Incorporate Cardio: If you’re aiming for fat loss or boosting endurance, add in short bursts of cardio between exercises (like jumping jacks or burpees).
5. Core Work: Always include exercises for your core (think planks or Russian twists), as they’ll help with overall stability and performance.
6. Cool Down: End with some light stretching or a few minutes of walking to help your muscles recover and improve flexibility.

Example Full-Body Workout:

Here’s a basic routine that works for all your major muscle groups:

1. Bodyweight Squats (Quads, Glutes): 3 sets of 12-15 reps
2. Push-Ups (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders): 3 sets of 10-15 reps
3. Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows (Back, Biceps): 3 sets of 10 reps
4. Walking Lunges (Legs, Glutes): 3 sets of 12 reps per leg
5. Plank Hold (Core): Hold for 30-60 seconds
6. Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Shoulders): 3 sets of 10-12 reps
7. Burpees (Full-Body/Cardio): 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Tailor It to Your Level:

• If you’re just starting out, use bodyweight exercises or light dumbbells. Stick with 2-3 sets for each movement and focus on your form.
• If you’re more advanced, add heavier weights or increase the number of sets. You can also shorten rest times between exercises to challenge your endurance.

A full-body workout is perfect if you want an efficient way to build strength and burn calories in one session. Plus, it keeps your workouts varied and fun, making it easier to stick with over time!

What you need to know…

At the end of the day, both circuit training and full-body workouts are powerful tools for achieving your fitness goals, each offering distinct benefits depending on what you’re after. Circuit training is perfect for those who want a fast-paced, high-intensity routine that boosts cardio and burns calories while strengthening the body. Full-body workouts, on the other hand, focus more on building strength and maintaining muscle balance, helping you improve functional fitness over time. Rather than choosing between them, why not include both in your fitness plan? Mixing the two can keep your routine fresh and challenging, allowing you to reap the benefits of each and stay motivated on your fitness journey.

References

1. https://sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/hukin-2013-0036
2. https://www.academia.edu/download/78805872/pdf.pdf
3. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1155/2014/191797
4. https://sciendo.com/pdf/10.2478/hukin-2013-0036
5. https://www.academia.edu/download/78805872/pdf.pdf
6. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1155/2014/191797