This is the ultimate question, right?  The standard answer is- go for a walk, or go to the gym.  Let’s just say you go to the gym and you have a choice of the treadmill and the weights.  What do you do?  It has actually been researched.  They compared a resistance training session to an aerobics session of similar intensity for 27 minutes each.
Results:
Resistance training - Metabolism was cranked up for

90 minutes afterwards
Aerobics - Only 30 minutes

Calorie expenditure for 30 minutes afterwards:
Resistance training – 95 Calories
Aerobics – 64 Calories

Spend your workout  time wisely.  Start with the weights.  If you still have time then do the cardio. 

It is even more effective when combined.
One study took 35 obese people and had them either diet (1500 calories), add aerobics, or weights and aerobics.
After 12 weeks all lost between 20-22 lbs. BUT…
Diet only - 7 out of 10 lbs. was fat loss (=3 lbs. of muscle loss) (=decrease metabolism)
Diet and aerobics - 8 out of 10 lbs. was fat loss
Diet, weights, aerobics - 9.5 out of 10 lbs. was fat loss

Similar results were obtained from a second study that lasted 6 months.
Aerobics 1hour, six days a week = 16.3lbs fat loss.
Weights 3 days, Aerobics 3days = 19.7lbs. fat loss.

So why does that work?  It is really because the resistance training has a longer metabolic boost AFTER the exercise.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Exercise, Weight loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.