I recently learned of a new study out of Harvard comparing strength training and cardio to belly fat in men so I took notice. I of course thought the study would once again prove what we all know and that is cardio burns fat, while strength builds muscle. There have been numerous studies over the years to confirm this. However there was a big difference with this study. First the outcome was a surprise. Second previous studies were a short range of time, while this one was a long range of time.

The study looked at the fitness habits of 10,500 healthy males 40 plus years old. The surprising outcome was that those who did 20 minutes a day of strength training accumulated half as much fat as those who did only cardio. This really surprised me. I’ve known that strength training has been shown to be essential in aiding bone mass along with some fat burning. However I never thought it would be shown to burn more fat. Of course the study also showed that the men who did both had the best outcome. Also the study was based on a 20 minute workout and longer of course had better results.

What to do? Well obviously you want to do both strength and cardio. There is no doubt about the benefits of each to create a healthy, trim, and fit body. Before I learned of this I changed my workouts to include both strength and cardio in them. I did this more as a way to reduce my time at the gym. As I’ve aged I’ve questioned my need to be there for over 2 hours. I would do cardio every day for an hour and on my strength training days I would add another 45 minutes, then abs, and finally stretching. Now on strength days I mix the cardio and abs in between my sets and finish in an hour and 15 minutes. I admit I feel great and feel tighter overall now. My routines along with following the TLS Weight Loss Solutions that I coach others in has me back in clothes that I stopped wearing back when I was in my 40’s and I love it.

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