It’s working…
Postpartum, I wanted nothing more than to lose the baby weight I gained since my new body was a horrible reminder of our tragedy (see post). I aggressively started taking SoulCycle classes just two weeks after I gave birth in hopes it will help me get back to my normal weight and it did, however, I learned that cardio like spinning and running only allows your body to burn calories during the exercise where as strength training on the other hand, keeps your body burning calories at a higher rate for hours post exercise. I spoke with my personal trainer and CEO of M.O.V.E NJ Fitness & Performance, Jarrett Hahn for the 411.
“ “Think of a strength program as your base and everything else should act as a complement to your base program.” ”
“The problem with running and spinning for weight loss is that they are primarily aerobic,” explains Jarrett. “Aerobic exercise can help with some fatty acid mobilization, but do not create the metabolic disturbance you want when weight loss is the goal.”
When exercising for weight loss, creating a metabolic disturbance is necessary, which is why resistance training is the way to go. It helps elevate levels of EPOC for hours following your workout, making you more metabolically active and in turn burning more calories.
As someone who enjoys mixing up my workouts, I asked Jarrett how much of our week should be dedicated to resistance training if weight loss is the goal. If typically exercise three to five hours per week, make three of them weight training and use the other two for cardio if you enjoy it. “Think of a strength program as your base and everything else should act as a complement to your base program.”
