Which is better for fat loss? Both. Yes, I said BOTH. Depending on your level of exercise experience, daily diet habits, and types of workouts you habitually do, adding one or the other can help accelerate your fitness goals. Common Thought and Practice HIIT/Circuit workouts burn more calories by the end of a 45 minute class than a traditional 1-2 hour heavy weightlifting session. So by that math, the more calories burned = the more fat lost… We’re missing a few key factors: Though you burn more calories in the moment, once your heart rate comes back down to its normal resting rate, your body is no longer tapping into its fat stores for energy. The human body is lazy, and doesn’t like things the difficult way. So if this is your only method of exercise, over time, your body will adapt. Which means, you’ll have a lower “in workout” heart rate, which in turn, means less fat stores tapped and less fat burned off. Resulting in what's commonly known in fitness as a “plateau”. Heavy weight lifting is much more effective at helping you build muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. Faster metabolism = less body fat. Heavy weight lifting, results in tears in your muscles, causing the body to repair and rebuild them, by using calories and fat stores, which is how we become stronger. This process can take place for the next 48-72 hours after a weightlifting session, depending on the intensity. Final Answer: Both HIIt/Circuit Training and Weightlifting are key to fat loss. That’s the bad news, but here’s the good news!But, How?
