When most people think about fat loss, the first things that come to mind are endless cardio sessions and cutting calories. While those approaches are effective at creating a caloric deficit, more calories out than in, this strategy is missing a critical piece of the puzzle, strength training. If you want lasting fat loss and not just temporary weight loss, lifting weights needs to be part of the plan.
From a physiological standpoint, strength training helps preserve and even build lean muscle tissue while you’re in a calorie deficit. You might be thinking I'm a little bias, since I own a gym that does strength training, but the truth is that muscle is metabolically active, it stores glycogen, increases insulin sensitivity, and raises your resting metabolic rate. In other words, what it means for your fat loss, is that the more lean mass you maintain, the more energy your body burns at rest. Conversely, without strength training, dieting and cardio alone can lead to muscle breakdown, which lowers your metabolism and makes fat loss harder to sustain.
Strength training also changes the way your body uses fuel. By improving mitochondrial function (as we know my previous write up) and increasing enzymes involved in fat oxidation, your muscles become more efficient at burning fat during both rest and exercise. This is why its common for members to notice better body composition results when resistance training is at the core of their program, compared to cardio-only approaches.
There’s also the question of aesthetics. Most people who seek out personal training at AIM Athletic, don’t just want to lose weight, they want to look more toned. That “toned” look is really just the combination of lower body fat and enough muscle mass underneath the skin to create shape. Cardio and diet alone might shrink the number on the scale, but without resistance training you’re also losing muscle, which makes it nearly impossible to achieve that athletic, defined look. Maintaining and building muscle through strength training is what allows fat loss to translate into the appearance most people are actually after.
That being said, it doesn’t mean cardio has no place in a fat loss program, it supports energy expenditure and cardiovascular health, but it isn’t essential for shedding fat. In fact, too much cardio combined with aggressive dieting can backfire, leading to fatigue, muscle loss, decreased hormone function and stalled progress. The smarter approach is combining structured strength training with a nutrition plan that supports a moderate calorie deficit, so fat loss happens without sacrificing strength or energy.
At AIM Athletic, this is built into how we program. Whether it’s small group sessions where we balance intensity and volume, personal training tailored to your goals, active rehab that restores lean tissue after injury, or hockey training designed to keep athletes lean and powerful, the emphasis is always on maintaining muscle while improving body composition. That’s what allows fat loss to be sustainable and performance-driven, not just a number on the scale.
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