Why Does Cardio Make Sense?

I'm a big believer in weight-training. Not only does it build muscle, but it also builds bone strength and helps burn fat, but new studies are casting doubt on the fat-burning benefits of weight training alone.

While it's true that increased muscle in your body will help you burn more calories at rest, the difference is pretty minimal. For each pound of muscle you gain, you burn between 30-50 calories more per day. We're talking about a tablespoon of salad dressing.

Weight training is also touted to have great after-burn effects. That is, it keeps your metabolism revved up longer than if you were to do cardio. This however, is based on you working at 75% of your maximum heart rate for a prolonged time, and few people weight train at that intensity.

Finally, if you're looking to burn calories, studies have shown that high intensity cardio (running an 8 minute mile, etc.) burns twice as many calories as vigorous weight lifting.

So if you're looking to lose weight, you definitely need to incorporate cardio into your routine. That being said, cardio alone will not give you the benefits of stronger bones and increased strength, not to mention a toned body.

I guess the moral of this story, as always, is that you should incorporate both cardio and weights in your workout for the best overall benefits.