If you work out regularly, you probably know that strength training is key to building muscle, improving strength and boosting endurance, while cardio is essential for keeping your heart and cardiovascular system healthy. But when weight loss is the goal, the question becomes a little more complicated: which type of exercise helps you burn more fat, and does it matter whether you do cardio before or after lifting weights?
Eric Roberts, a fitness coach with eight years of experience who has trained more than 25,000 clients, is breaking down whether performing cardio after strength training really helps you burn more fat. In an Instagram video shared on August 21, the fitness coach highlights, “Does your body burn more fat if you walk after you lift weights? Technically, yes, but not in the way you think.”
Does your body burn more fat after lifting weights?
Many people finish a weight-lifting session with cardio because of the belief that strength training primes the body to burn more fat. According to Eric, while the body can use both carbohydrates and fat as fuel, walking after a strength-training session may help increase fat oxidation – but the science behind this is a little more nuanced.
The fitness coach explains, “Your body can burn two things for energy: carbs or fat. When you lift weights, your muscles use all of your carbs for energy. So after you get done lifting, all of your carbs are used up. So what is left to burn is fat. So yes, your body will burn fat for energy if you walk on the treadmill after you lift.”
Most effective fat loss method
As mentioned earlier, your body may rely more on fat for fuel when you perform cardio after strength training, but there is an important catch: this does not necessarily mean you are burning stored body fat. Stored fat, or adipose tissue, is the body’s primary energy reserve, where excess calories are stored as triglycerides. According to Eric, the key to reducing these fat stores is maintaining a calorie deficit over time.
The fitness coach explains, “Here’s the catch: just because you’re burning fat for energy during that specific walk does not mean you will lose stored body fat. Because the only way you lose stored body fat is by eating less calories than what your body burns on a daily basis, aka, a calorie deficit. So, sure, walking after a lift can help you burn some extra calories to get in the calorie deficit, but no matter what, to lose fat, you need to fix your nutrition.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
Eric Roberts is a Northern Virginia-based fitness coach and the founder of fitness platform ericrobertsfitness.com which focuses on strength training, fat loss and performance. Certified by ISSA in Personal Training and Fitness Nutrition, and holding a Precision Nutrition (PN1) certification, he advocates a practical, research-backed approach to fitness, emphasising consistency, hard work and sustainable, long-term results over quick fixes.
