Whether you’re a frequent gymgoer, enjoy exercising at home, or focus on cardio out in the fresh air, you most likely know about the divide you may find between individuals seeking specific results. The gym may be stocked full of cardio-focused individuals on treadmills, ellipticals or stationary bikes (among other things). The opposite side of the gym features a mixture of different weight lifting approaches, some doing resistance training and others focusing on building muscle, and a mix of squats, deadlifts, curls and everything in between.
Regardless, for decades, the debate has been the same: Cardio or strength training? Which one actually delivers better results for weight loss?
Now, in 2025, fitness coaches and health experts are weighing in with a surprising twist. While cardio still has its place for heart health and endurance, new research and real-world coaching insights suggest that strength training might be the real heavyweight when it comes to fat loss, metabolism, and long-term health.
Why Strength Training Is Winning the Fat-Loss Battle
Cardio has long been the go-to exercise option for those targeting weight loss. While there’s no denying that an intense run, swim, or any cardio activity you enjoy has legitimate benefits for weight loss, new research has slightly shifted that narrative.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, while cardio burns more calories per hour than strength training, high-intensity strength workouts provide an “after-burner effect” known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. As the site details, this allows you to continue burning calories for up to 48 hours after a strength workout.
Fitness coaches are increasingly vocal about this shift. Many point out that while cardio burns calories during the workout, strength training changes your body’s composition over time, making it more efficient at burning fat around the clock. In other words, lifting weights does more than just help you lose weight; it plays a role in keeping it off.
Cardio Still Matters, Especially for Heart and Longevity
That doesn’t mean cardio is obsolete—far from it. Experts stress that aerobic exercise remains essential for heart health, endurance, and brain function. A 2025 feature from DMC Media Solutions highlights how cardio improves circulation, strengthens the heart, and supports long-term health in ways strength training alone can’t.
Coaches also emphasize the mental benefits of cardio. Even a brisk walk can aid in reducing stress, improving mood, and helping overall focus. While strength training builds the body, cardio helps sustain it, which ensures that your heart, lungs, and mind are as strong as your muscles.
It is noteworthy that strength training is highlighted in studies as a method that has helped to relieve symptoms of depression and improve mood as well, adding an interesting layer to the conversation.
Utilizing Cardio and Strength Training for Weight Loss and Muscle Building
Although this may lead to an internal debate about choosing between cardio and strength training, there’s an easier way to reap the benefits of both.
Alchemy Personal Training suggests alternating strength and cardio days, or finishing a lifting session with a short conditioning circuit. This hybrid approach taps into the best of both worlds: cardio for endurance and heart health, strength for fat loss and body composition.
For beginners, experts recommend starting with two to three days of strength training per week, paired with two days of moderate cardio. Others who frequently go to the gym can likely combine the muscle-building approaches of strength training with cardio benefits during each workout. This could include mixing and matching concepts like muscle-targeted weight lifting for a set amount of time, followed by a brief high-intensity interval training (HIIT), such as sprints.
As Alchemy Personal Training highlights, utilizing a circuit or the HIIT approach mixes aerobic and resistance exercises, setting you up to benefit from both cardio and strength training.
Here’s a quick rundown of a few ways to utilize both strength training and cardio either throughout the week or on a daily basis:
- Alternate days: Do cardio and strength training on different days, focusing your muscle-focused days on either the upper or lower body.
- Combine strength training and cardio: As previously mentioned, you can use HIIT training or mix-and-match sprint intervals with weight lifting.
- Circuit training, or HIIT with a strength focus: The cardio benefits of high-intensity interval training, combined with a focus on strength building, can provide the advantages of both approaches.
It’s important to remember that the approach you take can also depend on where you are in the process. If you’re just getting into the routine, it’s smart to start slowly and mix-and-match days while ramping things up as you feel comfortable.
Whichever approach you choose, it’s important to remember that balancing strength and cardio training will be a key aspect of approaching your workouts. If hypothetically focusing too much on cardio over strength training, or vice versa, simply modify your workout slightly. Try new approaches that cater to your personal preferences. Regardless, by combining the two exercise approaches, you create a program that focuses on the benefits of both strength training and cardio on a near-daily basis.
Related: Best Full-Body Workout Routines: Fitness Coach’s Easy 2-Day Muscle-Building Plan
