Does Cardio Boost Your Metabolism?
We Asked an Expert If Cardio Boosts Your Metabolism, and We Didn't Expect This Answer
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There's no denying that building muscle is important, but cardio also plays an important role when it comes to your metabolic rate. "When you do cardio, you're burning calories. You're burning 60, 100, 200, 500 a session; it depends on how much you do. This is by default increasing your metabolic rate to a large degree," he explained. Cardio isn't better than lifting weights and vice versa; what's best will depend on your goals. But, when looking at it solely from improving your metabolic rate, cardio causes you to expend more energy/calories per workout than weightlifting.
We're not saying abandon your weights and never lift again. Like with most things, you need a balance of both. Strength training will help you preserve the muscle you have, build muscle, lose weight, and improve your metabolic rate. Cardio will improve your vascular endurance, lose weight, and also speed up your metabolic rate.
One day of strength training or doing cardio won't be enough to improve your metabolism for the long-term. Both should be done consistently if you want to improve your metabolic rate, commonly referred to as boosting your metabolism.
To get a good mix of both cardio and strength training, try the following workouts: