What if I told you there was a secret way to lose fat and keep it off for good? What if I told you that secret method can also improve the quality of your life and extend it? Would you believe me? And most importantly, would you capture it? Or just let it slip? Because the secret to fat loss and longevity is very simple. It is something that you can do, anywhere, at any time and at any stage in your life. The secret I am referring to is resistance training.

What Is Resistance Training?

Resistance training or strength training involves exercising muscles against an external force or weight to increase strength and endurance. In other words, picking up a dumbbell is resistance training, lifting a barbell, a kettlebell, pulling on bands is resistance training. Pushups, pull-ups, all body weight movements, are forms of resistance training. Walking up a flight of stairs, using the toilet for your morning glory? Yes, believe it or not, both are also forms of resistance training. The squatting and stepping up motion activate various leg muscles and allow you perform these tasks that many take for granted. But when you are in your last decade of life, these seemingly trivial tasks start becoming extremely challenge and you immediately become aware and thankful for the strength in your legs that allow you to complete these task unassisted.

Benefits of Resistance Training

Usually the first thing people associate resistance training or strength training is muscles. They picture extremely buff bodybuilders such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, whos muscle’s had muscles along with sweaty gym bros who are grunting and throwing weights around like a troop of gorillas. It get immediately categorized as something that isn’t for them, it is only for people who want to either compete in the sport or who are only interested to build muscles for aesthetic reasons.

And its true, while there is an inherent aesthetic incentive to resistance train given that this type of exercise can produce profound changes to your physique, its more important benefits are widely overlooked and not as commonly known. There is a seemingly endless body of literature that supports resistance training for long-term physical, mental and emotional health. The below is a compact list that details some of the ones that I believe are most important when looking to improve your quality of life and lifespan:  

Physical

1. Strength – With it comes the ability to carry, pull, push things with ease and live independently
2. Bone and Joint Health – Builds strong bones by increasing bone mineral density to reduce risk of osteoporosis, fractures. Improve joint stability and function
3. Metabolic Health – Improve insulin sensitivity to manage blood sugar and reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. Increase basal metabolic rate and burn more calories at rest
4. Cardiovascular Health – Improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and heart function
5. Aging Process – Improves the aging process by combating sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), osteoporosis (bone-loss), reduces the risk of falls and serious injury
6. Hormonal Balance – Regulate hormones such as estrogen and testosterone
7. Immune Health – Supports the body’s immune system allowing us to stay healthy

Mental

1. Boosts Mood and Reduces Stress -resistance training releases endorphins, lifting your mood and easing stress for a more balanced state of mind
2. Enhances Cognitive Function – Lifting weight sharpens your memory, focus, and brain health, helping you stay mentally sharp
3. Reduces Anxiety and Depression -Studies show resistance training can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression
4. Reduces Stress-Related Symptoms Regular workouts lower cortisol levels, reducing stress and its physical and mental impacts, such as tension

Emotional

1. Fosters Discipline and Resilience – Consistency in training develops discipline and a mindset of perseverance
2. Improved Self Confidence – Positive image of oneself after achieving fitness goals and improving body composition  
3. Social Connection – Fostering a sense of community and creating new friendships with like-minded individuals

Resistance Training Misconceptions

“Wow, that’s a cool story Adrian and I appreciate the info, but I can always focus on that later in life. I really just interested in losing weight, get toned, slim down and make clothing optional. I don’t want to get huge or concerned about muscles, I rather skip resistance training and just bump my cardio sessions tenfold to run my way into a slimmer body.”  

Got it. And I completely understand and frankly, I don’t blame you. These two common misconceptions that A. resistance training is going to have you looking like The Hulk from lifting weights and b. that the only way to lose fat is to pack on more mileage by doing tons of cardio, is advice deeply ingrained in our society.

Getting too “Bulky” Misconception

If gaining muscles was that easy, we would have a society filled with extremely muscular individuals, the use of performance enhancing drugs would be non-existent and supplement companies would be out of business. The truth is that its hard to pack on muscle, it’s a long, slow process that requires discipline as it relates to proper nutrition, consistently going to the gym, progressively overloading muscles, and adequate recovery. The feat of growing huge, large muscles is especially harder for women given distinct biological and hormone factors such as their inherent testosterone levels (so no need to worry).

Cardio Misconception

Cardio is something we all have a love and hate relationship with. It’s a form of aerobic exercise, one that has numerous benefits including being fantastic for your cardiorespiratory system. Everyone has cardio in their life. They know it feels hard to do. You know it feels hard to do. And that’s because cardio is hard to do. It’s extremely taxing, especially for the untrained. It works out your heart and lunges, makes you sweat, it releases endorphins, and it increases the number of calories burned like nothing else.

However, it doesn’t tax your muscles the way resistance training does. So even though cardio can feel extremely challenging, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most efficient or better in the long run (pun intended) for fat loss. Yes, you’ll burn more calories and can create a larger calorie deficit to speed up fat loss, but cardio alone isn’t the solution to building a more efficient fat-burning machine. In fact, recent research shows that while doing cardio or combining cardio with resistance training can reduce more total fat, resistance training helps preserve lean muscle and leads to similar reductions in body fat percentage — which is really important for lasting changes in your body composition (Churchward-Venne et al., 2023). Allow me to explain.

What happens when you resistance train as opposed to strictly doing cardio is activating your type 2 muscle fibers. These muscle fibers require more calories or energy during workouts as well as after the workouts by boosting Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Additionally, training type 2 fibers depletes glycogen stores (stored carbs) more effectively than aerobic activity, enhancing fat utilization for energy. This type of training helps preserve lean muscle mass, increases our resting metabolic rate, and improves insulin sensitivity, which aids in more efficient glucose use and reduces fat storage (source).

During lower-intensity cardio, your body mainly uses fat for fuel, and as the intensity rises, it starts to rely more on carbs. So yes, technically, cardio taps into fat stores more than resistance training. But here’s the catch: fat is energy-dense, meaning your body doesn’t need to burn much of it to keep you going. So even though fat is the primary fuel source, the actual amount of fat burned during those steady-state sessions may not be as much as you’d think — especially if the workout is short.

That said, cardio is still a powerful tool for burning calories and creating a bigger energy deficit, which helps with weight loss. But if you’re not resistance training, you risk losing lean muscle which helps keep your metabolism high, your body strong, and your body more effective at burning fat in the long run (doubled down on the same pun).

I’m not advocating for throwing out cardio. I’m not saying it doesn’t have its time and place. As a matter of fact, it should be incorporated when taking a holistic approach to wellness. It is a fantastic tool for various reasons and it should combined with a resistance training program especially if the goal is to look as toned, sculpted and defined as possible.

Key Takeaway

I would like to clarify that if you are reading this article for the sole purpose of fat loss, then I must emphasize the fact that resistance training will not do it alone. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters for fat loss is being in a caloric deficit. This is something your nutrition should primarily be responsible for and cannot be overlooked. There is no way to outwork/outrun a bad diet. Resistance training is merely a tool (and a great one at that) to help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

For those of you that are interested in living as optimally as possible, or simple want to move better, be healthier, slow down the aging process, feel strong and look good in the process, then I implore you to incorporate resistance training into your life. Your future self will thank you for it.

Stay strong,

Adrian

For a more in-depth guide to fat loss and resistance training, grab a copy of my eBook,‘Achieve Lasting Results: A Beginner’s Guide to Fat Loss and Resistance Training’.

It’s packed with practical information on nutrition, and resistance training—along with actionable insights to help you make real, sustainable progress on your fitness journey.

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