Lifting Weights Boosts Metabolism More Than A Cardio Workout

As I start to consider my plans for 2010, I still have a hard time with the idea that weights boost metabolism more than a cardio session. I am so used to using cardio for calorie burn that I forget the benefit of muscle and its calorie burn. In some sense, I think there has been a gender bias around cardio for women because of the fear of building too much muscle and looking like a man. But the bottom line is that men can lose weight faster and stay leaner because of their muscle. The same thing with body-fat; how can a woman be healthier with twice as much body fat as a man. I realize there are reasons genetically but in reality women are expected to carry a heck of lot more body fat than men. When you strength-train you can increase your calorie burn; aerobic exercise doesn't significantly increase your lean muscle mass and the best way to gain muscle is with resistance training. So, when I go into the new year I am focusing on building more lean muscle mass and using my cardio sessions specifically to work the heart muscle not to burn calories.