Lifting and weight loss: How strength training helps burn calories

If your idea of training for weight loss still centres around cardio exercise and brisk walking, you’re not alone. But while pounding the pavement or sweating through spin class has its place, there’s another (arguably smarter) tool that deserves a starring role in your exercise routine: strength training.

Yes, we’re talking lifting weights. Not just for bodybuilders or gym bros. This is for anyone who wants to lose weight, shift body fat, and keep it off.

Because here’s the secret most mainstream fitness advice skips: muscle is metabolically expensive [1]. The more lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn, even while you’re sleeping, emailing, or deciding what to eat for lunch.

That’s why lifting and weight loss go hand in hand. It’s not just about burning energy during a session — it’s about boosting your resting metabolic rate and shifting your entire body composition over time.

What are the health benefits of weight training?

Strength training isn’t just a key component of any effective weight loss journey. It’s one of the most well-rounded, evidence-based things you can do for your overall health [2].

Whether you’re using free weights, resistance bands, weight machines, or just your bodyweight (hello, push-ups), resistance training supports better movement, leaner physiques, and longer-term function.

Unlike aerobic exercise, which mainly burns calories during the activity, weight training turns your body into a 24/7 furnace, burning more calories throughout the day as your muscle mass increases [3].

Here’s how regular strength training benefits your body and brain:

Burns fat while preserving muscle

When you’re trying to lose weight, the end goal is to reduce body fat while maintaining lean mass. Lifting helps preserve muscle tissue during a calorie deficit, ensuring you burn fat without sacrificing strength [4][5].

Increases resting metabolic rate

Muscle mass is metabolically active — it requires more energy to maintain. So, as you build lean muscle mass, you’re also boosting the number of calories your body burns at rest [3]. That means more results, even on your rest days.

Improves body composition (and confidence)

The goal isn’t just to weigh less, it’s to weigh better. Lifting helps shift the ratio of fat to muscle, improving your body composition even if your body weight stays the same [5]. The result? A leaner, more defined frame, and a wardrobe that fits the way you want it to.

Supports healthy ageing and independence

As we get older, we naturally lose muscle strength and bone density. Weight training helps combat this decline, improving balance, coordination, and joint health. For older adults, it’s one of the best ways to maintain independence and prevent injury [6].

Lowers disease risk

Research from organisations like the National Institute of Health shows that regular strength training can reduce the risk of certain diseases [7].

Boosts mood, focus, and mental resilience

It’s not just about the body. Strength training has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, improve sleep, and increase confidence [8]. Something about lifting heavier weights tends to carry over into handling life’s heavier stuff, too.

Can you lose weight by lifting weights?

Yes. Lifting weights can absolutely help you lose weight. But here’s the catch: if your only metric is the number on the scale, the results might not look linear. That’s because as you build muscle mass and reduce body fat, your body weight might stay the same (or even increase slightly), especially in the early stages.

What matters more is your body composition. You’re replacing fat tissue with denser, stronger lean muscle mass, which means smaller waistlines, better energy, and clothes that fit like they were tailored for your progress.

More importantly, weight training supports long-term, sustainable fat loss by changing how your body uses energy. Unlike aerobic exercise, which primarily burns calories during the session, strength training increases your resting metabolic rate, allowing you to burn more calories even after you’ve left the gym [9].

That makes it a powerful tool not just for shedding body fat, but for keeping it off, especially when combined with a balanced diet, smart recovery, and an exercise routine that evolves as your strength does.

How does weightlifting burn fat?

It all starts with muscle. Muscle tissue requires energy to maintain, even at rest. So the more lean body mass you have, the higher your baseline energy expenditure becomes.

That’s why strength training doesn’t just burn calories during your session — it keeps your body in an elevated metabolic state for hours afterwards, in a process called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (or, if you're fancy: EPOC) [3].

During a weight lifting session, you push your body through vigorous activity, breaking down muscle fibres that require energy to repair and rebuild. This process ramps up fat metabolism and carbohydrate usage, helping to burn fat more efficiently, even while you recover.

And when paired with proper nutrition and adequate protein intake, those microtears turn into more muscle mass, which turns into a body that burns more calories around the clock.

Crucially, resistance training also helps protect against muscle loss during periods of calorie restriction. When people lose weight through diet alone, they often shed both body fat and muscle mass — a combo that tanks metabolic rate and makes fat loss harder to sustain.

But by incorporating strength training exercises that hit major muscle groups, you preserve the very tissue that keeps your metabolism high and your results consistent.

What type of weightlifting is best for fat loss?

The most effective strength training for weight loss focuses on compound movements that recruit major muscle groups and maximise calorie burn in a short time.

Think squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, push-ups, and presses — movements that involve multiple joints and muscles working in unison. These exercises create a greater metabolic demand and trigger more muscle growth, which translates into higher energy expenditure over time.

In terms of structure, lifting heavier weights with moderate reps (6–12 per set) and shorter rest periods tends to be more effective than ultra-high rep, low-weight routines. But variety matters.

Free weights, resistance bands, bodyweight circuits, and even weight machines can all play a role in a balanced training for weight loss plan, especially if you’re working with a personal trainer or following a tailored programme.

The key is progressive overload: challenging your muscles more over time so they adapt, grow, and continue fuelling your fat loss goals.

Smart strategies for lifting and fat loss:

• Focus on full-body sessions: Hit multiple muscle groups 3–4 times a week for maximum impact
• Include both push and pull movements: Balance out the upper body and lower body for improved symmetry and strength
• Use progressive overload: Increase reps, sets, or weight over time to keep your muscle mass increasing
• Minimise rest (without rushing): Shorter rest periods (30–60 seconds) keep your heart rate up and boost energy expenditure
• Pair with cardio: Mix in aerobic exercise or brisk walking on alternate days to support heart health and recovery
• Don’t skip rest: Rest days are when the real gains (and fat burning) happen — honour them

Cardio vs strength training for weight loss

When it comes to losing weight, it’s not about choosing sides. It’s about understanding what each type of training actually does.

Cardio exercise (like running, cycling, or brisk walking) is great for burning calories during the workout, improving heart health, and getting your blood pumping. It’s accessible, effective, and for many people, a great starting point.

But if your goal is long-term fat loss and improved body composition, then strength training (formally called resistance training) is the smarter investment.

Lifting weights helps you build muscle, which in turn raises your resting metabolic rate. That means you burn more calories throughout the day, not just while you’re exercising. It also helps preserve lean muscle mass while reducing body fat, so you’re not just smaller, you’re stronger, more capable, and metabolically efficient.

For optimal results? Do both. Because they don’t compete, they complement [10].

Cardio vs strength training for weight loss

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How to approach weight loss

First things first: weight loss doesn’t mean sacrificing muscle mass, obsessively cutting calories, or chasing some magic number on the scale. It’s about improving body composition, reducing body fat percentage, and increasing lean muscle mass, all in a way that supports your overall health.

That means an intelligent mix of strength training, a balanced diet (protein matters), recovery, and yes, some cardio exercise if it suits you. You’re not just trying to lose weight — you’re trying to change how your body looks, feels, and performs.

It’s also worth remembering that different bodies respond differently. What works for one person may not work for another, and that’s okay. Your weight loss journey should match your goals, your lifestyle, and your physiology.

It’s not about perfection, it’s about staying consistent, managing progress, and adapting over time. Tracking changes in strength, energy, body fat, and mood will often tell you more than your body weight alone.

The Compound Programme gives you a clinically backed roadmap for fat loss, performance, and metabolic health. You’ll get access to diagnostics, medical treatments (including metabolic support), and personalised training and nutrition protocols, designed to help you burn fat, build muscle, and feel sharper from day one.

It’s not just another programme. It’s your next chapter — with structure, support, and results that actually stick.

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