Is cardio or weight training better for weight loss?

Reviewed 4 November 2026 · How these numbers are calculated

Cardio burns more calories per session; weights keep your muscle while you lose fat. For a person of 80 kg (176 lb), an hour of running at 6 mph burns about 660 extra calories against 320 for an hour of compound lifting. In trials, cardio groups lost more weight, weight-training groups gained muscle, and people who did both improved their body composition most. For fat loss the calorie deficit does most of the work; exercise decides how much of what you lose is fat.

Calories burned: cardio vs weights

Extra calories per hour, by body weight
Activity	60 kg	80 kg	100 kg
Brisk walking4.8 METs	230	305	380
Running, 6 mph9.3 METs	500	665	830
Cycling, moderate8 METs	420	560	700
Rowing machine, hard7.3 METs	380	505	630
HIIT7 METs	360	480	600
Circuit training5 METs	240	320	400
Weights, compound lifts5 METs	240	320	400
Weights, general3.5 METs	150	200	250

Extra calories above resting, from 2024 Compendium METs. Weight sessions include rests between sets, which is why their per-hour numbers are lower.

Any activity can be looked up in the calories burned calculator; lifting in detail: calories burned lifting weights.

A week of each, in calories

Extra calories a week for an 80 kg (176 lb) person
Plan	What	Per week
Cardio only	4 × 45 min jogging (5 mph)	1,800
Weights only	3 × 60 min compound lifting	950
Both	3 × 60 min lifting + 2 × 30 min jogging	1,550
Both + steps	The same + 3,000 more steps a day	2,150

Extra calories above resting. Steps for 175 cm. Per week ÷ 7 = the daily boost to your maintenance.

Even the biggest plan here adds about 300 calories a day: useful, but a modest change in food matches it. Exercise makes a deficit easier; it rarely replaces one.

Does muscle burn more calories?

A little. Resting muscle burns about 13 calories per kg a day, against about 4.5 for fat. Gaining 2 kg of muscle, a good year of training for many people, raises your resting burn by roughly 26–43 calories a day (the Katch-McArdle equation gives the higher figure). The real value of muscle in a diet is different: keeping it means the weight you lose is fat, and you look and feel better at the end. More on what really raises your burn: how to boost your metabolism.

The afterburn (EPOC)

After hard exercise your body burns a little extra while it recovers. Reviews put this "afterburn" at roughly 6–15% of the session's calories, a bit more after intense intervals or heavy lifting. That's tens of calories, not the hundreds some programmes promise, so don't count on it.

What the studies show

In an 8-month trial in adults with overweight, the cardio group lost more weight and fat than the weight-training group, the weight-training group gained lean mass, and the combined group lost the most fat for its body size.
When people diet, resistance training is the most reliable way to keep muscle, especially with enough protein (protein to lose weight).
HIIT and steady cardio give similar fat loss when the calories are similar; HIIT just takes less time.

The best plan for fat loss

Set a calorie deficit of about 0.5% of your weight a week (calorie deficit calculator).
Lift 2–3 times a week, whole body, with progressively heavier weights.
Walk daily: steps add more over a week than most people expect (steps to lose weight). Work out a walk with the walking calorie calculator.
Add cardio you enjoy if you have time: running, cycling, rowing, sports. Running or walking? See walking vs running.

Will weights make women bulky?

No. Women build muscle more slowly than men, and in a calorie deficit muscle gain is slow for everyone. Lifting while dieting keeps shape and strength; it doesn't add size you didn't eat for. More in body recomposition.

Sources

Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A third update of the energy costs of human activities. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 2024;13(1):6-12. doi:10.1016/j.jshs.2023.10.010
Willis LH, Slentz CA, Bateman LA, et al. Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults. J Appl Physiol 2012;113(12):1831–1837.
Wang Z, Ying Z, Bosy-Westphal A, et al. Specific metabolic rates of major organs and tissues across adulthood: evaluation by mechanistic model of resting energy expenditure. Am J Clin Nutr 2010;92(6):1369–1377.
LaForgia J, Withers RT, Gore CJ. Effects of exercise intensity and duration on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. J Sports Sci 2006;24(12):1247–1264.
Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B. Preserving healthy muscle during weight loss. Adv Nutr 2017;8(3):511–519.
Wewege M, van den Berg R, Ward RE, Keech A. The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev 2017;18(6):635–646.