Lifting weights boost your metabolism more than a cardio

When you strength-train enough to add 1.5 kilos of muscle, you increase your calorie burn by 6 to 8% – meaning that you burn about 100 extra calories every day. Aerobic exercise, on the other hand, doesn’t significantly increase your body’s lean muscle mass. “The best way to gain muscle mass is to do resistance training,” notes Nisha Varma, Delhi based fitness instructor.

“You want to focus on exercises that recruit the largest muscles and use two-part movements, such as squats, pushups, and any exercise that combines upper – and lower-body movements, because they will help you build more lean mass, “says Experts. 

“People who exercise at very high intensities, experience a post-exercise boost in resting metabolic rate that is larger and lasts longer, compared with those who work out at a low, or moderate level,” adds Varma. Up the effort of your workout and you can expect to burn at least 10% of the total calories used during the workout, in an hour or so after exercise. So, if you do a combo of walking and jogging for 6.5 kms (about 400 calories) instead of just walking, you may burn and extra 40 calories in the next few hours.

“Infuse your workout with bursts of speed. Gradually, work your way up to 2-minute intervals, 3 days a week,” Experts  suggests