Dr. Emily Kaibar says start with strength training, not cardio, for weight loss. She recommends three 30-40 minute heavy lifting sessions per week at 5-8 reps per set, plus 10,000 daily steps for heart health. Building muscle is what makes weight loss stick.
Questions this episode answers
Three days per week, 30–40 minutes per session.
Approximately 5–8 reps per set (heavier loads; last reps should feel like an 8/10 exertion).
Rest breaks between sets of 60 seconds up to 3–5 minutes.
Approximately 10,000 steps a day.
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Should I start with Cardio or Strength.
Training to lose weight?
This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times bestselling author, celebrity nutrition expert, and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong quest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert. Marlyn from Instagram asks, should I start with cardio or strength training to lose weight? Hey, it's JJ and I have thyroid exercise expert Dr. Emily Kaibar here to answer this question. She's a New York City chiropractor, strength enthusiast, and mama to Elvis and baby Brooklyn. She helps women struggling with Hashimoto's learn how to work out without burning out. With using her own program, thyroid strong and making lifestyle changes, she has put her Hashimoto's into remission and fun fact. Emily used to work for Bear Management in Yellowstone National Park. She'll be right back with the answer. Stay with me.
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I think in our society we associate lose weight, do cardio, lose weight, put your running shoes on and go for a run. And I even have clients who expressed to their partners or their husbands like, hey, I want to lose weight. And their partner told them, well, go put your shoes on and go for a run. And I think there is such a misconception about this. I think, you know, at first, a lot of the weight loss with cardio is just water weight. And I think if our goal is to lose the weight in a sustainable way for the long term, we really have to focus on our muscle tissue through strength training, through resistance training. And we know muscle, the more muscle we have, the more calories we burn, even at rest, the more muscle tissue we have, the better chances for longevity in the future. And so with strength training, specifically the big muscles in the body, so like quads, glutes, hamstrings or core strength, full body movements will help us lose weight. And I think for a lot of women, it's hard to let go of the cardio. But I think you will start to see changes in, in your body faster if you work up to three days a week, 30 to 40 minutes, working up to 30 to 40 minute sessions, lifting on the heavier side. So I'm saying let go of those five pound pink weights and start to lift heavy. And what is heavy it is by the last couple reps, if you're going to do 5 to 8 of reps of a certain move, that the last couple reps are very challenging. Challenging like an 8 out of 10 on a scale of perceived exertion, 10 being I can't lift the weight, there is no way. So lifting heavier, lower reps so that you can start to build the muscle tissue. And I know a lot of women are thinking, m, I don't want to get bulky. And I will encourage you and remind you that as women we do not have the hormonal composition, we do not have enough testosterone to get bulky. The second thing would be to be really honest with yourself. To lose weight, we need some slight caloric restrictions. So if we're feeling like we're getting bulky, are we also overeating while we are strength training? So if weight loss is the goal, I would encourage you in a dream world strength training 30 to 40 minutes a day, three times a week, lifting on the heavier side, taking long rest breaks between sets that could be 60 seconds all the way up to three to five minutes and then lastly trying to get our 10,000 steps a day so that we can still maintain our cardiovascular health.
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This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribetojay.com.
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