Lindsay Zahner debunks the myth that high-rep workouts burn fat while low-rep training only builds muscle. Muscles can't tell the difference between fat loss and muscle gain; fat loss comes from a calorie deficit, not rep count. For women over 40, strength training preserves muscle while a deficit reveals the lean look.
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Fat burning workouts are bullshit. So if you're working out to burn fat, you might be missing the point. But Lindsay, aren't high reps for toning and burning fat and low reps are for building muscle? Nope, that's not how this works. Your muscles don't know whether you're trying to lose fat or build muscle. Strength training has the same job either way: build muscle or preserve the muscle you already have. Fat loss comes from a calorie deficit, not from doing 30 reps instead of 10. And not from choosing a workout because it promises to torch calories. If you're a woman over 40 who wants to look leaner, the goal is to lose fat while holding onto your current muscle. So stop chasing workouts that promise to melt fat. Strength train to build or keep your muscle. Then create a sustainable calorie deficit to lose the fat covering it. That's the secret to toning, by the way. And if you come across an influencer trying to sell you a special fat-burning workout like it's some secret formula, run.