Health in motion: 15 questions and answers about physical exercise –

8 – Do aerobic sessions always burn fat and strength ones gain lean mass?

“There is a big misinterpretation there. Physiologically speaking, we are aerobic beings — that is, the main energetic substrate used in our movement is the lipid layer. Therefore, people think that exercising for a long time is what effectively makes burn fat”, says Marcos Paunksnis.

However, the professional claims that other modalities also expend energy. Bodybuilding itself is an example. As well as the HIIT (high-intensity interval training), known to generate high caloric demands during and after exercise (Epoc effect). “Not to mention that when we increase our muscles, it accelerates the basal metabolic rate. In short, you end up spending more calories per day and burning more fat”, adds Wagner Favale.

When we build muscle, we burn more calories and fat in the stationary state.

Already for the hypertrophy, bodybuilding is still considered the main strategy. “Actually it will vary according to conditioning. A sedentary person can indeed have hypertrophy with functional training — but for a bodybuilding athlete, this may not be the best option”, says Marcos.

Despite your goal, that doesn’t mean you should dedicate yourself to just one, okay? “If I only focus on strength training, I improve my muscular system, but I neglect the cardiorespiratory system. The same goes for the opposite. Today, we know that prioritizing the health of the body as a whole is the smartest thing to do”, explains Wagner.