I just started back with personal training for my client Jasmine.
She wants to lose another 5kg in the next 6 weeks.
So far, she’s lost 13cm from her stomach the past year and has made an incredible change. She feels confident wearing different clothes now.
Today (the 10th June 2025), we did a strength session.
We pair this style of training with high intensity cardio, the right calories, and the right protein for fat loss. The personal training session started out on the assault bike for 2 minutes at medium pace.
Then we wen’t do 1 arm bent over row for 12 reps. Superset with goblet squat for 12 reps. We did one warm up set on each, then moved into 12kg for each exercise. And ended up on the last set at 15kg for goblet squat. Then we did back extensions with bodyweight for 15 reps, superset with flat bench press with dumbbells for 12 reps.
We used 60 seconds rest between exercises here for more fat burning. The low rest periods help keep the heart rate up. We then did bicep curl shoulder press, superset with walking Dumbell lunges. And then finished with intervals of 20 seconds on the assault bike!
Does strength training help with fat loss?
Yes. Strength training can reduce body fat while helping you retain the muscle that gives your body shape, strength and function. It is most effective when it is combined with eating habits that create a manageable energy deficit and enough recovery to train consistently.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 58 studies found that resistance training alone produced modest reductions in body-fat percentage, fat mass and visceral fat compared with no exercise. The important point is not that lifting magically burns fat. It gives you a strong training stimulus while your overall food intake and daily activity determine whether body weight falls.
Why lifting belongs in a sustainable fat-loss plan
- It protects useful tissue. A well-designed resistance program tells your body that muscle is still needed while you are losing weight.
- It improves what you can do. Getting stronger makes daily movement, walking, stairs and recreational activity easier.
- It provides measurable progress. Repetitions, loads and movement quality give you useful goals that are not tied only to the bathroom scale.
- It supports long-term maintenance. A routine you can progress for months is more useful than a short burst of punishing workouts.
How often should you strength train for fat loss?
For most beginners, two or three full-body sessions each week is a practical starting point. Australia’s current movement guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity involving the main muscle groups on at least two days per week, alongside regular moderate-to-vigorous and light activity.
More sessions are not automatically better. The right frequency is the amount you can recover from and repeat while your technique and performance improve. A trainer may start you with fewer exercises or lighter loads if you are returning after a long break, managing pain or balancing training with a demanding week.
A simple full-body structure
A useful session can be built around four to six movement patterns:
- A squat or step-up
- A hip hinge, bridge or deadlift variation
- A push such as a wall push-up, dumbbell press or overhead press
- A pull such as a cable row, band row or dumbbell row
- A carry or trunk exercise
- Optional short conditioning suited to your fitness level
Begin with one to three working sets per exercise and finish most sets with a few good repetitions still available. Add repetitions, load or control gradually rather than trying to exhaust yourself every session. The best program is individual: exercise selection should reflect your experience, available equipment, movement confidence and any advice from your health professional.
Do you still need cardio and daily movement?
Strength training and cardio solve different parts of the problem. Lifting develops strength and helps preserve lean mass. Walking and other aerobic activity support cardiovascular fitness, increase weekly movement and can make an energy deficit easier to achieve. Most people benefit from combining them instead of treating the choice as weights versus cardio.
How should you measure progress?
- Use a consistent weekly weight trend rather than reacting to one weigh-in.
- Take waist or other measurements at the same time and under similar conditions.
- Track repetitions, loads and exercise technique.
- Notice changes in energy, sleep, clothing fit and everyday capacity.
- Review the plan if strength is falling quickly, recovery is poor or the approach feels impossible to maintain.
Common questions
Can you lose fat using strength training alone?
You can, but no single exercise guarantees fat loss. Results depend on the balance between energy intake and expenditure over time. Strength training is valuable because it improves strength and body composition even when scale changes are gradual.
Is cardio or strength training better for fat loss?
Neither needs to replace the other. Cardio often uses more energy during the session, while resistance training builds or maintains strength and lean tissue. A sustainable plan normally uses both in proportions that suit your goals and preferences.
When will you see results?
There is no reliable universal timeline. Training history, food intake, sleep, medication, health conditions and starting body composition all matter. Look for gradual changes across several weeks rather than expecting a dramatic transformation from a short challenge.
Get a plan built around your starting point
Fitness Image provides mobile personal training in Melbourne for people who want an individual strength and fat-loss plan. You can also read how our broader training for weight loss approach works or compare personal training prices and packages.
