Cardio & Fat Loss
Cardio. Everyone has an opinion on it.
Some swear that in order to lose weight, you need to be performing cardio…lots of cardio.
Others never even step foot in the cardio section of the gym for fear of losing all dem gainz!
Personally, I hate cardio. More specifically I hate traditional cardio; walking, running, biking, elliptical…you know, the stuff you see 95% of the people at commercial gyms performing for extended periods of time.
Don’t get me wrong, cardio has its uses and many people enjoy doing it. Cardio is great for heart health. If you want to be a better runner you need to run…if you want to get better at biking, you need to bike.
But as far as fat loss is concerned, cardio can be a poor time investment. And I don’t know about you, but if I am going to be spending an hour at the gym, I want to get the most out of my time as possible.
Inefficiently Efficient
The problem with most forms of cardio is that people perform the same workout day after day, week after week, thinking they are getting the same results every time. They see the ‘calories burned’ on the machine and think they are getting a great workout.
First, those numbers can be highly inaccurate; never trust them.
Second, and more importantly, the more you perform an exercise at the same intensity and duration, the more efficient you get at it. Makes sense right? Our bodies are incredibly adaptive machines. The more you perform an activity, the better you get at it, and the less your body has to work to perform it.
From a calorie burning perspective however, this is bad. The more efficient our bodies are at performing an activity or exercise, the less energy we expend, and the fewer calories we burn. So the more you perform the same workout, the fewer calories you burn each time.
Basically, the more inefficient you are at something, the more calories you will burn.
Cardio 2.0
In order to get the most out of your workouts, you need to maximize your intensity. When it comes to burning calories intensity>duration.
By increasing the intensity of each workout, rather than the duration, you can do more work in less time, thus burning more calories while keeping your workouts shorter.
But how do we increase intensity in our workouts?
The two most effective ways are by incorporating High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT). Both of these modes of exercise tap into the anaerobic energy system, which means that your body will be working to consume more oxygen both during and after exercise. By increasing your body’s oxygen consumption, it is forced to work harder to recovery, thus burning more calories over time.
Now you may be thinking, “Sounds great! But how do I incorporate those into my training program?”
Lucky for you, I have the answer!
I am excited to announce the release of my first ebook!
In Cardio 2.0, I discuss in detail why traditional cardio methods are poor time investments when it comes to fat loss, and outline how to create an effective, calorie burning, “cardio” workout!
Also included are 35 fat-blasting finishers, conditioning and total body workouts to help take your training program to the next level!
And the best news….
It is completely 100% free!
That’s right, I am giving this away free to everyone!
All you need to do is sign up for my newsletter by filling out the form below, and I will personally send you the Cardio 2.0 ebook.
That’s it!
Sign up for my newsletter and get 35 awesome workouts free! You get all kinds of awesomeness including the latest from the blog, free workouts, recipes, the best articles from around the web, and much much more!
Check it out and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
