" CARDIO" IS GARBAGE
5 Reasons Why Your Current Cardio Training Should
Be Tossed Out in 2009.
Part 2 of 6
REASON #1: IT DOESN'T MAXIMIZE FAT BURNING
"OK, so today we are going to do 30 minutes of cardio, then we'll do our weights. For cardio, this week we're really going to push you and you're going to work within your 'fat-burning zone' at 70% of your max heart rate. Then we're going to hit 3 sets of 10 of three exercises for your bi's today, to really get your arms looking good. OK, what channel do you want to watch?"
This conversation can be heard in commercial gyms across the country, and it signifies one of the things that is hugely wrong with many trainers and the fitness industry these days. While there certainly are many forward thinkers in the industry, the bulk of the Personal Trainers out there get complacent and end up doing what they've done for years. These tired programs may or may not be providing results for their clients, may or may not be in line with the latest research or the actual science behind real training, and is probably just a re-tread of something they were told to do years ago that they are still implementing. That, my friends, is how clients get frustrated and ultimately fail.
So let's look at this typical idea of "cardio." When most people are doing their "cardio," it probably means that they are locked onto a machine (treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary bike, etc) for a minimum of 20 minutes, performing a session at or around a low-to-moderate intensity (don't be offended here folks, to do something for 20 or more minutes straight, it HAS to be low-to-moderate intensity, by definition!). As is known by most, this is termed an aerobic workout. That is, one that is performed with ample available oxygen, to be circulated in our bodies by the blood vessels to supply nutrients to our muscles, begin to repair the muscles that are working, and to flush away metabolic by-products that our bodies do not use. Traditional research states that it takes about 20-30 minutes or so of an elevated heart rate (usually prescribed around 55-75% of an age-predicted maximum heart rate), to get into the phase of aerobic exercise where we use fat as fuel. This is accurate. It should also be noted that with aerobic exercise, we burn calories ONLY during the actual activity time. Remember this one, we will come back to it next week!
So this is a good thing, right? You're reading this saying, "That's it! I want to use my fat as fuel. Get me into that fat-burning zone, I want to get rid of my fat!!! Not so fast...
Science supports a number of findings with aerobic exercise that have not been properly published and promoted, and have led to HUGE amounts of frustration and physical "plateauing" with people that regularly exercise:
1. Let's start with the "Fat Burning Zone." Not sure where the popularity of this came from, but this is a huge misnomer when you really look at the science practically. It is true that the body burns a higher percentage of fat during these low-intensity (55-75% of max HR) aerobic routines. Actually, the body burns about 50-55% of calories from fat during lower intensity activities, versus 30-35% from fat with higher intensity activities. However, this statement does not take into account the total amount of calories burned in the workout. With a higher intensity workout, MANY more total calories will be burned, hence a greater amount of total fat calories. A study published in 1994 by Tremblay, Simoneau, and Bouchard looked at the "Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism." The study looked at a group of people doing 15 weeks of high intensity interval training versus another group of people doing 20 weeks of lower intensity aerobic training. The results showed that the interval, high intensity group showed 3 times greater fat loss than the lower intensity group.
2. Now, let's talk efficiency. With regular and repetitive "cardio" workouts, the body absolutely becomes more energy efficient. This means that it adapts very quickly, and the energy it takes to run the same amount of distance or time (assuming the same speed) is less. This is a great thing, right?!? NO!... at least not when it comes to fat loss. The training effect means that you will now burn less fat in the same aerobic session to complete the same workout (if you purchase one of those brand new "energy efficient" central air conditioning systems for your home, you'll be SAVING energy, right?). When that training effect sets in, most people's answer is to go longer. This brings about free time as an issue. Who has MORE time to spend on exercise in a day? Most people are squeezing workouts into their schedules as it is! Plus, our bodies are phenomenal at adapting, so you're just going to run into the same issue again down the road. You could increase the speed or intensity for the same amount of time, which is the better option. What you will find, then, is going to begin to approach the ultimate conclusion of this report... increasing the intensity of your workouts, to anaerobic levels, is the way to go. We'll get to the good details of these workouts soon.
3. Now for the good physiology stuff... here's where the real breakthrough science comes in! Many experts are now starting to believe, based on both research and sound training experience, that regular long distance aerobic training contributes to fat storage... yes, I said STORAGE! Didn't see that one coming, huh? It has to do, again, with our body's ability to adapt to exercise, and in how it does this. In looking at an example at the exercise response logically, we can look to weight training. The body does not actually get bigger or stronger during strength training. The act of strength training causes what's called microtears in your muscle fibers. The body then responds by repairing these tears, and the progressive result is a bigger, stronger muscle. When applying this same logic to aerobic training, when employing these workouts, we are actually encouraging the use of fat without building metabolically active muscle. The belief, then, is that the body's response is to slow down your metabolism and allow the body to store fat. Remember, the body always adapts.
Compound this issue, with the research that shows aerobic exercise has been shown to stimulate the release of a hormone called cortisol from the adrenal glands. The body's response to this release is to conserve glucose, encourage the use of fat, and inhibit muscular uptake of amino acids. This, again, initially sounds like a good thing. But, in accomplishing this, you also become more efficient at using fat. And we already discussed just how detrimental efficiency is to overall fat loss!
So, you see where I am going with all of this. THESE items are the latest in training knowledge and research, and are the foundation for a new movement of successful, long-term fat loss programming. If someone, whether face-to-face or online, suggests that you need to do "30 minutes of cardio 3 times per week" to lose weight... RUN AWAY FAST!
Remember, I began last week's article with asking you to rethink your ways in 2009. The take-home from this week's report is this:
In your exercise sessions, begin to reconsider 2 items:
1. The type of activities you perform (i.e. traditional "cardio" versus variations of interval workouts). While we have not yet discussed the actual workouts you should be doing, you should now have the idea that it does not involve doing anything at one pace for a minimum of 20 minutes straight!
2. The intensity at which you perform these activities. If you can maintain your activities for 20 minutes straight, it's not intense enough! If you can concentrate on watching a sitcom on TV while exercising, it's not intense enough! If you can talk to your trainer in front of you, it's not intense enough!
In Part III next week, we'll take a look at the second reason your current "cardio" program is garbage, and should be thrown out...
Reason #2: "You're only burning calories while you work out."
Yours in Strength,
Jesse
PS. The latest in fat burning programs is already available online!! Take a minute to check out www.worldwidesportsperformance.com!
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