If only the wonderful feeling of exhaustion that follows your morning run was the actual reflection of the calories you burn during the workout. And no matter how much we’d all like for the treadmill to be more than enough to lose those love handles, it’s a common misconception that leads people to create cardio-exclusive training routines, which then hinder your progress.
If you’re scratching your head in confusion and disbelief, read on to find out why cardio shouldn’t be your one and only weapon in the battle of weight loss, and how you can customize your training to reap the greatest rewards.
The fat pitfall of cardio
When you take the “cardio is effective for weight loss” sentence out of context, it makes perfect sense to then use this godsend of a workout to shed those extra pounds. But that’s not the whole story. First and foremost, to be more precise, people looking to lose weight actually aim to lose fat, and cardio is not an effective tool in the fat-loss race.
Endurance cardio workouts that focus on prolonged medium intensity training target your muscles as well, and they are your best fat-burning buddies you could possibly wish for. So, while you are burning calories, you are actually burning muscles along with fat. That’s why people who rely on moderate cardio workouts alone end up with a “skinny fat” physique.
Endurance vs. strength
Unfortunately, hogging the elliptical won’t give you powerful gams, either. Cardio exercises primarily target those slow-twitch muscle fibers which build up your endurance, and not your strength. You might feel a nice “pump” afterwards, but the effect wears off quickly, and so does your calorie-burning ability, meaning that you stop burning calories as soon as you stop performing the exercise.
Resistance training, on the other hand, is a mighty muscle-building ally, as working with heavy weights for a few reps (1-5) recruits your fast-twitch muscle fibers, the ones responsible for generating strength, and burning fat even long after you’ve thrown your gym wear into the laundry basket. And don’t worry, there isn’t enough weight in this world to give you the Schwarzenegger look, you simply don’t have the testosterone to produce it, so there goes your excuse to avoid the squat rack. Just make sure you get yourself some reliable weightlifting shoes, which will help you achieve the proper posture and get you in the right stance. Lifting, if not executed properly, will not get you the desired results.
Endurance teamed up with strength
When it comes to working out for weight loss, the verdict is as follows: you cannot rely solely on cardio to lose weight, but if you combine it with resistance, you’ll be well on your way to build a healthy physique. Use light jogs and walking to get your heart-rate up before you move on to compound lifting movements such as the squat, deadlift, bench and overhead press, and when you master the form, strive to lift more weight in the low-rep range.
You can also use HIIT training as your cardio portion of the workout, while complementing your heavy lifts with compound exercises for volume – lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, hip-thrusts, rows, and so on. Such a combination will help you boost your metabolism by building muscle, get stronger and get rid of excess fat by burning more calories than you consume.
Munch your way to health
While we’re on the subject of burning more than you consume, no matter how excruciatingly demanding those workouts get, no healthy fat loss can happen if you still eat too much and too poorly. First of all, those displays that tell you how much you’ve burned already – they’re lying.
Everyone has a unique metabolism and genetic predisposition, so you cannot rely on the numbers on the cardio machine. A healthy diet is a staple of weight loss, supported heavily by your strength and cardio routine, and you can do your research, craft your nutrition plan on your own, or consult a professional to help you outline the dos and don’ts.
Fat loss is, in essence, a multidisciplinary challenge, and even when you attain your goals, the healthy choices you’ve made up to that point should become a lifestyle that will help you maintain your desired weight, stay healthy and grow stronger every day.
