So many people have the wrong idea when it comes to cardio in terms of fat loss. I am constantly hearing from hundreds of clients the same thing over again “I run 5 x per week and I cant lose weight” or my favourite ha ha “I do 3 spin classes and 3 zumba classes per week and I still cant lose weight”.
Now lets get one thing straight, you do not have to complete HIT (high intense training) cardio to lose body fat, you will certainly have a high level of fitness but you are able to get this in a much more effective way whilst losing body fat and gaining or maintaining lean muscle. Lean muscle mass will burn fat at rest so it is imperative to include a strength training program into your weekly regime. Strength training and especially HIIT (high intense interval
training) will not only shoot your fitness levels through the roof but it also has an EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption) effect which means you will continue to burn fat for many hours after the training session is complete, compare this to a run, spin class or zumba class in which once you complete the session your fat burning ceases, these classes also pose a higher risk of injury. I dont mean to be a kill joy, dont get me wrong, if you absolutely love your classes then do it but do not expect to get the body you desire from doing so. If you are performing these classes first thing in the morning after fasting, then you will certainly be burning fat but along with this precious lean muscle cells and possibly cells from organs, and as muscle burns fat then you are defeating the purpose of trying to burn fat through constant aerobic activity.
There is also another factor that we need to take into account, that is you cant out train a bad diet! I find it hard to not laugh when I see a group of ladies from the gym who have just completed a class together then meet up for coffee and cake at the nearest cafe lol! As you can imagine their physiques never change.
The verdict!!
HIT cardio does have its place, but if you are relying on this for fat loss alone, you may aswell give up now!
HIIT cardio is great for fat loss in controlled amounts and is a fantastic way of changing things up to ensure you do not plateau.
STEADY STATE CARDIO – This is the best cardio for fat loss as when your heart rate is under 130BPM you effectively burn fat and the chances of burning muscle is much less.
KEEP IN MIND – NO CARDIO WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN YOUR FAT LOSS ATTEMPTS IF YOU ARE CONSUMING FAR TOO MANY OF THE WRONG TYPE OF CALORIES.
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Ash Mason