The Cardio Myth of Fat Loss: Still Wasting Time on Long, Boring Cardio Sessions?
Don’t be fooled into thinking that long, slow cardio is the most important aspect of fat loss. How many times have you been to the gym and seen people on the treadmill for 40, 50, 60 minutes or even longer? Is this the best way to train? It depends on your goals. If fat loss is your goal, then good nutrition and weight training are far more important than long, boring cardio sessions. Add some interval training to the mix and you’ll be on your way to melting fat fast. Research shows that more fat is lost both during and after interval training compared to steady state cardio.
Recent research done in Quebec and also here in Australia has shown that high intensity interval training is more effective for fat loss than low intensity “aerobic” training. The Australian study found that three 20 minute sessions per week for 15 weeks resulted in three times greater fat loss than three 30-40 minute sessions at 60% VO2 max. If fat loss is your goal, forget about working in the “fat burning zone” and put your energy into some intense interval sessions. You’ll work harder, shorter, and smarter by following this approach. Best of all, you’ll break through your fat loss plateaus.
If you’re like me, the thought of letting go of your “cardio king” or “cardio queen” title can be a little daunting. You’ve come to believe that the more cardio you do, the better, and you might even find it quite enjoyable even though it takes several hours a week. You don’t have to completely give up your long cardio sessions. So is there a role for slow and steady cardio? I bet there is! But if fat loss is your goal, this shouldn’t be your primary ways to exercise. Steady-state cardio is suitable for people who are out of shape, for example someone coming back from injury or surgery or someone who hasn’t exercised in a long time. It’s also good for people who want to improve their aerobic fitness, perhaps to take part in a fun run or triathlon, but combine it with intervals. Too much slow, prolonged cardio is wasting your precious time and energy stores.
It can also contribute to overtraining and cause cortisol levels to rise (which will impede your ability to burn fat and actually cause you to store it—the exact opposite of what you want if you’re trying to lose weight). Aerobic exercise has many benefits and will work for fat loss, but it is No the best method. The reason for this is that it doesn’t burn as many calories compared to interval training. Second, it does very little to increase EPOC. We talked about COPD earlier. Basically, when you do slow and steady cardio, the calorie burn stops the moment you step off the treadmill (bike, elliptical, etc.). However, with weight training and interval-based cardio, you continue to burn calories even AFTER you finish exercising. This type of training causes a greater metabolic disturbance in your body and will put you on the path to results. It will make you burn calories while you sleep, which is VERY good.
What about the “fat burning zone” indicated on cardio machines? Shouldn’t you be exercising there?
Some of the cardio equipment has a chart that shows what your heart rate should be if you want to work in the fat burning zone. There really is nothing magical about this fat burning zone and new research indicates that this it’s not the most effective way to burn fat. Working in the fat burning zone is a lower intensity exercise compared to high intensity interval training and will NOT burn as many calories in general. In the fat burning zone, you will burn more energy as fat relative to the other zones, but this does not mean you will burn more fat overall. This is where most people are being fooled. Relative fat burning is not the same as overall fat burning. The fat burn zone is fine for people who are out of shape (as mentioned above), but everyone else should do intervals or work at an intensity higher than the “fat burn zone” and train accordingly. a way that raises the metabolism throughout the day. so that fat can be burned 24/7.
How do I do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
Ideally, you should do your intervals 3 times a week. The other days try to do some light exercise for half an hour. This could be a walk around your neighborhood, doing some yard work, or a low-intensity cardio session at the gym (yes, this is your chance to do some steady cardio if you’re up for it). When you’re doing your intervals, you really want to challenge yourself. Interval training simply means that you alternate between working hard and “resting.” The rest period is an active rest so you don’t get off your bike or treadmill and sit for a while; rather, you keep your body moving but at a much slower pace than when you were in the work phase. An example of interval training on a treadmill would be running for one minute, then walking for two minutes, alternating between the two for a total of 15 minutes. As you get fitter, you can run for one minute and then walk for one minute (shortening the “rest” period). Someone more advanced might alternate between running and jogging, while a beginner might alternate between a brisk walk and a slow walk. The speed or level at which you work will depend on your fitness level, but the work phase should be equivalent to an 8 out of 10 in terms of perceived difficulty. If I tap you on the shoulder in the middle of your interval session and ask you how hard this was, with 1 being easy and 10 being very hard, I’d like you to be at an 8.
An interval program consists of a 3 minute warm up, 12-14 minute interval work alternating between short bursts of work and active rest, then a 3 minute cool down. Your entire cardio session is over in 20 minutes! Wow!! The work phase should never last more than 2 minutes. If you can do more than 2 minutes then you are not trying hard enough. I tend to vary my intervals from workout to workout. For example, one day you might work for 45 seconds and rest for 45 seconds, and another day you might work for 30 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. Mix it up so your body never knows what to expect. The only other rule is to alternate between work and rest for a maximum of 12-14 minutes. If you’ve pushed yourself a lot, this is enough and if you do more, you’ll start burning muscle instead of fat. Finish with a cool down (working at an easy pace for 3 minutes) and you’re done.
When should I do my intervals?
You can do your intervals after your weight training or you can do it on the days between workouts. The most important thing is that you whose do intervals BEFORE you do your weights. I personally like to do weights three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) and then do my intervals right after. On my “off” days I take my dog for a half hour walk.
What equipment can I use?
When you do intervals, you are only limited by your imagination. The easiest way is to use the bicycle or the treadmill. On the bike, you want to have the resistance high for your work period and low resistance for the rest period or pedal very slowly. The treadmill is also good for intervals, but there is a danger of falling off the treadmill, especially when doing explosive runs and sprints. The bicycle is the safest and easiest option for the beginner, but equally suitable for more advanced athletes. You can also use the cross trainer, rower or stair treadmill. You can do intervals without any equipment. For example, you could walk and run in a park or you could walk on the spot and jump with a jump rope in your living room. I like to go out on a sport oval and sprint across the field and jog slowly back. I repeat this 10 times and then finish everything.