"What type of cardio is best to lose weight?"
This is a very
common question and one that I get almost daily. The answer may surprise
you. Are you ready? Here is is: Exercise is actually not a very
effective way to lose weight. Now
this may sound crazy, coming from someone who specializes in exercise
but it's true. Exercise is great for many things but it has proven
relatively ineffective for weight-loss. Let me explain..
While
many people think that cardio is the key to weight loss and more
importantly, fat loss; research and anecdotal evidence shows it just
doesn't work very well. For example, over the years I have done seminars
for hundreds of runners. One of the things I ask every group is why
they started running. Most say "to lose weight" and yet most of them
admit that they haven't lost much, if any and in fact , many report
actually gaining weight!
There are a few reasons for this. First off, it
is almost impossible to out-cardio your mouth. It takes 3 minutes to
eat 300 calories and about 60 minutes to burn those calories. You will
lose that contest every time. (Side note- although your favorite cardio
machine may tell you you are burning 300 calories in 30 minutes or
something crazy like that, you are not. The machines notoriously
over-estimate your calorie burn. Think about it.. If you were really
burning so many calories, why are you not losing more weight?)
The second
point is that traditional cardio increases the appetite and more often than not,
you will end up consuming more than you burned. Not good for weight
loss. Resistance training, while the best tool for building muscle and
sculpting and reshaping the body, it is historically not very effective
for weight loss either. So what does work for weight loss or fat loss?
It is very simple and something bodybuilders have been doing for years.
(And by the way there is no group of athletes that loses bodyfat more
consistently or more effectively than bodybuilders, who routinely
achieve bodyfat levels of below 7%.) A low or reduced carbohydrate diet
is the most effective way to lose weight.
Combined with a solid and
consistent resistance training program and a "little" cardio (20 min, 3x
per week), a low carb diet will give you the lean and toned physique
that most people are looking for. While it is tempting to believe that
you can eat crap and burn it off with cardio, you can't. Lots of people
try this approach, and those are the sad individuals who you see
virtually chained to the cardio machines at the gym for hours and hours,
yet they are still overweight. They will stay that way forever until
they accept the reality that eating properly is the only way.
In addition to my Ebook, The PROGRAM- Nutrition Protocol for fat loss and muscle gain, this is a great Low Carb Cookbook.
**
Special footnote: Once you have grasped the concept of low carb,
moderate fat and moderate protein eating as outlined in my Ebook The
PROGRAM, you can add Metabolic Acceleration Conditioning to your
routine. This type of interval cardio actually does burn tons of
calories and increases the metabolism in a way that is completely
different than traditional cardio. Contact me here to learn more about
this type of training.
Hook up with me here: Online training, nutrition (Ebook- "The PROGRAM- Nutrition protocol for fat loss and muscle gain.") and inner circle membership and support- www.theprogram.trainerize.com
