It happens every Monday in every gym across America. No matter what city, no matter what gym, it’s the same old story. People pour through the doors, jump onto a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike and begin an hour of paying for their nutritional shortcomings of the weekend.
It’s a practice that I call “The Cardio Confessional,” where far too many people have this insane notion that an hour spent spinning their wheels on a cardio machine can somehow absolve them of the excess calories consumed the previous day. These people seem to view exercise as punishment and so with sullen expressions they plod along, like a hamster in its wheel, getting nowhere.
Long slow aerobic training is the biggest practical joke in the fitness world. One would think that after all these years people would wise up and see that this exercise philosophy does not work. Marathon-type cardio sessions for the average overweight person are a prescription for disaster. We may as well tell them to go play in traffic! Of course, that’s basically what we are doing, all the while crushing their joints with excess weight and repetitive pounding, and delivering no real results.
But cardio fits our “more is better” philosophy. One woman once asked, “I started out doing five hours of cardio per week. No results. So I upped it to seven hours per week. Still nothing. Do you suggest I do more?”
No, I would not suggest that she do more. I would suggest that she be reminded of the definition of insanity: the idea that I can do the same thing over and over and eventually get different results!
If you are still inclined to believe that cardio is the be-all-end-all of fat loss solutions, consider the results of two studies conducted within the past year. The first, from Australia, showed that cardio did nothing for female fat loss, while interval training burned belly fat. The second, an American study, showed that even doing 300 hours of traditional long slow cardio in a year resulted in less than six pounds of fat loss in both men and women. That equals less than one-third of an ounce per hour!
There’s a better way. Take a peak in the weight room the next time you’re in the gym. Then compare the bodies there to the bodies on the elliptical. You’ll find the sculpted, lean bodies moving dumbbells and doing push-ups, and the plump “never changing” physiques spinning their tires on the cardio equipment.
If fat loss is your goal, you’ll burn fat, get lean, and boost your metabolism with resistance training. Follow your resistance training with a short interval cardio session that will amplify your fat burn and condition your heart and you’ll find yourself out of the cardio confessional and off to the fat burning races!
If you have any questions or comments about this article, feel free to contact me at fitsherpa@gmail.com.
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