Cardio is making you FAT!
Tags: Fitness Tips, Fat Loss, Fitness, Running, Health

What if I told you that cardio is making you fat?

In our quest for fitness, somewhere along the line the idea was introduced that you can burn fat by running. While cardio is an effective supplement to an overall balanced workout regimen, too much of it can actually work against you.

Before I go much further, let me be clear: I AM NOT AGAINST CARDIO!

In fact, I believe cardiovascular training is a necessary component to fitness. But there is a method to using cardio for fat loss.

Let’s start by making sure we’re talking about the same thing here. “Cardio” is technically anything that raises your heart rate. So in reality, anything you do that exerts effort can be considered cardio, including weight training. More often than not, “cardio” is synonymous with steady pace (10 min or more) activities such as running, cycling, elliptical machines, etc.

For our intents and purposes, we’re talking about steady pace cardio here.

Now don’t get me wrong, steady pace cardio has its place. Steady pace cardio is great for endurance training. Think about it like this: the human body is designed to adapt. As you begin running you are placing stress on the body, causing your heart rate to rise as blood pumps to your muscles and organs to handle it. As you continue, your body is desperately looking for the most efficient way to handle this stress so the longer you go, the less you energy is needed to maintain. Over time, your body will get used to this stress allowing you to perform the same activity with less exerted effort. Your heart is is actually gaining strength.

This is an amazing benefit for your overall well being!!

Not so much for fat loss.

See, that spike in your heart rate requires energy. From a top down view, calories = energy. So as long as you eat, you’ll have sufficient energy for long, steady pace cardio, right?

Sort of.

The body typically uses carbohydrates as it’s main source of energy. When carbs are present and activity is initiated, the body has the fuel it needs to produce energy and sustain the effort. When carbs are depleted or you are at a carb deficit, the body defers to fat stores as the next best source of energy. While this sounds good, fat is a far less efficient source of energy that may help maintain the effort for a short period of time but will fizzle out rather quickly.

So what happens when the effort needs more energy than carbs and fat can provide?

As I mentioned before, the body is designed to adapt. When intense effort is consistently placed on the body over long periods of time, it bypasses carbs AND fat as the go-to source of energy and starts to burn lean muscle for energy.

As you can imagine, this becomes HIGHLY problematic if fat loss is your goal.

Lean muscle is actually the greatest ally in burning fat.

Lean muscle is dense, and its development requires more and more blood to maintain. As mentioned before, an increase in your heart rate needs fuel and your body will tap into its energy stores (carbs and body fat) to match the need. So in essence, lean muscle burns fat (don’t worry ladies, lean muscle is grows inward before it expands. You don’t have to worry about getting”big”).

Knowing this, it doesn’t make sense to burn lean muscle to produce the energy needed for an activity that is supposed to burn fat.

This is how you become “skinny fat”.

THE REMEDY

Its great to have all this information, but how do we apply it practically? Here are 4 tweaks you can make to your current routine that will produce instant results.

Less Steady Pace Cardio

Unless you are training for an event that specifically requires you to run for endurance, it’s best to limit your steady pace cardio to 2–3 times per week. This includes idle time on the elliptical and that spin class you love so much. Remember, just because you are sweating doesn’t mean you are burning fat. Lift More, Lift Heavier

IF your goal is to lose more body fat (not scale weight. We don’t go there), make sure your main focus is on consistent and progressive resistance training. Believe it or not, you sweat just as much on the squat rack as you do on the treadmill. Except on the squat rack you are developing lean muscle in HUGE muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, glutes) that will require more blood to maintain way after your workout is complete. How’s THAT for cardio! Do Complimentary Cardio

In addition to lifting more to develop lean muscle, you can actually use your cardio to aid in maintenance and recovery. Try doing your cardio AFTER an intense lifting session. While those muscles are their thirstiest, try 10–15 min of moderately intense cardio keep your gains and help with cool down. Modify Your Intensity

Cardio is not the bad guy, it’s just how you use it. Instead of running at the same pace for 10 min, try intervals. Sprint for 1 minute, them walk for 1 minute, repeat. That fluctuation in intensity will cause your heart rate to rise and fall, which will burn more in 10 minutes than you would with an hour of steady pace cardio. Explosive movements like jumping or burpees are a great way to spike your heart rate in a short period of time.

At the end of the day, it’s about finding your balance. Too much of anything isn’t great for you. Cardio is no exception.

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