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Why
Cardio Doesn't Work for Fat Loss
By: Craig Ballantyne,
CSCS, MS
Turbulence
Training
Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In
theory, it should work so perfectly well for all men
and women, but as anyone who has tried it knows, the
practicality of it just doesn't add up.
After all, some men and women do cardio 6 hours,
9 hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat
to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for
others.
British researchers wanted to get more insight into
this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women,
who weren't previously exercising.
(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32:
177-184, 2008).
Subjects exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks.
That's a lot of exercise, but it helped the subjects
lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great - I
was positively surprised by the results.
So cardio will work for some people, however, in
my experience, it works best in young men, who need
the help the least!
Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between
individuals was huge. Check this out...
The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in
12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED
3.74 pounds.
The scientists think they know where things went
sour. They
classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the
"Compensators" and the "Non-compensators".
The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed
an extra 268 calories per day, all but wiping out
their cardio efforts.
Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount
of weight, and scientists believe that was due to
the huge "compensatory" increase in appetite
experienced by this group.
Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio?
If it does, research shows it will ruin your cardio
efforts.
So if your cardio program is not working for you,
check your
appetite and calorie intake to see if you are "compensating"
for your efforts. If you are, you might be better
off using a program of high-intensity resistance and
interval training (i.e. Turbulence Training) for your
weight loss efforts.
As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in
research, interval training increases hormones called
catecholamines. And increased catecholamines can reduce
appetite, among other fat-burning benefits.
In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after
12 weeks of cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average
weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.
So again, check your appetite, and consider giving
high-intensity exercise a go for your next workout
program.
Beat the curse of cardio with high-intensity Turbulence
Training.
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
About the Author
Learn about the "Dark Side of
Cardio" in the free report from Craig Ballantyne
at Turbulence
Training. Craig is a Certified Strength &
Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Health,
Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness
Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence
Training fat loss workouts have helped thousands of
men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle,
and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per
week. For more information on the Turbulence Training
workouts that will help you burn fat without long,
slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit Turbulence
Training website
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Turbulence
Training Burn Fat
by Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
If you are ready to learn all about the short,
burst exercise system that will help you boost
your metabolism, increase your fat loss, and
burn belly fat, then make your choice... WOMEN
or MEN... by
clicking here!
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