Cardio Is Wasting Your Time
When most people commit to losing weight they usually add an extensive cardio routine to their plans. It seems like the right thing to do!
The thought is..."I need to burn more calories than I eat to lose weight! So I'll plan to do at least 30-45 minutes of cardio every day until the weight is gone."
On the surface, it seems like a no-brainer, but in reality, it can actually be more harmful than good!
There are a few reasons doing more cardio is not your answer and why you're probably actually wasting your time solely focusing on it.
First Things First
Ever heard of the saying, "missing the forest for the trees?"
Weight loss can be so complicated and emotional and that's why people are making millions of dollars selling waist trainers and ab vibrators. You can use my coupon code >>> here <<<< to buy your next one…jk!
To be honest, it really frustrates me because those things won't help at all!
To achieve weight loss it's all about energy balance.
If you're in a positive energy balance, you're gaining weight.
When you're at maintenance, you're maintaining weight.
In a negative energy balance, you’re losing weight.
A negative energy balance means you're in a calorie deficit, which is where your body has fewer calories (or energy) than it needs to maintain its current weight so it must break down stored fat to supply the body's needs thus you lose weight.
Now the question is what's the best way to get into this negative energy balance?
Well, I can tell you it's not doing endless amounts of cardio!
Cardio Isn't Time Efficient
When you think of a calorie in versus calorie out perspective, it takes a long ass time to actually burn calories through exercise. Ohhh that cookie you just ate with 400 calories…yea it's going to take you a little over an hour to burn what took you 10 seconds to stuff in your mouth.
And to make matters worst, once you actually start losing weight and getting smaller you'll need to do more cardio to get the same metabolic effect.
If two people go for a run, one person weighing 250lbs and the other weighing 120lbs—the heavier person will burn nearly 25-40% more calories.
Oh, and if you repeat a cardio session a few times—your body actually becomes more efficient—so you'll start expending less energy to do the same workout.
Talk about a double whammy!
When you think about it, you actually are getting punished for losing weight.
It Takes Skill to Run
Many people jump right into running as their form of cardio but quickly realize it takes some technique to run well.
You had to learn how to crawl before you walked and running should be no different.
Running can be great and I personally love doing it, but it’s not a great form of exercise for weight loss!
The main reason is it puts a lot of stress on your body especially as a beginner or someone who has taken time off from running.
It turns out that, for every 1,000 hours of running, the beginners got injured twice as often as the experienced runners. - Kelmer, Blokland et al
For every step you take on the pavement, it’s the equivalent of 1.5x your body weight.
“At least 50 percent of regular runners get hurt each year—some estimates put the percentage even higher—sometimes from trauma, such as a fall, but more often from overuse.” - Yale Medicine
If you love running for the sport, I’m with you on that but if you’re just doing it to burn some calories, you’re better off spending your time elsewhere.
It's Human Nature
Have you ever had a hard run and felt like doing this after?
Well, you expelled lots of energy and calories so it's expected! When you have a hard session, you usually get pretty hungry!
Your body is literally screaming at you for losing all of those precious calories.
Once the body notices the demands of your session exceeds what is readily available, it will make sure it's more prepared for the next time so it calls on its BFF's Ghrelin and Leptin (your hunger hormones) to come party.
And before you know it, you're nose deep in a peanut butter jar.
If you fall into the trap of eating those calories back, you’re going to find yourself in big trouble…especially if losing weight is your goal.
When you do cardio you’re simply just burning calories—not a whole bunch is happening internally compared to lifting weights (increased metabolic effect and enhanced calorie partitioning) and it’s only a matter of time before you start eating some of those calories back.
If Cardio Is Not the Answer Than What?
Here's the deal…
I'm ripping cardio a new a-hole because I want you to understand that your time is precious and every minute you spend is valuable so if you're going to dedicate time to work on your personal health I want you to succeed.
So when you think about weight loss think about it as an amazing cheeseburger.
Cardio is Your Cheese.
It has its place and makes the sandwich delicious! But it's not always necessary—especially when you got lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and all of those other goodies!
Now I don't want you to think cardio is useless because it does have a plethora of benefits and it DOES have its place but not before everything else is set.
Weight Training is Your Bread.
A good burger always has some scrumptious bread.
It’s slightly toasted to give that crisp texture but not too hard so it easily folds in your mouth once you bite in. If you want the appearance of a great burger you need some spectacular bread.
Now you could go for a lettuce-wrapped burger, but let’s be completely honest—it’s not as good and doesn’t look the same.
If you want a toned body—you must lift some weights!
Calorie Deficit is The Meat.
You definitely want the meat!
The meat is essentially the burger. It needs to be cooked just right or the whole burger is trash.
I like my burger with a little bit of pink but not well done. When it's just right, man talk about heaven.
Just like your weight loss—if you're not in a calorie deficit—you're literally missing the forest for the trees. Being in a calorie deficit is King (or Queen if you ask my wife) for weight loss…period!
Here's What You Need to do Next
Find Your Maintenance Calories
Using the Katch-McArdle Formula you can find your maintenance calories (tdeecalculator.net is a great calculator).
Once you get it, deduct about 15-20% from there and that'll put in you a small deficit just enough to lose weight but not too much where you'll send out party invitations to your body's drunk BFFs - remember Ghrelin and Leptin!
Awareness is key!
You have to look at those weekly numbers and make sure you’re in a deficit.
I like to look at total calories for the week—not just the day—because some days things won't go great. So as you start to see weekly trends you'll notice you're downfalls and you'll figure out ways to overcome them before it’s too late.
Does your weekend dining deter you from reaching your goals?
2. Lift Weights At Least 2 Times Per Week
You should aim to hit each muscle group about 2x per week. Remember this is the secret to seeing your body start to change; it works hand and hand with your nutrition.
If you hit the gym twice per week, you can do two full-body sessions. And if you plan to go three times, you can do one full-body session with one upper-body and one lower-body split.
To see your progress and keep off the fat along the way, lift your weights.
3. When All Boxes Are Checked Then You Can Add Cardio
If you're hitting your deficit weekly and hitting weights at least 2x per week, then it makes sense to start adding in a cardio routine.
Now just so you understand, when I say cardio I’m not talking about a simple walk—I’m talking about those 30-45 minute sessions when you’re sweating bullets.
A simple brisk walk should be non-negotiable.
Not only is it physically beneficial, but it plays such a big role in mental health.
If you’re not hitting your calorie deficit, then you need to make time to meal prep better or more, before you think about adding any cardio.
If you’re nailing the nutrition but failing to get your workouts in, you need to find a way to fit those two sessions in because you’re doing your body a disservice by not building strength internally and externally.
Weight training does so much for your body like:
Injury prevention so you can stay healthy
Metabolic boost so you’re body literally becomes a fat-burning machine
Nutrient partitioning helps your body process food better so you keep fat off
Body shaping so you actually see definition and tone
Physical strength so you can do cool shit like pushups and chin-ups and more importantly you have your independence
And the list goes on!
If you hate working out or just need some extra support, invest in yourself and find a training studio that will help push, encourage, and hold you accountable for reaching those health & hotness aspirations.
I know a great place :)
So these are your priorities for weight loss but more specifically FAT LOSS.
If you aren't achieving a calorie deficit at least weekly and aren’t lifting some iron a couple of days per week and only focusing on cardio to hit your fat loss goals, you could find yourself spinning your wheels.
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