How much cardio will help me lose weight?
I often hear from my ladies who tell me how hard they are working to get lean and toned, but they just aren’t seeing results. Here’s the harsh truth: the word “toned” essentially means “muscle,” and you can’t have tone without it.
I’m not saying cardio workouts are bad by any means. However, in some cases they can sabotage your undying attempts to get that awesome muscle tone and have your body ready for beach season.
Here are a few things to consider when gauging how much cardio you should do, as well as what kind.
There are usually two options:
- long-distance, steady-state cardio, likeĀ jogging; or
- high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT can be applied to allĀ sorts of things. It means going fast and slow for intermittent bursts, as withĀ sprints.
This is important to consider, because too much long-distance cardioĀ actually changes your muscle fibers. They go from fast-twitch fibers (whichĀ are stronger and bigger), to slow-twitch fibers (which are designed forĀ endurance). This conversion makes the body a lot more efficient when youĀ run long distances; however, your muscles are smaller and weaker, whichĀ is a bad thing if you want more muscle tone.
On the other hand, if you are doing HIIT training, you are working at aĀ higher percentage of your max heart rate for shorter durations before youĀ bring your heart rate down and recover. This does a few things:
- Ā First,Ā because of the higher intensities, your muscles are forced to burnĀ carbohydrates and high energy phosphates to accomplish your quickĀ bursts. Only type 2 fast twitch fibers typically rely on these energy sources.Ā Remember, these are bigger, faster and more powerful muscles.
- Second,Ā because your fuel source is different than steady-state running and you areĀ forced to activate more muscles due to the explosive nature of HIITĀ training, your muscles won’t adapt by shrinking. If anything, they are goingĀ to get bigger and stronger. Think of how a sprinter looks versus a distanceĀ runner.
Get the point?
HIIT will also put you in “oxygen deficit.” Basically, during the workout yourĀ body uses more oxygen than it takes in, and you burn a large amount ofĀ carbohydrates to fuel your maximal efforts. When the workout concludes,Ā your body has to re-oxygenate, refuel and recover. This takes energy fromĀ calories. Specifically, fat calories are burned after an HIIT workout as youĀ recover, a phenomenon known as excess post-oxygen consumptionĀ (EPOC), or the after-burn affect. This keeps your valued muscle and burnsĀ the fat around it, giving you “tone.”
HIIT has proven to be a superior method for maximizing fat loss comparedĀ with moderate intensity steady-state training. Despite lower fat burn ratesĀ during exercise, fat loss is nevertheless greater over time in those whoĀ engage in HIIT versus training in the “fat burning zone”āproviding furtherĀ evidence that 24-hour energy balance is the most important determinant inĀ reducing body fat.
Bottom Line
Everything in moderation!Ā Eat Clean 90% of the time and enjoy your favorite meal once a week or aĀ dessert or 2 or a few cocktails. Once you eliminate everythingā¦it setsĀ your week up for disaster.
Workout: 4-5 days of interval and steady cardio 30 min and 3-4 days ofĀ weight training. Not light 5-6 lbs weights, but weight training that raisesĀ your heart rate and challenges you! You wont get ābigāā¦Trust me!
