I can’t believe its the end of June already. How does time fly so fast? I say it often but take time each day to savor how blessed you are. Life can change in the blink of an eye.
This article: The Final Nail in the Cardio Coffin may have been written in 2008 but it holds some really good info for many of us to learn. It talks about the “fat burning zone” myth. We all have heard about this exercise zone you can achieve where you lose more fat. Well it’s not necessarily true.
- you burn fewer total calories as your body adapts. So even if you’re burning a higher percentage of fat, you aren’t burning as many calories overall. It’s like winning 80% of a Lotto jackpot. It sounds good until you realize that the jackpot is just fifty bucks.
- Your body actually becomes efficient at storing fat. Since you’re now burning fat as your primary source of fuel, your body adapts and becomes very good at storing fat. Blame it on a dumb self-preservation mechanism built into the body’s operating system.
The article goes on to recommend High Intensity Training — it’s not the duration, but the intensity of the workout that will do the most. And add in strength training — why does it work?
- Fast-twitch muscle fibers that give you firm muscles and fast-tracked results.
- Intervals can also help to reverse the aging process. Fast-twitch fibers are the first to go when we age, largely because neurons stop communicating with them. Research has shown that you can increase neuron firing rates after just one week of training. With more muscles firing, you have more energy for life.
So there you have it — Cardio won’t get you lean and fit. Our bodies are so efficient that they will adapt to what we do. Unfair and wonderful as it is — we need to keep mixing it up, with a good strength program at the base and then add in high, intensity interval training. A full-body strength training routine along with interval-style workouts will help you get lean and defined. But none of it works without modifying your diet.
I have met so many people who are only into that Cardio fix — they have no patience for strength training. Those will be the people who are more likely to suffer from weak bones and injuries as the years go by. If I could only make you believe one thing —strength training like lifting weights will NOT get you bulky and will make it easier to stay lean and fit. Your can’t change your body genetics, but you can make sure that your body is well taken care of. Most of us will never look like Cindy Crawford – but we can look like our own version of super model. Lean, Fit, Healthy and Youthful — and above all HAPPY.
warmup
200m jog
10 Squats
4 sampson stretch
4 instep lunges
10 push ups
10 squats
strength
Front Squat 115#
WOD
12 min AMRAP
800m run (only one time)
10 Slam Ball Burpees
30 sec bicycles
I was drenched at the end — it looked so easy but the bicycles turned out to be one of the most painful parts of the whole thing.
