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5 Things Nobody Tells You About Cardio

5 Things Nobody Tells You About Cardio

by | Jan 1, 2023 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

How does cardio actually impact your fat loss or muscle gains?

In this video I’ll go over 5 things no one tells you about cardio and the impact it has on your results.

Because cardio can sabotage your results based on how you include it! 

And, at the end of the video, I’ll not only share the most underutilized but essential form of cardio to include to achieve body recomp results but show you how to adjust your workouts to see better results faster!

Hey guys it’s Cori from Redefining Strength where we help you feel, look and move your best at any and every age.

If you’re working to lose fat, or even gain muscle, there are 5 key things you need to know about cardio so you don’t end up working super hard to not achieve the results you deserve.

And while yes, diet is of course essential, especially if you want to lose fat, at the end of the video.

I’ll go over how to adjust your workouts to see better results FASTER as well as share the most underrated and underutilized form of cardio to see amazing body recomp results!

But also I do want to note, this isn’t telling you to avoid steady-state cardio especially if you love your endurance sport. 

However, it is key we do understand the ups and downs of including specific workouts in our routines especially when we have other goals we want to achieve!

Often, when we want to lose weight, we turn to cardio to burn more calories. And while often those cardio sessions do burn more calories in the single session than strength workouts do, what you don’t know is that….

#1: Cardio can actually cause you to burn FEWER calories over the course of the day.

We have to remember that our workouts are only a small portion of the calories we actually burn over the course of the day.

And while, if you’re just starting out with training after not training at all, working out can help create a calorie deficit through extra movement without even changing your diet, your body adjusts over time.

It’s why you get stronger or faster and can run further without feeling tired.

But it also means you’re burning fewer calories with each session.

It’s why dietary adjustments are key, but I’ll go over more on this later.

If you keep pushing the intensity of your cardio training, and are in a calorie deficit, you may find you become so fatigued you move less during the rest of the day.

This lack of non-exercise energy expenditure can actually really DECREASE the overall calories you burn each and every day even while continuing to try to push your training sessions.

Basically our body can try to “compensate” for the extra calories burned by conserving energy as much as possible at other points in the day.

Not to mention, steady-state cardio can be catabolic to muscle mass.

More muscle means more calories burned at rest.

By performing steady-state cardio while in a calorie deficit to lose weight, we can end up losing more muscle which means, again, fewer calories burned at rest.

So just note, that while you may think you need more cardio to burn more calories, this attitude toward training may actually slow your weight loss results.

Not to mention negatively impact your attempts to gain muscle and build strength!

While it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, you do want a primary focus.

And if your main focus is to achieve body recomposition by gaining muscle while staying lean, trying to include more cardio may be negatively impacting your results.

Simply put – #2: Cardio can impact your strength gains.

What we prioritize in our workout routine, gets the best of our focus and our intensity.

If you put cardio first in your training, you are going to go into your strength work more depleted. You won’t be able to push as hard as you’ll be tired. And you won’t recover as well between sets.

Our ability to push hard with those lifting sessions to create progressive overload is key if we want the best muscle hypertrophy results.

Put strength work first, when you are freshest, and you’ll see the best muscle building results.

And then as I mentioned earlier, dietary adjustments are key.

Studies have actually shown that #3: Cardio doesn’t actually improve weight loss over dietary changes alone.

While training in general can help with long-term maintenance, you don’t need to train at all to lose weight.

We need to stop trying to out exercise our diet – We need to stop seeing our workouts as a chance to burn calories.

Instead we need to be strategic in how we fuel, while being conscious of our daily energy expenditure.

If we actually want to burn more calories each and every day, we should shift our focus to building muscle.

This means we’re burning more calories during training, and building the lean muscle mass.

More muscle means a higher resting metabolic rate and more calories burned at rest

So if you want better, lasting weight loss results, you want to focus even more on strength work.

And then don’t ignore this often overlooked form of cardio….WALKING!

I’ve mentioned you need to include more strength work and that cardio can fight against your muscle and strength gains.

However not all forms of cardio are created equal and by including more WALKING, you can avoid detracting from your other training sessions while increasing your daily energy expenditure to aid in better fat loss results!

Because walking doesn’t make us feel destroyed or worn out, we often overlook the value of this extra NONSTRESSFUL activity in our day.

But it can actually help us recover faster from hard training sessions and give our body, and mind, a chance to rest and rebuild as we are staying even more active during the day.

So consider even just a 15 minute extra walk in your day.

And if you are super close to your desired leanness level, even consider including the walk right after the strength session that targeted those stubborn areas you’re struggling to lose from!

We also have to remember that, not only are there different forms of cardio, but our #5: workouts don’t have to be just cardio or strength!

Ever get out of breath doing heavy lunges or higher rep squats?

Workouts don’t have to be just cardio OR strength.

There truly is a spectrum we can build our training sessions off of with steady state long distance endurance cardio workout on one side and 1 rep max lifting on the other.

All of these workout designs along this spectrum are working our cardiovascular system in different ways!

And, in that middle, there are so many different workouts designs we can use that are both cardio and strength.

Workouts that improve our conditioning while also helping us build lean muscle.

Try including a single heavy lift first to start your workout with longer rest periods to focus on those strength gains followed by a circuit with accessory lifts and shorter rest periods to elevate your heart rate more!

Doing things like this can improve your conditioning and even your recovery.

You will also find that workouts that are more metabolic strength focused may really benefit you if you are an endurance athlete!

Cori Hack:

There are so many ways to design those strength workouts to match your specific needs and goals. And you can design for the time you REALISTICALLY have over just trying to find some ideal training schedule.

3 days a week? You can make that work!

Just focus more on full-body workouts over body part splits!

And because there are really 5 key things you can do to adjust your strength workouts for better fat loss results, I want you to check out my Weight Training For Fat Loss video next. I’ve linked to the video below:

–> Weight Training For Fat Loss

Just remember, everything you include in your workout routine should be used strategically based on your needs and goals, not just to try to burn more calories or make you more fatigued.

Whether your goal is weight loss or building muscle, make sure you’re dialing in your workouts and your diet to work together!

STUDIES:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982221011209
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34453886/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34816627/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34334719/

Beneficial videos to watch next…

Weight Training For Fat Loss (5 Tips) 
Benefits Of Walking
Meal Plan To Lose Fat Faster

The Most Underrated Conditioning Tool (Add This To Your Workouts)

The Most Underrated Conditioning Tool (Add This To Your Workouts)

by | Jun 19, 2022 | Battling Ropes, Blog, Core, Exercises, Functional Fitness, Workouts

When you think about doing cardio, you think about endless rows of cardio equipment. Or you think about going outside for a run or ride.

But what if you find these workouts, well, boring?

Ok maybe you turn to some bodyweight interval sessions.

However, even many of these are very lower body focused.

Or they include a ton of jumping.

And it can be hard if you have a lower body injury to find options to work around!

So how can you get in a killer cardio workout that even targets your UPPER body more while allowing you to work on everything from building power to your aerobic capacity and conditioning?

The answer?

With BATTLE ROPES!

Battle ropes are the perfect way to work your entire body with lower impact moves or even take your cardio training up a notch.

You can use them for longer intervals of work to improve your aerobic base or you can use them to build explosive power.

They can be great to target literally every muscle of your body, whether you choose a basic wave to just work your upper body, a plank variation to target your core or even a full body movement including shuffling, lunging or squatting.

Learning To Use Battle Ropes:

So how do you do the basic battle ropes alternating arm wave?

A fundamental wave to learn on the battle ropes is the basic alternating arm wave. To do this movement, hold a handle in each hand and walk back so there is some slack in the rope but they are pulled out straight. You do not want them stretched tight.

Holding a handle in each hand, pull one hand down toward your hip as you raise the other hand up. Then quickly alternating, swinging the other arm back as you raise the other arm up.

You can play around with a straighter arm movement or slightly more of a bicep curl.

There are also multiple ways to create this basic wave based on how you want to isolate and work areas. You can make it super arm intensive, holding a very still body and doing more of that curl.

You can also use rotation a bit more swinging from your hip. This is more of the “gunslinger” wave allowing you to use rotation to power the movement more.

You can also do more of a Frankenstein movement, slightly marching in place as you create the wave with straighter arms.

All of these can be used based on how you want to target areas so even play around with them!

But make sure you aren’t just shrugging as you create the waves, feeling your upper traps really becoming overworked.

Think quick fluid movements allowing the waves to push each other down over trying to lift the entire rope up and down each and every time. It’s why you want a bit of slack in the rope.

Make sure too you’re standing tall with your chest pressed out and focused on moving as quickly as possible.

Once you’ start using the basic alternating arm wave…How can you spice things up a bit?

Battle Ropes Modifications And Progressions:

Not only are there different waves you can create, from the double wave to sidewinders to rainbows, but you can even vary up that basic alternating arm wave exercise by the posture you perform the movement in and the involvement of your lower body.

You could add in a side shuffle as you perform the alternating arm wave, side to side lunges or even a reverse lunge.

If you need to modify around a lower body injury, you could even do the movement seated on a bench or on the ground.

With any of the waves you can really implement different postures and movements to work your entire body and work around lower body aches and pains.

You can do a single arm wave from a plank position if you wanted to work your core more and get in an anti-rotational movement during your conditioning workout.

Or even the rainbows balanced on your butt to work your obliques more.

If you want to add in impact and work on explosive power, you could combine a double arm wave even with a squat jump.

Battle ropes are simply a great way to target not only your upper body but adjust to meet your conditioning needs for that day and work a variety of muscle groups!

But now that you have all of these options, how can you create a workout?

Battle ropes are a great tool to use whatever energy system you want to target.

You can include them in an interval workout, whether you want a quick high intensity interval session for something quick, like 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off or you want to work on your aerobic conditioning and perform longer intervals of work on the ropes, even up to 10 minutes straight.

You can honestly even include them in a lifting session if you wanted the workout to be more metabolically focused. You could include even something to work on your strength and power by doing reps of the Snake wave or outward circles during your chest, shoulders and tricep session.

Just remember, you want to include tools in a way that matches your needs and goals. We don’t just want to put things in to feel more worked and train harder!

But if you’re looking for a way to improve your conditioning and create a new progression, give battle ropes a try!

Love my workouts, exercises and tips? Subscribe to my YouTube!

–> Follow Redefining Strength On YouTube

What Is The Best kind Of CARDIO For Fat Loss?

What Is The Best kind Of CARDIO For Fat Loss?

by | Aug 12, 2021 | Blog, Exercises, Workouts

Cardio is often the most misused fat loss tool. And your exact level of leanness may impact how you implement cardio in your training routine.

For instance, if you’re super lean with your macros and strength training routine all dialed in, but struggling to break through a plateau and get rid of that last little stubborn bit of fat, you may benefit from some low-intensity steady state cardio AFTER your strength workouts.

This can be done in the form of walking or riding…

SPONSORSHIP:
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Unlike simpler spin bikes, RENPHO AI Bike has a freewheel design that lets you coast along smoothly as if you are riding your traditional outdoor bicycle.

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You can join classes with professional riders with the FREE AI Gym membership and take scenic rides alongside other users for those times you can’t hit the road.

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It’s a great way to get in a cardio workout any time you need from the comfort of your own home whether you need to do interval work, intense steady state cardio, tempo training or even include that low intensity post workout cardio to help you bust through a plateau and reach that new level of leanness.

END SPONSORSHIP:

But before I dive more into using that steady state cardio at the end of your training, and other upsides and downsides to different types of cardio for fat loss, I want to discuss the “myth” of the Fat Burning Zone.

The Myth Of The Fat Burning Zone

First off, what is this supposed fat burning zone?

When you do cardio in that lower-intensity, steady state range or that 55-70% max heart rate zone, you’re supposedly in the Fat Burning Zone.

But this name is kind of misleading.

There is not some magical heart rate zone where you ONLY burn fat as fuel.

But this became the name of that lower intensity heart rate zone because, 50% of the calories burned during a session can come from fat whereas at higher intensities that number may only be about 35% of total calories burned.

So yes, “technically” you do burn more calories from fat at that lower intensity…

However, you’re also burning fewer calories during that same length of time.

That’s why a higher intensity session may ultimately lead to more fat burned during the same workout duration.

A higher intensity session means more calories burned. And while only 35% of the total calories burned may come from fat, that could still overall more fat burned in the same length session.

So while using lower intensity cardio sessions may be a great way to achieve body recomposition it isn’t because you’re staying in some magical fat burning zone.

Now let’s talk about how you can use this steady state cardio to achieve some fabulous body recomposition results.

Really quick before I do though, I feel the need to mention that, honestly, too often we turn to cardio to try to rush those results.

However, there is no out exercising or out dieting time.

Strength training may be even more key for fat loss because it aids in muscle growth and retention which helps us avoid the metabolic adaptions often associated with losing weight. By retaining lean muscle mass, we burn more calories at rest and will ultimately look leaner as we lose fat.

Not to mention we can design our strength routines to still work a diversity of energy systems to maintain our overall cardiovascular health.

That being said, it’s never bad to know how to use every tool in your toolbox to create a routine that you ENJOY that matches your specific needs and goals.

So…What is the best type of cardio for fat loss?

Low intensity steady state cardio!

When I’m talking about lower intensity steady state cardio here, I’m talking about cardio that allows you to talk as you perform it.

You aren’t trying to crush yourself with this form of cardio training.

Actually the exact opposite.

You are riding, walking or rowing at an intensity you feel like you can do for extended periods of time with no real strain.

So how can this “easy” form of cardio be better than running or even HIIT?

While running or riding hard for a longer period of time may burn more calorie and therefore more fat during each session, it can also be catabolic to muscle tissue and fight against your body recomposition goals.

Not to mention over time your body adapts and becomes more efficient, which is great for performance but not so great in terms of trying to burn more calories during your training session. So you actually burn fewer calories over time during these same training sessions.

You also have to be careful with these intense sessions and schedule them correctly around your strength workouts so they don’t hinder your results.

Same actually goes for high intensity interval training sessions.

While there are a ton of different interval designs you can use to work different energy systems, these quick and efficient workouts will drain you.

They are often touted for their effectiveness for weight loss because you can create a calorie burn equal to those longer steady state sessions BUT in less time.

And they can be fun for those that get bored with steady state cardio since you can use a diversity of moves.

They’ve even been recommended for fat loss because of the “after burn” they create.

The After Burn is technically called EPOC or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

Basically…The harder you workout the more your body has to work to recover or return to homeostasis after and the more energy we have to expend during the recovery process to return to our resting state.

This means we continue to burn calories even AFTER the workout is over. Hence the name AFTER BURN.

But far too often we really overestimate the calories burned from the after burn. And we would see far more benefit from building muscle with strength training.

This is all why, if you’re looking to tweak your routine and expedite those results, the best cardio to include specifically for fat loss is low intensity cardio session.

Casual cardio that’s almost relaxing in a way.

These sessions are easy to add in without hurting your strength training sessions. And they allow you to ADD in this extra movement during the day to help avoid metabolic adaptations and increase your daily energy expenditure.

They won’t fight against your muscle gains either.

AND they may even help you “spot reduce” those stubborn areas.

Now note, this is NOT a magic pill nor a quick fix. So if you’ve every heard you can’t spot reduce, that is basically true.

But there have been some interesting studies showing that low intensity steady state cardio AFTER a training session working those stubborn areas with that last little bit of stubborn fat CAN help you with fat loss or spot lipolysis.

It’s key to note that this will benefit you most when your diet and exercise routine are fully dialed in and you’re trying to break through that plateau to lose that last little bit from those stubborn areas.

So why or how does it work?

You mobilize more fatty acids from tissues surrounding the muscles worked. So if say you have that last little bit of stubborn belly fat, you may choose to work your abs at the end of your strength session to mobilize those fatty acids.

Then by including that low intensity cardio after you’ll utilize those mobilized fatty acids.

Basically, the studies showed you burned the fat from those surrounding tissues!

And because this cardio isn’t super intense, you won’t drain your energy stores further to hinder you from training hard in your next strength session, which is key to allowing you to build lean muscle to only improve your body recomposition results.

Not to mention this lower intensity cardio won’t put you at risk for as much muscle loss as that higher intensity steady state training would.

So if you’re looking to keep your metabolic rate higher, utilize spot reduction or spot lipolysis as much as possible and allow yourself to work hard during your strength session to lose fat as fast as possible, include these low intensity steady state cardio sessions in your routine a few times a week AFTER your strength workouts.

Ready to dial in your diet AND your workouts to get the best results as fast as possible?

Check out my 3-Part RS Formula…

–> The RS Formula

3 Killer Interval Workout Designs

3 Killer Interval Workout Designs

by | Jul 18, 2019 | Blog, Workouts

When we think about creating a killer cardio workout, we often turn to INTERVAL TRAINING!

And it’s because interval workout designs are not only a great way to get your blood pumping, but also improve your conditioning and even build strength!

Plus they are very EFFICIENT workouts that allow you to pack in more to less time.

So if you’ve got a busy schedule? Interval workouts are a great way to go!

Plus, the results you get from your interval workouts can dramatically differ depending on the interval set up you use and the moves you include.

This means you can adjust not only the time you work, but also the time you rest to get exactly the results you want from your workouts!

(And you can adjust the intervals to fit your current fitness level and progress as you get stronger!)

Below are 3 of my favorite interval workout designs and how you can use them to get the lean, strong body you’ve always wanted!

3 Killer Interval Workout Designs:

The 20/20/20 Set Up:

I love this interval set up because it is so versatile and has seriously killer fat burning benefits because you end up working hard for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest!

It also has shorter intervals of work which, no matter what variation of the set up you do, allow you to really be more explosive when you work!

With this interval set up, you’ll work for two intervals of 20 seconds and rest for 20 seconds between each round.

This workout can use two types of rest (both full and active), depending on the moves you select.

For instance…You’ll get active rest by alternating the areas that work in the back to back intervals before fully resting between rounds. This can be great way to improve your recover times and even lactic acid tolerance.

By working two different areas or muscle groups back to back, one gets to rest while the other works so you can pack in more work to a shorter time, BUT also get more rest to be able to go harder each work interval.

It can almost make the workout feel more like a 1:2 ratio of work to rest, especially if you also cycle the intensity of those two moves back to back.

EXAMPLE:
20 seconds Squat Jumps
20 seconds Plyo Push Ups
20 seconds Rest

However, you can also make this 20/20/20 design feel like a 2:1 ratio of work to rest by working the same areas back to back (or even doing two full body moves back to back) before resting.

This can be a great a great way to improve your work output and even start to work on your speed endurance (aka pushing to maintain a higher intensity for longer).

EXAMPLE:
20 seconds Burpees
20 seconds Spiderman Mountain Climbers
20 seconds Rest

And then you can change up the interval set up even further, by eliminating full rest altogether and include “active” rest for that third 20 second interval.

This active rest should allow your heart rate to come down, but you won’t as fully recover. So it should be a lower intensity movement or at least one you do at a lower intensity.

Sometimes even using isometric holds as active rest can be a good option as it will still make your body work but allow you to bring your heart rate down.

It turns this interval design into more of a tempo workout, especially if you cycle from a super intense move, to a moderate to intense move to a recovery move.

And is great to improve your endurance and even your recovery!

EXAMPLE:
20 seconds Burpees
20 seconds Skater Hops
20 seconds Jumping Jacks “Active Rest”

The 30s Set Up:

This workout can not only be a full-body killer, but it can help you improve your recovery times and even build your endurance.

By cycling the intensity of moves and areas worked, it can even help you improve your work capacity as you blast fat and even build strength!

With this workout design, you’ll work for 30 seconds on each move with no rest between moves. Your “rest” between rounds will be an active rest move.

It will improve your endurance and recovery times as you don’t get a full break between rounds. This will mean though that your intensity and output may DECREASE over the rounds of work.

However, the more you cycle the areas worked, and even the intensity of moves you use (maybe even including an isolation exercise for the core after a few more intense moves) on top of the active rest interval, the more you can work at a higher intensity for those full-body hybrid or compound movements earlier in the circuit.

(You’ll see in the example below even the use of an isometric for active rest, which I mentioned earlier.)

EXAMPLE:
30 seconds Burpee
30 seconds T Push Ups
30 seconds Skater Hops
30 seconds Cherry Bombs (aka isolated ab move)
30 seconds Wall Sit “Active Rest”

Beginners can even include a full 30 second interval of rest while alternating exercise intensity over the round itself. There may be more ups and downs in the movement intensity so that they don’t have to rest extra during the intervals of work.

EXAMPLE:
30 seconds Burpee
30 seconds March in Place
30 seconds Squat Jumps
30 seconds Crunch
30 seconds Rest

The key with these intervals is to pick a move that challenges you and makes you want to stop, BUT that you can continue to do the entire 30 seconds, even if you have to regress.

You do not want to rest during the intervals of work, but you also want to recognize that these moves won’t be as explosive as shorter intervals of work with longer rest periods!

The 40/20 Set Up:

This is a killer interval set up that will really make you feel the burn as you challenge your lactic threshold while improving your endurance and work capacity.

You won’t be near as explosive the entire interval of work as you could if you worked for only 20 seconds. You may be pushing at more like 80% so that you can make sure you work consistently throughout the 40 seconds.

And your work output WILL decrease over the rounds as 20 seconds is far from enough time to recover.

But this is the point of this workout and, depending on the way you use the interval set up, you can even mitigate some of the decrease in output.

The key is to select moves that make you work hard the entire 40 seconds, but that you don’t max out on so much, you can continue to work the next round through.

You can also adjust this 40/20 set up in two main ways.

  1. You can do a circuit where you alternate areas that are working to keep your output higher (areas will then get more rest than just the 20 seconds as another area works).
  2. You can do all rounds on one exercise with only 20 seconds of rest between rounds. This will lead to a quicker decrease in work output as you’ll be working the same muscles over and over again with only half the time to recover!

Both though have benefit, it just depends on your goals.

If you want to work on pushing through fatigue to even improve your recovery time (which could be great if you’re training for a race), you may want to use the second set up.

This can also be great if you’re working to build strength endurance.

For that set up, you would just an exercise, say the Rower and stay on it for 5 rounds of 40/20 then go to another exercise after those 5 rounds to do intervals of 40 on, 20 off.

However, if you use the first design, you would create more of a circuit, with 20 seconds between moves.

You could then cycle areas worked and even the intensity of the moves so that areas get more rest so the intense moves you can go harder on.

EXAMPLE:
40 seconds Side Shuffle with Down Up
20 seconds Rest
40 seconds Climber Push Ups
20 seconds Rest
40 seconds Split Squat Jumps
20 seconds Rest
40 seconds Sit Ups
20 seconds Rest

This would allow areas to rest and recover a bit as other muscle groups worked more. It would allow you to have a higher work output throughout (which you can even track by recording reps each round!).

The great part about all 3 of these interval set ups is you can build strength and burn fat without having to spend hours in the gym. AND you can tweak them to match your needs and specific goals!

For more amazing workouts to help you see fabulous results, check out my Dynamic Strength program.

–> Learn More About Dynamic Strength

The Myth Of The Fat Burning Zone

The Myth Of The Fat Burning Zone

by | Jun 4, 2019 | Blog, Workouts

So what is this magical “fat burning zone” you’ve heard about?!

Is it true that if you work at a certain intensity during your cardio workouts, you’ll burn more fat?!

Is it also true that you get into that “fat burning zone,” when you do more steady-state, lower intensity cardio?

The simple answer is – the magical “fat burning zone” is a MYTH.

I’ll often have clients tell me they HAVE to run or do steady state cardio to lose weight. (Of course we all too know that diet is key no matter how much we may try to out exercise our poor nutrition choices.)

And not only is the fat burning zone a “myth” but steady-state cardio can yield underwhelming results for weight loss when done on its own.

We need to include workouts that train all 3 energy systems if we want the best results possible, not only for getting in killer shape and improving our health, but also in terms of our weight loss and fat loss efforts!

So…the “fat burning zone,” at least as we wished it worked, is a total myth.

What Is The “Fat Burning Zone?” And How Did The Myth Come About?

The myth of the fat burning zone arose because technically you burn more fat during lower intensity, steady state cardio exercise.

However, what that really means is simply that a higher percentage of the calories you burn during exercise come from fat.

When you work at lower intensities, 50% of the calories burned can come from fat whereas at higher intensities that number may only be about 35%.

So now you’re thinking, “Well then how is the fat burning zone a myth? And why wouldn’t I want to work in it if fat loss and weight loss are my goal!?”

Because while you may burn a higher percentage of calories from fat working at lower intensities, you also burn far fewer calories!

So in the end, you burn more fat by working at a higher intensity because you burn more calories.

And as most of us know, a HUGE part of weight loss is simply calories in vs. calories out.

If you burn more calories while consuming fewer, you’re going to lose weight!

The Downsides Of Adaptation:

So not only do you not really burn more fat in the end with that lower intensity, steady state cardio, but you also burn fewer calories doing the same duration or distances over time.

Basically, over time we ADAPT.

And while this adaptation is amazing, it’s why we can do that 5 mile run without it feeling super hard and even focus on increasing our pace, it also means we require less energy to do the same task.

AKA our body becomes more efficient which means we burn fewer calories during these same workouts that once used to leave us tired and worked.

So unless you’re constantly running (or cycling or going on the elliptical) for LONGER or pushing the pace and going FASTER on harder terrain each and every time, you’re not going to be burning as many calories over time during your workouts.

Again, this is great as it means our body has become stronger and more efficient, BUT it doesn’t lead to continued adaptations or the extra calorie burn that can assist with weight loss.

But What About Boosting Your Metabolism?

Going along the whole fat burning myth, I’ve also had clients also say, “But I need to do cardio to boost my metabolism!”

Unfortunately, this is also sort of a myth.

Not only does steady state cardio not necessarily lead to as great an increase in calories burned AFTER the workout is done as say interval training does, BUT it also doesn’t affect our metabolic rate in the way we believe.

If you want to boost your metabolism, you need to gain muscle.

Muscle affects metabolism and helps you burn more calories, and fat, even at rest.

More muscle means more of a “boost” to your metabolism.

And guess what isn’t so great at helping you build muscle?

Steady-state cardio!

There have even been studies showing that it can actually be CATABOLIC to muscle tissuing, meaning that not only can it not help you build muscle, but it can even lead to some muscle LOSS.

This is just another reason why you want to include cardio workouts that use intervals, density sets and even timed circuits as well as include even moves using weights!

So What Does This All Mean? Should You NOT Do Steady State Cardio?

First off, if you love your long runs or rides, NEVER give them up.

You don’t need to.

And walking can be a great form of stress relief and extra movement for our body which is AMAZING!

Steady-state cardio can help you build a strong aerobic base.

BUT you also want to know what you need to do to reach specific goals.

And if one of those goals IS fat loss or weight loss?

Well you don’t want to ONLY do steady-state cardio.

Including different interval set ups and even cardio workouts with weights can be incredibly important to help you get better results faster.

Even if you want to set a new PR in your next long-distance race or ride, some interval training may be just what you need to get results!

That is why I created my Cardio Burners using a variety of workout design and work to rest intervals so you can make sure you have cardio workouts to help you meet your specific goals!

–> Get My Cardio Burners!