Weight LossWith Cardio Training
by Todd Scott, ISSA-CPT Training Advisor, Men's Fitness magazine
Cardio training can speed weight loss up, but it can be a double edged sword and actually make it more difficult to lose weight. So if you're on a weight loss program that recommends cardio on a regular basis, you must have an understanding as to how your body reacts, how much is too much, and how much is to little to be effective for weight loss.
For years and years, experts have been recommending slow steady state cardio performed in the "fat burning" zone as the most effective tool for weight loss. Then just a few years ago, other experts began countering with an argument that fast, intense forms of cardio is more effective than slow steady cardio for weight loss. And they claim to have studies to back up this claim.
Well, as it turns out, the study that touts interval training to be the best form of cardio is misleading at best and false at worse.
These "experts" can battle and debate all they want about "research" studies and what the best form of cardio is for weight loss, but the single fact remains that everyone is different. Interval Training may be the most effective cardio tool for weight loss for 1 person, and steady state may be the best tool for weight loss for the next.
Outside of the research labs, I've been testing & tweaking it myself along with my clients. If you're ultimate goal is weight loss, and you want to include cardio training without testing each form for years, then there's no better way that to combine the 2. I've been doing this and recommending it to my clients for nearly a decade and it has proved a phenomenal method.
Cardio Rotations for Weight Loss -
You'll begin with slow steady working in the 65-75% THR range, and alternate in different forms of interval training methods.
Here are 2 examples of a Weight Loss Cardio Rotation:
Daily Cardio Rotation for Weight Loss
Monday - Slow Steady @ 75% THR for 20 minutes Tuesday- Interval Training 6-8 Rounds Wednesday - OFF Thursday -Slow Steady @ 75% THR for 20 minutes Friday- Interval Training Saturday - Off Sunday - Off
Weekly Cardio Rotation for Weight Loss
Week 1 - Slow Steady Cardio @ 75% THR for 20 Minutes 4x per week Week 2 - Interval Training 6-12 Rounds 4x per week
The key ingredient is the rotations, it doesn't matter in what order, as long as you alternate them in some organized fashion. What makes it wildly effective is that you'll be alternating less intense training with high intensity training over days & even weeks. This keeps your body from ever adapting to one form of exercise and helps prevent weight loss plateaus.
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