Using a cardio to lose weight can be a very difficult thing to do. The common thought with most people is that doing cardio to lose fat is the quickest way to burn fat there is. Unfortunately, using cardio to burn fat can actually slow your results if you don’t do it right!
The most common method of using cardio to lose inches is called “steady state” training. This involves going at the same speed for long periods of time. This type of cardio workout is the most common thing that I see at most health clubs that I have been through.
A lot of the people who use the steady state cardio training method rarely lose any fat unless they are on a very restricted diet. The reason that steady state training is not the method all comes to back your metabolism.
As you probably already know, your metabolism is how your body burns calories. The higher your metabolism, the more fat you will burn. The best ways to increase metabolism through exercise are to add muscle mass or use high intensity intervals while doing cardio. Steady state cardio might burn a few calories while you do it, but has very little effect on your metabolism!
Not only that, but your body adapts very quickly to steady state cardio training, which can make it difficult to burn fat using this method. The first time you get on a treadmill, elliptical, exercise bike, etc., it feels very exerting by just doing a little work. But as you progress your body adapts more and more. It gets to the point that your body is so adapted to the same steady state workout that you have go to longer and harder to keep challenging it!
The Cardio Solution
As you can see, doing steady state cardio to burn fat is not the best option. If you want to burn fat with cardio, a great alternative to steady state is called Interval Training. Interval training is different than steady state cardio because it will play a huge role in burn calories and most importantly, increasing your metabolism.
Interval training is a great way to make progress because it involves alternating back and forth between high and low intensities.
Here is how to burn fat with an interval training cardio workout…
Use a stationary or recumbent bike if you are a beginner.
- Start out by warming up for 5 minutes.
- Then, increase the pace slightly and the resistance for the next 2 minutes.
- Then, go very fast for 30 secs – 1 minute – almost as hard as you can.
- Repeat the 2 minutes slow – 1 minute fast interval 3-6 times.
- End by cooling down for 5 minutes.
If you try doing this type of cardio workout to burn fat, you will see how much better it is than steady state cardio. By using interval training as a cardio method to burn fat, you will see how the changes in intensity every minute or two really makes the whole workout go much faster. Like I mentioned before, the best part about using interval training as a cardio workout to burn fat is that it will rev up your metabolism for optimal fat loss!
Remember to see a doctor before beginning any exercise program that involves doing cardio to burn fat. So go try interval training as your next cardio workout to burn fat. Work hard, train hard, and be safe!
For more information, visit [http://www.thegreatcardiomyth.com] to learn about the biggest myths about nutrition, cardio, strength training, and more.
