Last week’s post about high intensity interval training versus steady state training produced more emails, blog comments and web hits than any newsletter so far this year. Obviously, there is a lot of interest in cardio training and how to do it right. Sadly, most people are still doing 2 things terribly wrong and it’s killing their results…

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As I thought about reviewing the newest scientific study from Australia this week, or explaining the post workout “afterburn effect” (EPOC) that comes from intense formsof cardio, it dawned on me to backtrack, and ask…

“WHY are people still confused about fat burning cardio in the first place when the solution is drop dead simple, common sense and right in front of our noses?”

I thought to myself,

“if I could help remove the SOURCE ofthe confusion, then regardless of which cardio program youchoose, every decision and action that emerges from yournew understanding would be more productive right?”

RIGHT!

As best as I can figure, there are two major reasonswhy people are still mucking up their cardio programsfor fat loss.

REASON #1 NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON TOTAL CALORIES BURNED

Most people aren’t burning enough darn calories.

Why? well, I guess they are too busy worrying about the”proper” type of exericse (which machine or activity), the “optimal” mode (steady state or intervals), the “perfect” ratio of intervals, or the “best” duration.

Some people coast along on the treadmill at 2.3 miles perhour or some similar super-slow pace and they thinkthat just by hitting a TIME goal, such as 45 or 60 minutes, thatwith “X” duration completed, they are assured to get the results they want.

On the other extreme, we have folks who have found or createdsome mega-intense, super-duper short training protocol likethe “4-minute wonder workout from Japan.” Just because the workout is high in intensity and it is performed in intervals, they too think they are assured to get the results they want.

What’s missing in both cases is the realization that total fat loss is a function of total calories burned (assuming you don’t blow your diet, of course).

AND…

Total calories burned is a product of INTENSITY times DURATION,not intensity OR duration.

Too much focus on one variable at the exclusion of the othercan lead to a less than optimal total calorie burn and disappointingresults. And remember, intensity and duration are *variables*not absolutes! (“Variable” means you can change them… evenif your “guru” sez you can’t!)

when you understand the relationship and interplay betweenINTENSITY X DURATION you will find a “SWEET SPOT” where theproduct of those variables produces the maximal calorieburn and maximum fat loss, based on your current healthcondition and your need for time efficiency.

REASON #2: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON WHAT TYPE OF CALORIES BURNED

There is one whopper of a mistakethat is still KILLING most people’s cardio programs and that is…

Way too much focus on WHAT you are burning during the workout -fats or carbohydrates – also known as “substrate utilization.”

This idea comes from the notorious “fat burning zone” myth whichactually tells people to exercise SLOWER and LESS intenselyto burn more fat.

Hold on a minute. Pop quiz. Which workout burns more calories?

(A) A 30 minute leisurely stroll through the park
(B) A 30 minute, sweat-pouring, heart-pounding run?

Like, DUH!

And yet we have trainers, authors and infomercial gurus STILL telling us we have toslow down if we want to burn more fat??? Bizarre.

The reason people still buy it is because the “fat burningzone” myth sounds so plausible because of two little science facts:

  • The higher your intensity, the more carbs you burn during the workout
  • The lower your intensity, the more fat you burn during the workout

And thats the problem. You should be focusing on total calories and total fat burned during the workout and all day long, not just what type or percentage of fuel you are burning during the workout.

It’s not that fat oxidation doesn’t matter, but what if you have a high percentage of fat oxidation but an extremely low number of calories burned?

If you really want to be in the “fat burn zone,” you could sit onyour couch all day long and that will keep you there quitenicely because “couch sitting” is a really low intensity(“fat-burning”) activity.

(Of course, “couch sitting” only burns 37 calories per half hour…)

HERE’S THE FAT-BURNING SOLUTION!

In both cases, the solution to burning more fat is drop deadsimple: Focus your attention on how you can burn more TOTALcalories during your workout and all day long.

If you want to burn more fat, burn more calories and you cando that by manipulating ANY of the variables : intensity,duration and also frequency.

If you build your training program around this concept, youwill be on the right track almost every time.

BUT WAIT – THERE IS MORE TO IT…

Naturally, we could argue that it’s not quitethis simple and that there are hundreds of other reasonswhy your cardio program might not be working… and I wouldagree, of course. But on the exercise side, the ideas aboveshould be foremost in your mind.

On the nutrition side, you have to get your act together there too.

For example, many people increase their food intake at thesame time as they start a cardio training program, therebyputting back every calorie they just burned during the workout!Then some of them have the nerve to say, “SEE, cardio doesnt work!”

Incidentally, this is the most likely reason that a few studies show that adding cardio or aerobic training to a diet “did not improve fat loss”: It’s not because the cardio didn’t work, it was because the researchers didnt control for diet and the subjects ate more!!

It should go without saying that nutrition is the foundationon which every fat loss program is built.

Choose the combination of type, intensity, duration and frequencythat suits your lifestyle and preferences the best, and WORK THE VARIABLES to get the fat loss results you want, but whichever cardio program you choose, remember that a solid fat burning nutrition program, such as Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is necessary to help you make the most of it.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

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