38 Lard Melting Hours

I've said it before and I will say it again, and again and again. Steady state cardio is for suckers. That's right -  SUCKERS. Ok, so that is a bit of an overstatement but stick with me. First let's back up a bit before I tell you what a sucker you have been.

As I tell my clients, your training program should be determined by your goal. Not the other way around. So first let's define your goal. If your goal is being a distance runner of some kind, then steady state cardio work like elongated bouts on a treadmill would have some benefit to you. Have at it, be my guest, better you than me. But let's be clear- if you are reading this, distance running is not your goal. Fat loss is (at least for most of you).

Ok, now we have our goal. What is the most efficient way to achieve that goal? I will tell you it is not steady state cardio. For too long now we have been hit over the head repeatedly with the fact that 45-60 minutes on a treadmill or bike or whatever is the best way to lose fat. It is not. The focus has been on quantity of work rather than the quality of that work. (Just as we have been told quantity of calories should matter most, not quality – see my previous newsletter). The problem is once you step off the treadmill you are done burning fat- that's it. By instead employing smarter exercise techniques that emphasize short but intense bouts of focused training we can create a hormonal environment primed for fat loss. Research has also proven this time and time again. This type of "Short Circuit" training revs up the metabolism for literally days at a time. This is called EPOC (Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption). Basically EPOC measures how much your metabolism is raised following exercise. Here's some proof.

STUDY #1: Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism Metabolism.1994;43:814-818 Angelo Tremblay, Jean-Aimé Simoneau and Claude Bouchard

The Findings: This study had participants spilt into 2 groups. Group 1 did 20 weeks steady state aerobics; Group 2 did 15 weeks HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training, the short intense bouts I have been talking about). Group 2 not only exercised for 5 less weeks, but also expended less 48% less calories per exercise bout. Now here's the cool part : Group 2 had 9 times the fat burring. Yes, that is correct Group 2 burned 900% more fat than Group 1.

 
 

STUDY #2: Effect of acute resistance exercise on post exercise oxygen consumption and resting metabolic rate in young women. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000 Mar;10(1):71-81. Osterberg KL, Melby CL.

The Findings: This study determined the effect of an intense bout of resistive exercise on post exercise oxygen consumption, resting metabolic rate, and resting fat oxidation in young women ages 22-35. They completed bouts of heavy resistance exercise involving supersets, compound exercises, mechanical failure, and short rest periods. The study showed that participants had increased fat burning increased by 50% and Metabolism was 4% higher even 16 hours later (which is when they stopped testing).

 
 

 
 

STUDY #3: Effect of an acute period of resistance exercise on excess post-exercise oxygen consumption: implications for body mass management. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2002 Mar;86(5):411-7. Epub 2002 Jan 29. Schuenke MD, Mikat RP, McBride JM..

The Findings: This is one of my favorites. The researchers used whole body resistance training workout that lasted only 31 min. Each circuit consisted of Bench Press, Power Cleans, and Squats which were completed 4 times. These compound moves were performed with very little rest until failure. EPOC was measured at regular intervals and was shown to be significantly elevated for 38 HOURS! That's HUGE!

 
 

That is just the tip of the iceberg. My basic training philosophy is "Big Moves Equals Big Results". This goes for cardio too (or whatever you want to call it). Stop wasting your time - identify your goal and set up your training program accordingly. Until next time...

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness Training
http://carterfitness.com
818-766-8888

PS: Tired of being a sucker? My staff and I currently have some availabilities so why not come in and get a FR.EE test drive of our services? By the time you read this Carter Fitness in West Hills should be up and running. Reply to this email or give me a call at the number above.