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cardioforweightlossexplained

FitFocus

Love it or hate it, most everyone is aware o the need to engage

in cardiovascular activity as part o an optimal health and

ftness plan. But over the years cardio has been stereotyped

into two groupings, both extreme. On one hand, you have die-

hard proponents who proess their love and credit their tight

abs and thighs to logging hours on the elliptical, treadmill

and arc trainer. On the other hand, you have death-beore-

cardio liting addicts who consider a fve-minute warm-up an

adequate cardio session, and claim their super-intense weight

routine is the sole tribute to their rippling six-pack. So, whos

right? Believe it or not, theyre both right.

The popularity o cardio is built on the premise that aerobic

activity burns at. And, there is good reason to believe that

statement. Its true! However, true weight loss comes not

only rom at burning, but rom a total caloric defcit that all

comes down to a tried and true clich nearly everyones heard:

calories in versus calories out. That little phrase cant be

closer to the truth, and its the best kept secret in weight loss.

While the solution is simple, its ar rom easy to identiy an

individuals metabolic rate and daily caloric output. Without

extensive, expensive metabolic testing, the best solution is a

very controlled and closely monitored trial and error period.

By Alissa Carpio, NASM-CPT

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Beore drating the cardio component o a program,

consider your current routine and how much available time

you have to dedicate to a program. Also, unless youre

training or a specifc event such as a bodybuilding or ftness

competition, consider that you will not be able to maintain an

extremely rigorous and time-consuming program or the rest

o your lie. It should be livable and enjoyable, above all.

NutritionNutrition and supplementation need to be addressed, also.

All the training in the world wont help you lose weight iyoure consuming too many calories, not enough calories,

or the wrong types and amounts o ood. Get into the habit

o eating 6-8 small meals daily. I its difcult, start with 3

meals and 2-3 snacks. The key is to get your body used to

receiving ood and burning it or uel, instead o hoarding it

or energy and survival. Meals should be balanced, consisting

o lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fbrous vegetables

and ruits and healthy ats. Portion control is important.

By logging your ood in a journal or diary, its easy to see

exactly what areas need improvement. Without tracking, its

impossible to monitor, evaluate and make necessary changes.

Recommended caloric intake is a complex subject in its own

right. Try to give yoursel as much ood as possible to get theresults you want. Cut slowly and consistently. When it comes

to dietary restriction, less is more.

Supplements that boost energy and help with appetite

control and at burning are useul during times o strict dieting.

However, in regards to maintaining a liestyle, they should not

be used on a constant basis.

Weight TrainingNever consider a at loss program without a weight training

component. There are ar too many benefts o weight training

to miss out on this awesome activity. Plus, weight loss will be

more difcult as it will become harder to burn calories through

other means o action. Metabolic shutdown is a risk, too.

Weight training will burn up to 500 calories per workout. It willhelp build lean muscle, which will in turn burn more calories

at rest. Finally, resistance training will shape and tighten your

body, something that is impossible with cardio alone.

At a minimum, engage in 2-3 weight training sessions every

week. Be sure to work every major muscle group at least

once weekly. For more o a cardio eect, keep rest periods

between sets under 60 seconds. Other options include super

setting (perorming 2 or more exercises back to back without

rest) or circuit training. (See the sidebar or more tips.)

Aerobic vs. AnaerobicCardio is typically reerred to as aerobics. But what does

that really mean? Aerobic means with oxygen. While yourbody never truly relies on a single energy source, most o the

energy during aerobic exercise comes rom oxygen. Oxygen

is quickly replenished and this is why you can perorm cardio

or such a long duration without having to rest.

Anaerobic exercise (meaning without oxygen) takes

the body into the training zone where sugars are recruited

or energy. Typically, this style o exercise is weight training.

Stored carbohydrates in the muscles are quickly depleted

and take longer to replenish. This is why you have to rest ater

a very short time when weight training, but can then resume

and continue the workout ater several minutes.

Why should you care about all this? Through anaerobic

training the metabolism is elevated or up to 38 hours post-

exercise. Studies have shown that high-intensity interval

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Weight Training Rule #1Eat carbs and protein beore you train. This is vital! I you

dont have enough available and stored carbohydrate

(glycogen) to uel you through a workout, your body will

break down its own protein and convert it to glucose or

energy. This means you will be breaking down your hard-

earned muscle in an attempt to build new muscle verycounterproductive! Good pre-workout snack ideas: a

banana with all-natural peanut butter, a protein bar that

includes carbs, yogurt or any Max Muscle Protein shake

with some Carbo Max or ruit added to it.

Weight Training Rule #2Feed your passion. Do you realize that it takes your body

about 5,000 calories to grow one pound o muscle? Now,

Im not advising you go out and eat 5,000 calories right

now; rather Im suggesting that you make sure your diet

is structured to include some calories to support your

strength training (300 to 700 per day depending on the

individual). Dont worry, i youre training hard and oten,

the extra calories will not be stored as at but instead willbe used to build new muscle, which in turn helps you burn

at. This is a tough one or people to swallow because it

goes against so much o what theyve been told, but its

true. You may fnd that the right balance is adding calories

in the orm o a pre-workout snack and a post-workout

recovery snack. Then continue with eating small requent

meals loaded with quality protein, complex carbs, and

healthy ats the rest o the day. I highly suggest talking to

a Max Muscle Certifed Fitness Nutrition Coach to make

sure you understand the importance o this rule.

Weight Training Rule #3Keep your body guessing. Results come quickly when you

start weight training, but i you dont change your routineonce in a while you will defnitely hit a plateau and become

rustrated. I youre a novice to weight training, talk to an

experienced trainer or help. I you decide to go it alone,

then buy a good book about training or your ftness level

and take the time to design your workouts beore you hit

the gym. I youve been weight training or a while, mix it

up a little by incorporating supersets, circuit training and

pyramid workouts to keep your body making positive

changes.

Weight Training Rule #4Dont sleep walk through your workout. Intensity intensity

intensity! Intensity translates into a higher metabolism

both during and ater your workout.

THE RULESBy Jennifer Lee, CN

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Day Cardio Type Cardio Time Ideal HR Range

1 Interval Training on Treadmill:

2 min. sprinting at 8 mph

alternating with 3 min. jogging

at 5mph

30 minutes* 80% Max HR on

60% Max HR o

2 LSD Incline Walking on

Treadmill

45 minutes* 65-70% Max HR

3 3 on, 2 o, Intervals on Elliptical 30 minutes* 80% Max HR on

60% Max HR o

4 LSD Arc Trainer 45 minutes* 65-70% Max HR

*Does not include 3-5 minute warm-up and 3-5 minute cool-down.

training helps burn more at than aerobic

exercise. So i youre trying to lose

weight, anaerobic training is a must!

While people typically assume that

being on a cardio machine is aerobic

and liting weights is anaerobic, its the

way you train that dictates the energy

source used and type o training being

perormed. That being said, you canalter both your cardio sessions and your

weight training sessions to be more

anaerobic or more aerobic, respectively.

Cardio that is more aerobic in nature

is called long slow distance or steady

state. Cardio that is more anaerobic is

typically reerred to as interval training

or high-intensity interval training.

While the benefts o anaerobic

training would seem superior, its

important to include aerobic exercise

as well. Aerobic cardio helps the body

recover rom intense training, preventsovertraining, and continues to improve

heart health and endurance.

Cardio VariablesWith any type o cardio, the key to

continual at loss lies in progressively

overloading the body as it continually

adapts to the challenges placed beore

it. This can be done by altering one or

more o these our variables: requency,

intensity, time, type.

Frequency the number o times cardio

is perormed in a given amount o time

(usually one week)/Intensity the level o difculty o a

cardio session. Generally related to time

(higher intensity coincides with shorter

length o time). Measured by heart rate

or Rate o Perceived Exertion (RPE).

Time the length o a cardio session.

Type the style o cardio, determined

by length and intensity. Two main

categories are high intensity and long

slow distance/steady state.

Remember, the body will efciently

adapt to the challenges placed upon it,

so they have to continually increase indifculty to orce the body to continue

to burn calories, which o course will aid

in at loss. Its extremely important to

track training heart rate during cardio.

Most gym cardio machines have this

eature built in, but i its not available to

you, invest wisely in your own personal

heart rate monitor. This will take out the

guesswork in fguring out which training

range youre in. It also serves as a saetyeature to prevent your heart rate rom

getting too high. Ideal training heart rate

ranges are outlined in the above chart.

Program Design A great way to approach your cardio

program is to keep it varied. This

keeps things un, but more importantly,

allows you to reap the benefts o

dierent types o cardio. Other actors

to consider are requency o weight

training, and allowing adequate time or

rest and recovery. The chart above is

an example or a ft person working outwith weights 3 times weekly and taking

one complete day o rest every week.

This person would ollow a 2-on, 1-o,

2-on, 2-o cardio routine.

Find Your Heart Rate Zones

Subtract your age rom the number 220.

This is your max HR. You should never

train at this level o intensity. Multiply

that number by .8 or 80 percent o your

max HR. Multiply your number rom

step one by .6 or 60 percent o your

max HR. A 29 year old would yield the

ollowing results:

220 29 = 191 max HR

191 x .8 = 153 (80 percent max HR)

191 x .6 = 115 (60 percent max HR)

As part o a well-rounded nutrition

and ftness plan, cardio can assist you

in reaching your health and at loss

goals. Like all components o ftness,

cardio should be part o a complete plan

coupled with weight training, proper

nutrition and rest. Take your at loss to

the next level by addressing your cardio

program. Love it or hate it, the resultswill speak or themselves! MS&F

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