Is Cardio Good for Fat Loss?

20 years or so ago, if you were searching for a way to lose weight, you would most likely have been directed to get on the treadmill or the elliptical machine for 30 minutes at a minimum. This would have been considered sound advice and a sure way to get those unwanted pounds off. Those were the days in which cardio workouts reigned supreme as the one true way to lose weight.

In recent years, this point of view has been challenged. Some trainers even go as fat as create programs which include no trace of the sort of cardio workouts that we know. They claim that it is simply a waste of time to do cardio, at least the way it has been done in the past.
Which of these two points of view is correct? Is cardio good for fat loss or is it merely a waste of your valuable time?
The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle.

The basic rule of weight loss is that when you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. It's that simple. The more active you are, the more calories you burn so your overall calorie deficit can become bigger.

Cardio is an activity. When you perform a cardio workout you burn more calories than you would have done in an inactive state. So, cardio is good for fat loss because it does generate an increase in the amount of calories that you burn.

However, it is not the ultimate solution to weight loss that it was thought to be. There are other ways to train which may provide better and faster results.

The first of such methods is known as HIIT, or interval training. This is a form of cardio, but it is very different from the way most people do it. When you do intervals you do not spend an hour on a treadmill or a recumbent bike, exercising at a medium but steady pace.

When you do intervals you change your pace in short intervals, moving from high intensity to low. This has been shown to produce faster fat loss results than traditional cardio.

The second method is strength training. This is something that a lot of people, women in particular shy away from. This is unfortunate because weight lifting is excellent for fat loss as it boosts your metabolism.
The best way to get rid of excess body fat is to combine cardio with strength training. This is how you will achieve the quickest results.

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Cardio For Fat Loss - Important Training Methods

The verdict on cardio for fat loss has been out for decades and by now, most of us have at least some familiarity with this concept. However, few people are aware that the application of cardiovascular exercises is just as important as the lesson itself, if not more! This article is here to help you avoid making poor cardio decisions before you waste time in the gym or waste money in your wallet on useless programs that don't work.

Slow, Long Cardio
Most of us have heard that elongated cardio workouts yield real fat loss results, and they do; the important thing to understand, however, is that this method is not for everybody. Not everyone is able to allocate at least 30 minutes per workout to low-intensity long duration cardio routines on the treadmill, the elliptical or what have you. Another factor hindering a consistent effort is the inevitable boredom that repetitive tasks tend to produce. When it comes to cardio for fat loss, it is crucial that your energy and enthusiasm remain as high as possible throughout the duration of your routine.

This isn't to say that elongated methodical cardio is bad altogether. 30 minutes on the treadmill can burn up to 500 calories if you work hard enough, plus there is no better option for beginners who may have to improve their athleticism before progressing into more challenging workouts. Whether or not you go this route is your call, but a generally good way to gauge your physical aptitude is through your body fat percentage and ability to squat 150% of your own body weight. We'll touch on that later.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT is the newest path towards success when it comes to cardio for fat loss. This is because it is more time-efficient, challenging, and fun than elongated slow cardio routines. The drawback is that this method may be too challenging for some people right out of the gate because it effectively incorporates some strength-training elements as well. High Intensity Interval Training is recommended for people who are below 20% body fat and can squat 150% of their body weight for at least 6 reps.

Some of the best HIIT workouts are the kinds you hear about form military training: burpees, sprints and 'The Bear.' All of these incorporate muscle development as part of their broader fat loss potential and all work!

To conclude, it is ideal to use short high-intensity cardio for fat loss because it offers exciting, energized and effective workouts at a fraction of the time that long cardio does, though there is absolutely nothing wrong with progressing from long cardio to HIIT.

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How to Use Cardio to Burn Fat?

A good cardio workout is one of the corner stones of weight loss. It's almost impossible to lose weight without some form of cardio training. But you need to know how to use cardio to burn fat, because surprisingly enough - just running/walking/swimming is not enough.

First, for those who don't already know the answer: "Why do I need cardio to burn fat?" We need cardio because in our daily routine we don't use enough energy to do so. Most diets are designed to lower our calorie consumption but that's not enough. You still need a way to actually use fat cells and that's where the cardiovascular workouts come in. A proper cardio session should "cost" you around 600 calories, When you're on a diet, most of these 600 calories come from fat cells.

So this is why you need cardio to burn fat, But now there's another question: "How to use cardio to burn fat?" As I said before, simply running on a treadmill won't do the job. First there is a matter of heart rate, If you want to burn fat you should keep your heart rate between 75-85% of your max heart rate. If your heart rate goes above 85% you will be very hungry when you finish your workout. In addition to monitoring your heart rate you should eat right. Eating the right foods before and after a workout is very effective. For example, if you eat a lot of sugar before your cardio exercise you'll have a boost of energy at the beginning of your workout but you will feel very tired very quickly. Same goes for coffee or energy drinks. You should get to your workout in a stable state, Eat carbs an hour or so before your workout this will help your cardio to burn fat. You will have sufficient amount of energy, so your muscles won't work as much as your heart will. This is exactly where you want your body to be when using cardio to burn fat.

You should also try to eat high protein, low carb foods after your workout. The likes of eggs, fish or even a yogurt will do the trick. Protein feeds the muscles, including the heart, while carbs will become unnecessary energy which will later transform into fat cells. Though you could feel hungry after a cardio session, try to follow these guidelines and avoid carbs. There are some other advantages to doing cardio to burn fat. One last overlooked advantage is the feeling after a workout. If you do your cardio workout early in the day it will give an energy boost that can get your day going. If you do your cardio workout in the evening, You will probably sleep better that night. Sleeping after a good cardio workout is very good for your body, I can assure you waking up the next day will feel more energetic than usual. I hope you now have a better grasp of the importance of cardio to burn fat.

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