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The first step most people take if they want to lose weight is go for a run. Bad idea. Here's why.
Guys, cardio is good for the heart. It strengthens the heart and surrounding muscles and enables blood to be pushed around far easier around the body. BUT, below I’ll list how it actually burns fat;
Remember I told you calories are the main determinant in losing fat? Well, cardio helps as cardio burns calories.
Cardio DOESN’T directly burn fat. Cardio can free up fatty acids, yes, but they will go back to their original place IF A CALORIE DEFICIT IS NOT FOLLOWED.
Cardio can help your recovery. Those intense weight lifting sessions, which are crucial to fat loss, can build up waste products in muscles. Cardio pushes blood around the system and waste products can be removed easily.
If you don’t want to eat in a calorie deficit, fair enough. It enough to maintain your body weight at least, that way, you can do some cardio to shed some extra calories.
Low-intensity v Interval training (HIIT). Do whichever you have time for. If you have time, do low intensity. If you are short of time, do interval training. One isn’t better than the other. You will be told otherwise, and yes, HIIT does have some benefits, but to lose fat, one is NOT better than the other.
Fasted cardio (empty stomach) is no better than doing cardio in a fed state. If you want to do it early and don’t want to eat then go ahead. If you want to do it with food in your system, go ahead. It all comes down to calories at the end of the day!
So please don’t waste your time doing cardio to directly burn fat. You still need to respect calories, lift weights and build lean mass to keep the fat off. Ladies, there are numerous studies showing the benefits of weight training and how this is 10 times more effective than traditional cardiovascular work when it comes to losing body fat – but for now, just bear the above points in mind.
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