Continued from Fat Burning Workout.
Forget about a fat-burning cardio, some knuckleheads argue that a cardio workout is basically useless for fat loss. Do not listen to them, they will probably tell you to take clenbuterol for fat loss or something even more dangerous.
So what is the deal with cardio? Fat-burning cardio is not a myth, but it is important to understand that you can attain much better results from your cardio sessions if you maximize the efficiency of your cardio workout.
If you just run aimlessly for hours on end in hopes of a midsection miracle, you will be disappointed.
Remember, you want to strike a balance between fat-burning and muscle growth, and doing too much of the former can hinder the latter. And that is where the fat-burning cardio comes in.
What is a fat-burning cardio? A fat-burning cardio is really just your approach to how you structure your cardio workouts, think 3-5 sessions per week and alternating between steady-state and HIIT cardio.
“HIIT – alternating between all-out sprints and slower-paced recovery periods – relies mostly on carbohydrates during exercise but will burn more fat afterward due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption,” says Jeramie Hinojosa, MS, senior clinical exercise specialist at East Texas Medical Center Olympic Center in Tyler, Texas.
“Steady-state cardio, in which you aim to work at 50%-70% of your max heart rate for a set period, tends to burn more fat as fuel during exercise because you can go longer. And as exercise duration increases, so does the use of fat as fuel.”
While HIIT has gained ground as one of the best ways to perform cardio and hold on to muscle, it’s tough to do with regularity, which is why the sessions are generally shorter.
That’s why Hinojosa recommends performing 2-3 HIIT workouts a week and sprinkling in 2-3 easy-to-moderate steady-state sessions to get the best of both worlds. “Consider the steady-state days to be active recovery,” he says.
The bottom line: The fat-burning cardio is a cool thing to do because it really does help you get rid of bodyfat.
Perform 2-3, 20-30-minute HIIT cardio workouts per week to maximize post-exercise fat-burning. Mix in 2-3, 30-45-minute easy-to-moderate steady-state cardio sessions each week to burn more fat during exercise and to allow your body to recover. [via]