Home | Diet Help Blog | Diet Cures | Body Building | Weight Loss Auctions | Free BMI Calculator |
Additional Resources | Anger Management | Free Fat Loss Report | Green Tea | Contact






Questions About Cardio Workouts and Weight Loss




Exercises you can use to lose...
Q: I've heard you mention that you don't need tons of cardio to burn off stubborn abdominal fat. Okay, I can live with that, but you've also said that it isn't absolutely necessary to perform direct ab work either. What gives?

A: If you want to build a serious set of abdominals, routinely perform the following exercises and their variations:

    Squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, and standing military presses. These multi-joint movements require a strong contribution from the abdominals to stabilize the core, particularly when heavy loads are used.
It is not uncommon to hear clients complain of abdominal soreness a day or two after performing multiple sets with a decent weight of the chin-up or standing military press exercise - the ab prestretch will tap into fibers you never thought existed! And remember, your abdominals act as a natural girdle, or weight belt if you will, when performing all exercises, particularly squats and deadlifts. These muscles act as a bridge between your upper and lower body and are heavily recruited as stabilizers.

Sure, isolation exercises like pullovers, curls, and even triceps pressdowns also require a good degree of core stability; however, the loads used are relatively low compared to the big 4 mentioned above. In fact, according to Siff & Verkhoshansky, isolation becomes virtually impossible if large loads are used, and in many cases, the tension developed in the stabilizers will equal or even exceed that of the prime movers!* So, you see, the abdominals can be trained quite effectively as stabilizers - the physiques of top Olympic weightlifters will attest to that.

    *Siff, MC, Verkhoshansky, YV. "Supertraining (4th Edition)." Denver, CO: Supertraining International, 1999. (pg. 241)

Q: I am still very much confused regarding cardio intensity. One book says keep it low intensity (i.e. 60% of MHR) and go for distance; another says to keep it high intensity (80% or more) and go for as long and hard as you can. My goal is to burn fat. Each book has great arguments for their approach. Which is accurate?

A: The second approach is far more effective for burning fat. Without getting into a huge discussion about this, here's how things work in a nutshell.

At a lower intensity, your body prefers fat for fuel. Yes, this is true, but two things generally happen:

1. After awhile of doing this type of activity, your body adapts by actually laying down fat (you heard me right) to become more efficient at the given task and this usually occurs in the lower body, and

2. A higher relative amount of fat is burned during low intensity cardio but a greater absolute amount is burned with higher intensity cardio and in less time.

Other things to consider are: a) the EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) is greater for a longer duration following higher intensity work; in other words, you're metabolism is much higher for a longer period of time post-workout with high intensity cardio, and b) higher lactate levels exist with high intensity cardio. So what you may ask? Well there is a direct correlation with lactate and GH (Growth Hormone) and GH is a potent fat-burner.

Bottom line: with regards to burning fat, do higher intensity work in the form of interval training and you'll get great results.

John Paul Catanzaro is a certified kinesiologist and professional fitness and lifestyle consultant with a specialized honours Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology and Health Science. He owns and operates a private gym in Toronto, Ontario providing training and nutritional consulting services. For additional information, visit his website at www.BodyEssence.caor call 416-292-4356.





News About Cardio Workouts


4 Cardio Workouts That Are Creative and Fun
U.S. News & World Report (blog)
The constant movement makes this a good cardio workout if you're looking to lose weight. Women-only classes tend to incorporate dance improvisation, ...



Five Ways to Build Cardio Without Running
Crave Online
If you live in a metropolitan area, you can probably find a gym that teaches Brazilian jiu jitsu, one of the most famously cardio-intensive workouts in the ...



OfficialWire (press release)

The Point Of The Fat Burning Furnace Program Is Not To Starve, But To Eat ...
OfficialWire (press release)
Long cardio workouts are also excluded because they are not as effective as it was believed in burning fat. They were replaced with short cardio workouts ...
6 Tips to Shed Stomach Fatlonad News

all 7 news articles »


Hells Bells!
The Auburn Plainsman
(Christen Harned / ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR) Students too busy for separate cardio and muscular workouts should know their time can be saved by the bell—the ...



Out & About: Kickboxing — A bag-punching-martial-art-kicking cardio workout
Suburban Life Publications
Pam Wieland, a kickboxing instructor at Wituk Martial Arts (witukmartialarts.com) in Batavia, says the workout provides an intense cardio exercise that ...


Google News





Lose Weight by Eating Foods
That Burn More Calories To
Digest Than They Contain!


Fishing articles

ON The Hook | Fishing Articles

Star trek cartoon

Star Trek Humor

apple recipes

Free Apple Recipes

home | site map | Privacy Policy | Recommended Sites | Disclosure Policy
© Dieting-help.com * | * | * Contact