Just the other day I received an email from one of my customers. In the email he explained that he had just bought my program, but that he was told that he needs to only do cardio FIRST to lose weight, then to begin training with weights. And now he’s confused as hell and doesn’t know what to do, that’s why he emailed me.
And thank goodness he did.
First off, I’m a level headed guy, but the email made me absolutely HOT.
Not at my customer, but at the people around him giving him bad advice. I can’t blame him for wanting to listen to the people closest to him, because his friends are probably not trying to intentionally sabotage his goals…
But they ARE DEAD FRIGGIN’ WRONG.
A lot of people (and I mean literally) think that cardio is the ONLY way to burn fat… and they think the best way to lose fat is to perform cardio.
So, let’s look at why this is the wrong approach and why it can actually make you a fatter.
First, the human body is designed to burn a mixture of fat, carbohydrates, and oxygen.
When you perform cardio, the first 10 seconds or so, you’ll be burning strictly phosphocreatine before your body switches over to the other mixtures.
The main difference between doing cardio and sitting at your desk is that while doing Cardio, you’re burning a greater percentage of this mixture.
That’s the ONLY difference. It’s like starting your vehicle. Whether it’s at a low idle or
you have the pedal to the metal, it’s still burning the SAME mixture of gas and oil.
It’s just that when you have the pedal dropped to the floor you’ll be burning MORE of this
mixture.
Okay, now that we’re clear on that, let’s get to the meat.
The role of Fat and why it’s burnt LAST during cardio
Fat is where your body stores precious nutrients; it’s the last resort for survival.
If you’re in a calorie deficit trying to lose lbs, the fat stores are the last thing your
body is going to dip into for energy and fuel.
So, that leaves a higher percentage of carbohydrates and oxygen for your body to use to fuel the cardio workout.
Here’s where it gets hairy. When your body has a low storage of carbohydrates (as when you’re on a calorie restricted diet), it WILL breakdown proteins and muscle tissue to use for energy.
It does this by converting them into Carbohydrates (glycogen) THEN using them for fuel.
I know you don’t want a science lesson, but this process of breaking down protein and muscle is called glyconeogenesis. And what’s worse is the process alone requires even MORE energy…
taken from the same pool:
protein & muscle
If you look glyconeogenesis up in a med dictionary:
“The making of the polysaccharide glycogen without using glucose or other carbohydrates and instead using things like fats or proteins.”
AHHHH!!
It also converts fat into carbohydrates to use as fuel, so I’m good, right?
Wrong.
Fatty acids cannot be converted into glucose in animals,
the exception being odd-chain fatty acids.
It uses mainly protein & amino acids… the stuff from your muscles
So why the heck is this important?
A little known fact is that Muscle is where fat is burned. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn.
So all of these little processes your body goes through to convert muscle & protein to carbs to use as fuel decreases the amount of muscle on your body.
The less muscle you have, the less fat you burn.
So, in the end, you cripple your calorie burning potential day in and day out.
Sucks, huh? I don’t make the rules, I’m just the messenger.
And if you want to know the absolute truth, you don’t even NEED cardio to burn fa-t.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the story of how one woman lost 31 lbs of fat without doing cardio at all:
How to Lose Belly Fat Without Cardio
If you need additional proof you don’t need cardio for fat loss, here’s the story of how Les dropped his body fat below 7% after cutting cardio completely out of his program:
Since muscle is where fat is burned, the number 1 goal you should strive for regardless if you’re a man or a woman is maintaining or increasing your overall lean muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. The best way to do this is through some type of resistance training - preferably weight training.
’til next time, Train Hard & Live Easy,
Todd Scott
www.HowtoGetSixPackAbs.com
