Cardio - To lose fat, should you do it? Do you NEED to do it? NO. Cardio is a tool at your disposal to maintain the energy balance equation. Doing Cardio does not mean you are burning fat. No matter what intensity you do your cardio at, your primary energy source used is glucose (carbohydrates). There is also no fat burning zone. Some intensities (lower) will utilise a higher percentage of fat as energy compared to higher intensity but that doesnt mean much if in the higher intensity you expend 5 times the amount calories. Now that doesnt mean you should do HIIT cardio or that it is better. When equal calories are expended, the 24 hour fat oxidation levels are exactly the same regardless of you did HIIT or Low Intensity cardio. So just because HIIT takes a quarter of the time doesnt make it automatically better. If your cardiovascular fitness is poor, adding HITT into your training schedule can negatively impact on your recovery and weight training performance, as the HIIT training will be far more taxing on your body. So while LISS may take longer to expend the same calories, because it doesnt beat you up as much, it will have less of a negative impact on your other training and recovery. So dont just jump to (false) conclusions or blindly add in cardio to your training routine. There are many factors to consider. Sure if you are continually removing calories from the diet to maintain the deficit and fat loss, cardio maybe a good option to add in to boost calorie expenditure and therefore allow for a higher calorie intake. It can also have positive effects on hormonal function if done in the appropriate levels BUT it can also negatively impact on hormonal balance if it is done in excess and combined with a low calorie intake. Should an individual implement cardio into their training routine? Well it depends on each individual situation. But the simple answer is IF cardio is going to be added into your overall body composition plan, it should be done in minimal amounts that do not impact negatively on your primary training and allow for a better calorie intake.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 22:40:38 +0000
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