Is Your Exercise Keeping You Fat?
One of the things I covered in my biggest workout mistakes post is the fact that many people work out way too much. What I mean by this is when you do activities for the sake of a goal (say losing fat), and you think more is better…..well you can actually be doing more harm than good. I have consulted with so many people who are not getting results just based on their level of exercise activity is too much for them. Once they finally get that under control then they start seeing results again. Remember it’s all about quality of what you do, not quantity. Let’s look at the real problems and solutions for people of all goals.
Excess aerobic activity will make you store more fat
WIth excess aerobic activity comes the increase in the hormone cortisol. As this rises so does your body’s blood sugar, in a sense you are actually going to start creating more insulin because of this. More insulin means more insulin resistance. More insulin resistance means more fat storing down the road. Although you may think you are burning fat, you may just be losing muscle and then storing more in places that will be hard to get off later. I can’t tell you how many “skinny joggers” I have seen that are low weight but high body fat % in the wrong places (men typically in the stomach, women in the hips and butt). You can see many “non-professional” (and note I use the word non-professional because to think you are in the same league with these people with their overall training and nutrition program is like comparing apples to sharks) endurance people that are carrying around extra weight in the wrong places. (look at your aerobic instructors, most are also carrying around a higher BF % ).
Doing the same intensity aerobic conditioning will make you more efficient at burning calories at that pace
Ask yourself, if your goal is to burn fat….why would you ever want to become more efficient at it? In fact, you probably want to become very inefficient at it so you always burn up the maximum amount. Steady state cardio type activity will allow your body to adapt and become smarter in how it uses it’s fuel. Think of it like driving a car, which uses up more gas….city stop and go traffic while slamming down the accelerator…or cruising along the highway at 65 with the overdrive on?
If you want to burn fat, it is still a hormonal event
You can’t outsmart your fat cells, it won’t happen. What you can do is give them the right hormonal signals to release Fatty Acids into the bloodstream so you can use them in the muscle as fuel. What are the biggest hormones involved? Glucagon (and it’s counterpart Insulin), GH and Catecholamines (the most popular being epinephrine/adrenaline and norepinephrine/noradrenaline). These messengers can trigger fat cells to release free fatty acids (FFAs) into the bloodstream to be used up for energy. Insulin however can put a hault to the process and signal the fat cells to go into storing mode, not releasing. So the key factors to remember for burning fat is to keep glucagon high, insulin low and use bursts of GH and catacholamines to get those FFAs burned up. You can burn fat all day long, if you tell your body to do it.
Most people wanting to put on muscle size workout way too much
Muscle does NOT grow in the gym. Keep telling yourself that. If you want to put on serious size and muscle you probably need to do 2 things, workout less and eat more. Working out more will just lead you to the same body you have now year after year. Stop reading about those workouts in magazines so called professional bodybuilders do. Most do not, and you are also not getting the same “hormonal” help most of them are. Unless you are taking extra “hormones” and eating 2g/lb of lean mass in protein, then there is no reason you should be lifting any more than 2-3x a week. In fact I say stick with 2x and just eat healthy. If you can not gain muscle lifting hard 2x a week and eating then something is wrong. Also, if you do not eat enough don’t plan on your body telling it to start building more muscle.
Remember WHY you workout
I mean most of us workout to lose weight, build muscle, or just be healthier right? So what good is it if we are doing all the wrong things and getting no results down the road? If you want to be a professional athlete that is one thing, but if you are like most of us and just want your body to look and feel better then we need to do all right things. More is not always better, smart is better. If you are not getting results, then you need to stop what you are doing and change it up. Continuing down the same road expecting different results is what some might call insanity.
Enjoy what you do, make it a lifestyle
You can still go for a run (I enjoy trial running…as seen in my post on nature’s plan on how to run), ride your bike (I also enjoy mountain biking), go swimming, play tennis, or whatever you enjoy. Just don’t over do it. Most of my activities are usually 30-45min max and I make sure I don’t feel absolutely bonked when I am done (unless I plan on eating a big feast right after). If I do something longer it is usually at a slower pace like hiking. There are many things we can do and go out and enjoy in life, but to do higher durations of aerobic activity thinking that it burns more fat is just not understanding how the body works. Do you need activity? Sure you do. Do you have to kill yourself in the process? Of course not. That and focus on what you eat, as 85%+ of your fat loss comes from the calories you eat and the hormonal signals given off by your food.
So to sum up….want to burn fat? Then do the following:
- Workout with weights 2-3x a week, or do bodyweight resistance exercises. You need to challenge your muscles and keep them around (use it or lose it). With muscles comes more fat burning furnaces, as fat is burned in the muscle….and if you lose muscle you also lose more fat burning furnaces. There is a reason people with muscle do little aerobic exercise and still keep lean.
- Stop doing “excessive” cardio trying to get fat loss. Honestly do you even know if you are burning fat or glycogen at that point? You don’t. While activity is important it must be balanced with what you are eating and your hormonal signals. I enjoy my activities, but maybe only a couple times a week. It’s important to be active daily but it is also important not to over do it, keep it at 30-40min max depending on your intensity. This is not to say to not do anything, just do it correctly and not all the time and you will get results. That and focus on where most of the results come from anyways, what you eat!
- Intervals/Intensity programming works for a reason. This will get those Catecholamines and GH going to release more FFAs. You don’t want to overdo this either, but about 10min (15 max) of intervals or intense lifting above the lactate threshold will get the hormones up. From there you can keep going with lower intensity activity knowing you are burning more fat and without putting yourself into a state of overtraining and excess cortisol release. In fact it may be more advantageous to do repeated bursts of smaller intense activities throughout the day rather than one big longer one when it comes to fat loss and GH response (since GH comes in temporary pulses and you can now spread multiple pulses throughout the day…and we know that we can burn fat all day long right?).
- Stop calling it cardio and make it a lifestyle activity. Enjoy what you do and don’t do it at the same pace. Go run a trail but stop when you need to (I usually sprint hills, walk a bit, sprint, walk…never one steady pace). Do different activities, go dancing, rollerblading, hiking, running, swimming, canoeing….mix it up and your body will never get bored (and efficient at burning calories).
- Get your Sleep. If you don’t get to bed early or sleep enough you are setting yourself up for increased cortisol, messed up GH cycles (your biggest release is in the first couple hours of sleep, but can be lower the later you go to bed), and overall increasing insulin resistance and decreasing immune system. Not a good thing. Get your sleep and you will make a better fat burning machine. Stay up late and you will see more cravings for carbohydrates and sugars, which are not the road to fat loss (including the fact that high insulin levels before bed will lower the GH response during beginning stages of sleep).
- Get rid of Sugar and Processed Carbs – Insulin goes up, then fat burning shuts down. Simple as that. Glucagon goes down (fat releasing hormone) when Insulin rises. Keep your insulin lowered and your glucagon higher, then you can burn fat more often. Most importantly, NEVER have it right before bed….that is unless you don’t want GH released.
- Stop Stressing Out – Keep your cortisol under control, to keep your insulin at bay. We all know stress is not a good thing when overdone or chronic, and guess what exercise is a stress. So keep your exercise under control or suffer the consequences. (tip try adding in some Vit C around workouts too, may help to control cortisol levels). Also by increasing chronic cortisol output you will eventually burn out the organ it comes from, the adrenal glands. Guess what that gland also produces, Catecholamines….you know those hormones that can help increase FFA release. So burned out your adrenal gland and you lower some of your fat burning hormones in the process. Not a good trade off.
Further Reading: Mark Sisson a former “milage king” gives his case against chronic cardio here.
photo by ario_j
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Hey Mike,
Great post. really sums up what it takes to be lean and healthy. I agree with you that the “cardio” title has to go. For me it now has a negative connotation. When I lift my heart rate goes up to 170bpm, but varies during the 30-35 minutes workout. As you said, don’t give your body a chance to get efficient at anything or else it will.
keep up the good work. I love reading your blog and look forward to new posts.
jeff
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Great post, all summed up very well………Its been years since I have done any “Cardio” per-say…… Most my aerobic activity is done when I play sports or go for playful runs which will have sprints/pushups and more thrown in, they are something I really enjoy doing a few times a week especially with some good music on my iPod. Its sad how many people I see wasting their time on the treadmill in the gym when all they need to do is hit the weights a few times a week then keep active on other days doing what they enjoy…..
Another tip I would suggest is to try and walk as much as you can, a good 20-30 minute walk a everyday is great for body and mind!
Thanks for the great post, and spreading the word.
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Jeff – So true, health and fitness can be very simple at heart….but somehow we think it needs to be more complicated than it really is. Heck I used to have a heart rate monitor longggg time ago but hardly used it and threw it out…as I don’t need a device to tell me my heart is pumping going up a hill! That and to believe I need to be in a zone to burn optimal fat is not looking at the whole fat burning equation. Overall our lifestyle activity should be fun and challenging…and the more we challenge our bodies and minds with variety, the better they will respond.
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Chris – Unfortunately the mainstream people are just getting their advice from wrong sources. Not that people can’t use a treadmill effectively (although I would rather say go outside and run a trail), they just need to know how to use it wisely for best results. It’s people that try so hard and get no results that need to really know how results happen. Nike and other manufacturers have a big stake in the steady state “cardio” marketplace, hundreds of millions to be made there as it is an industry all its own. Their marketing budget is much larger than mine per say….but I think the message is starting to get out there little by little.
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This was the hardest mental block for me to get over.. Ever since i stepped down from 5 days per week in the gym to 2 or 3… i am still making progress though!
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SOG – Many people have the same problems….as it can be fun to workout all the time…but then again, if progress is what we are after then we need to do what gets progress….and then find other things to do that are fun with our new found free time!
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[...] Is Your Exercise Keeping You Fat? – So the key factors to remember for burning fat is to keep glucagon high, insulin low and use bursts of GH and catacholamines to get those FFAs burned up. You can burn fat all day long, if you tell your body to do it. … [...]
Thanks Mike – this is a very comprehensive post and I particularly appreciate the clear explanation of how cortisol produced during chronic cardio eventually leads to fat gain – this is something will now be able to use this when I am hectoring cardio-crazed people!
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[...] the IFLife, here’s an interesting article about exercise which might be keeping you fat. I’m not sure I agree with all of this but it’s certainly interesting reading. @The [...]
Meth – Like the saying goes, all in moderation. It’s that way for a reason. If people want to go for a run a couple times a week, go for it….it’s the chronic runners/cardio addicts that are setting themselves up for a downfall….as running is a stress, a fear response (fight or flight)…not meant for everyday unless very brief and controlled. Even then your CNS appreciates breaks otherwise you also start to lose strength in the process (since strength is more a CNS response based system).
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[...] I lied. I don’t have a training program for you guys. I just wanted to show you have simple it is to really drop fat without hitting a gym [...]
[...] Be A Cardio Freak! A blog I read, TheIFLife puts it this way, “Think of it like driving a car, which uses up more gas… city stop [...]
i am amazed to finally meet someone that agrees that exercise can make you gain weight if not done correctly. i have been going through this for years. I lift 3 times a week and after a month i put on 7 pounds and 5 % body fat. i am so discouraged. i have cut back on sugar and carbs as well. any suggestions. thanks janice campbell
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Janice – Don’t be discouraged, just be relieved that you found a way that “didn’t” work….so that means you are just one step closer to finding the way that “will” work. You should be able to lose weight 3x a week with good workouts and diet. Remember fat loss is mostly hormonal (insulin) and total calories. Master those 2 things and you can get any results you want. Eat enough protein to maintain muscles (which is like 0.6-0.8g/lb of lean bodyweight), enough carbs to fuel workouts and keep you energy up (which could be 40g for one person, or 100 g for the next…..that is something you will need to dial in) and then fat takes up the rest of the calorie (which remember you still want to be in deficit to burn internal fat). Make sure you read the fat loss 101 post to get all the basics down and then make you workouts shorter but more intense (like intervals for 10min followed by slower paced cardio for another 20-30min). Get the hormones primed for fat loss and then just make it happen.
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2 questions, Mike:
1) When can we pre-order your eBook? Yesterday it said you could pre-order “tomorrow”. Does that mean it’ll work sometime today? If not, which date?
2) Do you recommend sprint or “interval” training as exercise proper in your eBook or just strength training 2-3x/week… and anything similar in nature to intervals to come up only as part of one’s daily enjoyable physical activities?
Thanks in advance!
Kindest Regards,
Christoph
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Christoph – I should have all that fixed on the pre-order page in the next day or so. Just some more programming I need to do (on top of my full plate already, fun fun). I usually preach intensity over duration. Whether it is weight training or cardio type activity. So keeping workouts shorter (like 30min) and learning to up the intensity somehow (which can be done many ways like higher rep explosive movements, heavier weights, shorter rest periods, etc). Intervals are a great tool to get the fat burning hormones going and to increase free fatty acids release, as you can burn more fat after the intervals are done (hence why they are so effective). Many different plans but intensity is great for getting the right hormones going and that can set you up for continual fat loss througout the day with proper eating and an active lifestyle.
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That’s the exact plan I’ve written and begun (two intense 25-30 minute bodyweight routines per week: this week it’s Monday and Thursday, and 10 @ “Tabata” intervals on Saturday… which in my case is going to consist 20 seconds of dead slow jogging followed by 10 seconds of walking… so from what you’re saying, I’m on the right track.
I know that coding can be time-consuming and a little vexing too.
A few years ago I put up a blogspot blog to give a way to communicate with my girlfriend in Australia… even though I knew little about computers and I didn’t “like” them, within a month I was tweaking things in the Blogger template… I later moved it to WordPress, wrote another site for business, and css/xhtml hand coded that one.
I enjoyed it too! So you can teach a 30-something dog new tricks.
You’re busy. Please don’t trouble to reply to this comment and have a wonderful day, Mike!
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Christoph – No worries. Remember that intensity is relative, so you go to what level you can do and then increase as needed. Keep your diet on track and you should start progressing nicely. Yep I reverse engineer code everything in Wordpress and taught myself CSS/PHP in the process, fun stuff. Oh yeah…I also have other sites in the works health and fitness related, trying to finish an ebook, have coaching clients and run a training company at a local gym…so you can say I am busy, but I love what I do.
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Mike,
A thought provoking post.
Your point about many aerobics instructors carrying surplus body fat is a well made one. I wonder how much of this is due to diet more than exercise – as many are wedded to the low fat high carb dietry mantra.
My experience of weight training is limited, but I do wonder about the size versus quality issue. I have observed that some people who don’t look obviously muscular can nevertheless lift heavy weights and vice versa. Presumably it not just a question of muscle size but the number of mitochondria per pound of muscle. Hence someone with reltively small muscles but a high density of mitochondria has a high power to weight ratio.
I understand that muscles cells provide the furness for burning energy, and the argument that the bigger the furnace, the bigger the capacity for using energy. But don’t you need to use the muscles to actually expend energy. For example 2 weight training sessions a week may be perfect for gaining muscle bulk and strength but unless you use those muscles between training seesions they won’t actually use up a great deal of energy:
(i) Take the arms for example – if you don’t do manual work – which most don’t you don’t tend to use them much in everyday life. This is where an activity such as rowing or a racquet sport might be handy.
(ii) For the legs many people rely on a car. Surely you need to use the muscles you have developed to get optimim benefit.
(iii) Ditto back, shoulders, etc,
I fully buy in to the the need to eat well in order to control hormones such as insulin, glucogon, etc, and in order to facilitate fat burning. Similarly I understand that organs are muscles and will burn fat throughout the day in the right circumstances. But surely in order to get full benefit from the muscles you need to use them, if not 7 days a week, then certainly on the majority of days. Don’t you need to ensure some form of whole body workout most days of the week. Most people won’t get that from their normal daily actitivies.
I personally have benefitted from reducing my cardio activities – I have found that my running has improved by reducing my mileage and swapping it for some spinning sessions – which I guess are a form of interval training. I know I haven’t got the mix right, but I think I am on the right path.
I do think though that I would like to find a use for the upper body muscles I am slowly developing. That is where I think a session on a rowing machine would be beneficial. Its a pretty good whole body workout in my opinion. Or bettter still maybe I should start canoeing or kayaking.
Do you think that two hard weight sessions twice a week plus an active lifestyle is all that is required or does this need to be supplemented by incorporating activities that ensure optimum use is made of the muscles you develop. My gut feeling is that unless you carefully craft an exercise/activity programem to ensure that you use the form range of muscles groups most days, you won’t be making use of any muscles mass or strength you have acquired and this is particularly so for all msucle except perhaps the legs (where walking etc might take up the slack).
On a related point are there any proxy measures you are aware of for measuring cortisol levels? Could you use waist size, pulse, bloods pressure, for example. Here in the UK its very difficult to get anything otehr than the standard blood count and cholesterol measures.
Paul.
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Paul – a smart diet of course goes hand in hand with good exercise. As you have noticed size of muscle does not determine strength. While larger muscles tend to have a great output, you will also see leaner and very strong people as well. Has to also do with the fiber makeup and density within the muscle. That and most bodybuilding hypertrophy based muscles are also filled with glycogen and water (the pumped look). To burn fat what you do need is FFAs in the bloodstream and increased bloodflow to bring those FFAs to be burned. So yes an active lifestyle is of course ideal (as I am not trying to say cardio is bad or not needed, just that excess is not the goal). There are plenty of lower HR lifestyle activities like you mentioned about rowing, walking, biking that can help to burn fat….of course that is only if the diet is allowing FFAs to be released, and that is where insulin control comes in. Intervals do come in handy when used properly (and not overdone as well). It’s also about making sure we don’t overstess the body, as that will lead to chronic cortisol output, muscle loss, adrenal fatigue. Not sure about the proxy cortisol measuring, I know there are take home tests for fasting cortisol througout the day that you can probably get from a ND or online somewhere (but don’t know the cost of them either off hand). Unless you feel you have cortisol issues (like being fatigued or rapid loss of muscle), I wouldn’t sweat it too much.
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Mike,
Thank you for taking the time to reply and for your explanations.
If I am understanding you correctly I think what you are saying is that chronic cardiovascular exercise is stressful on the body, and that an active lifestyle equates to one which results in a raised heart rate, perhaps to around the 110 mark, which works the muscles and boosts the circulation but isn’t stressful on the body in a way that steady state cardio is. My own rule of thumb is that I should be active for the equivalent of 2 hours walking per day – however that is composed. Does that sound reasonable? Obviously if running, lifting etc I would factor this in.
My exercise programme is evolving in to a cross fit programme – I attend flexiiblity classes (body balancex3 a week), spinning (4x week) jog/run for 55 mins once a week and do 4 weights classes a week(body pump) The weights classes are high rep relatively low weights – in may respects they are more a form of aerobic exericise.
Everything I have read on this site (and others) suggests to me that I should do heavier weights and maybe some sprinting or intervals. I would like if possible to retain the body pump classes but I am not certain how these will affect lifting heavier weights. A typical class incudes maybe 100 reps of each of the 7 muscles groups (SQUATS, CHEST, BACK, TRICEP,BICEP, LUNGE AND SHOULDERS (slightly different mix).) – but as I do this Sun, Mon, Tue and Thurs there isn’t a window or time for heavier weights. I think I can see where my argument/dilemma is leading.
I have found my running performance has improved since I switched from 6 times a week to once – much to my surprise. (I upped the spiinning at the same time). I am quite attarcted to the idea of trying to run a quick mile (for me) maybe once a week, just to check progress and to challenge and motivate myself. I might also seek to incorporate some form of rowing activity to work the arms.
I weigh approximately 173lb and am 5 feet 9 tall. My weight has been pretty much static for 6 months. My body fat is approximately 19% and my waist 34/35. I would like to lose about 14lbs of fat, and get my bodyfat down to about 10% and waist to around 32, perhaps 31. The bulk of my weight is now around the abdomen, upper legs and obliques – and a little on the upper chest. looking at my diet the one thing I am aware that I eat to excess is cheese – and I do eat a great deal of that. Should I look to cut that back. I suppose cutting it out for a week or two is worth trying.
If I were to follow a programme of lifting heavier weights can you give me some form of indication of what sort of level I should try. When I tried to bench press last May I couldn’t lift more than 55KG. I would like to lift 80kg. What would be the corresponding figures for deadlift (similar) and squat (a bit higher?).
With regard to the cortisol issue I wonder if its contributing to my weight around the abdomen. I also have acquired a very bad habbit of listening to the radio as I fall off to sleep and I know this disrupts my sleep pattern. I think I shall try banning the radio from the bedroom!
Thanks for your repsonse.
Paul.
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Paul – lots to go over…but I’ll try to keep it simple. (as I will cover fat loss in more detail in the ebook coming out soon) but short brief weight training is good for getting the right fat releasing hormones going, and then cardio after helps to burn the fat. High rep stuff only serves to prime fat release if it is done with intensity….if you can do it for 45 min it’s not doing much except burning a few calories. Real fat loss should be focus on the hormonal release, burning and then preventing overtraining to increase fat retention (high stress, lack of sleep, high cortisol). All intensity is relative, you lift to what you can. Weights should in general be 5-10 reps if you want more strength. Higher reps like 15-20 are better for explosive movements that are doing the hormonal responses for fat releasing like KB swings, snatches or anything else.
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Mike, thanks again for the reply.
As you say elsewhere the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I have been exercsing about 14 hours a week, and making slow progress. With regard to weight loss it has almost stalled, with maybe a little muscle gain and fat loss.
So rather than continue banging my head against a brick wall I shall take on board your comments and try and incorporate them in to what I do.
I enjoy the body pump classes so I shall try and keep them, but viewing them more as an aerobic exercise. They have served a purpose : getting me active and challenging myself to work harder but I need to assess how they fit in to the bigger picture.
Thanks for your comments and I look forwrad to reading your future posts.
Paul.
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14 hours a week? Wow. That’s like running 3 marathons.
Whether that’s the most effective weight loss approach in the world or not, it’s a pretty impressive feat nonetheless. I’m not saying you should or shouldn’t continue with that, but damn.
That’s like army basic training, except more so!
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Paul – Read the post on workout mistake. Exercising too much will not burn more fat and can lead to fat storing with increases in cortisol and other hormones gone wrong. Remember the goal is efficient exercise and metabolism….not more exercise and faster metabolism…those people always burn out and then have to deal with burned out adrenals and thyroids….and then the weight just packs back on. Workout smarter and enjoy your activities…but also keep in mind more is not always better.
http://www.theiflife.com/2008/08/19/the-biggest-workout-mistakes-people-make/
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Christoph – its not so impressive really. That’s 2 hours a day on average, and included within that is 3 hours of mainly stretching – mainly yoga with some Tai chi and pilates ,which I am finding to be really beneficial. Today, a typical Sunday for me, was 45 minutes spinning am, 1 hour’s light weights incorporating a little stretching, a quick (for me) mile, followed by 30 mins jog at 6.2mph in the early evening.
I have been fine tuning my exercise regime over the past 18 months, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The goal isn’t weight loss per se, but rather good health, better strength and flexibility. Its my belief that the correct weight will eventually be achieved over time.
Paul.
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[...] but not overdo it. You want to adopt normal exercise patterns, ensuring that you’re not exercising too much. You don’t want to reverse course and damage your body through excessive exercising. And now [...]
Mike – thanks again for the response. I have read the post on workout mistakes, and have re-read it after your prompt.
As I have mentioned previously, I know I haven’t quite got the mix right and have been making adjustments to what I do. I am looking to find what works for me. I have been seeing some progress in recent weeks, and I am know moving my objectives away from quantity and towards quality and intensity is the way to go. But I don’t want to throw the baby out with bathwater.
My objectives for the next 12 months are to run a mile in 6 mins, bench press my bodyweight, and to run a 10k in under 48 minutes. I know I will have to lift heavier weights to do this and to to shorter quicker bursts of running.
MF – I read your post and it made prefect sense to me. For some reason I thought your eating disorder feature would focus more on the damage caused by a high car low fat diet, eg, obesity, insulin resistasnce and recovering from coelic disease, leaky gut syndrome and lactose intolerance.
Paul.
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Paul-A good workout plan is the New Rules to Lifting. Check it out, its intense and effective.
Mike-Wow, lots to digest here. I am a spinning and Bodypump instructor myself. I have greatly reduced how many classes I teach per week (used to be 6-7 and now its down to 3 or 4) and I am on the New Rules of LIfting for women 2X a week in addition to yoga once a week. So I am on the path you mention, as I believe in the adaptation response and its already happened to me.
But, I still dont understand, why do bodybuilders do hours of cardio right before a show. Why do trainers still prescribe loads of cardio for fat loss(like Tom Venuto). We are stil focused on a caloric deficit here, are we not? Or does it really boil down to eating less?
Thankyou for everything….cant wait to order the ebook
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Mandy – Pro BB are usually on a low cal/high protein diet before shows (and before they do a carb load)…and do very slow go cardio (like walking at a lower HR for longer periods of time) so not to burn up muscle and get at the fat (personally that is tremendously boring to me and not something I would want to do). Cardio is needed, it’s just the whole theory of more is not always better. That and you need to put yourself in an oxidative environment primed for fat burning (hormonal signals to fat cells to release the fat). Calorie deficit, the right hormonal signals plus smart cardio gets great results.
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Mandy – thanks for the tip – I shall do as you say and check it out.
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[...] ARTICLE: Is Your Exercise Keeping You Fat? [...]
Its easy to get excited about your workouts and end up overtraining. A good indicator is you begin to feel fatigued even when you have had 6-8 hours of sleep. A good workout program will give you energy, not zap it.
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[...] Is Your Exercise Keeping You Fat? A Case Against Cardio: From a Former Mileage [...]
Thank for shareing, great content..
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Hi guys,
The general idea that i’ve come accross on your site is that you can’t out-excercise a bad diet.
While in terms of health, I wholey agree with this, in terms of weight loss, how does it remain true?
Not including over estimating caloric output and underestimating caloric intake – if someone was to quite strictly eat say 1500 calories per day and their BMR was 2000. On top of this they excercised an extreme amount and burnt 1000 on top of that (this is purely hypothetical, I’m aware that this isn’t realistic). Surely weight loss would have to result?
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Mike OD Reply:
Bec – In reality I think you will find 1500 cal not considered a “bad diet” by any means. When people just go overboard (assuming it is ok because they exercise more) the calories can easily get to 2000-3000+ mostly in the form of sugars and fat. 1000 cal “burned” is not reality either, it’s more like around 300 on average for people doing cardio for an hour. The right mindset is how to keep the metabolism strong while using some calorie deficit and being “active”. High cardio stress will only end up with a net environment to suppress long term metabolism and waste muscle. However a routine that is focused more on build/retain muscle can keep your REE (resting energy expenditure) raised up to 36-48hours after a good resistance based workout.
For example, there was a 12 week study of men and mostly women who ate very low calorie (about 800cal). It was divided up into a “cardio only” group and “resistance training” only group, each doing 3x/wk. At the end of 12 weeks the cardio only group had lost some fat, but also muscle and lowered their daily metabolic rate (not a good thing). However the group that did resistance training only kept ALL their lean muscle, lost more fat and did NOT lower their daily metabolic rate.
Anyone can lose weight, the question is can you keep it off? (just think Oprah) Strapping a person to a treadmill for hours a day and low calories is just setting them up for a huge rebound with a depressed metabolism in place. Seen it happen over and over and over again. All because people are focused on “burning calories” in the first place with cardio.
The metabolism is a complicated system of feedback loops and hormonal responses. A stressful lifestyle can play into this and negatively effect it. So keeping lean mass is a priority. Also you want a higher REE 24-48hours after a workout. Only way to do this is with resistance training (muscle repair/glycogen depletion signals) and/or interval training. Cardio will not do this. Thinking “how many calories am I burning while exercising” is old school philosophy getting people in trouble. Doing more intense training with resistance/intervals and then adding in lower stressful “lifestyle” cardio (walking/slow jog/hiking) is a great strategy.
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bec Reply:
Okay I understand a bit better now. Thanks heaps.
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Hi guys, what ratio of resistance training/interval cardio would you recommend for fixing a skinny fat person? 50/50? Also, what would you recommend in terms of nutrition for getting rid of the skinny fat? Thanks.
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