All 4 Sports and Fitness Blog

Cardio Stores Fat? Part II

Although I am not a huge fan of looking at research, I think in this case it is appropriate.

Here are 2 studies that will not only support yesterday's email newsletter but may be eye opening for you to read.

Don't just take it from me....read the studies and make a change to your routine.

Study #1 - The Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardio-respiratory fitness in obese women.

Utter AC, Nieman DC, Shannonhouse EM, Butterworth DE, Nieman CN, Int J. Sports Nutrition. 1998 Sep;8(3):213-22

Conclusion:
The addition of 45 minutes of aerobic exercise at 78% Max Heart Rate 5 days a week for 12 weeks had NO EFFECT over dieting alone.

Study #2 - Regional body composition changes in women after 6 months of periodized physical training.

Bradley C., Nindu, Everett A., Harman, James O., Marx, Lincoln A., Gotshalk, Peter N., Frykman, Eric, Lammis, Chris Palmer, and William Kraemer

Conclusions: <br>
6 Months of resistance and aerobic exercise

Women lost body fat in hierarchy mode: upper body first, then trunk, then legs.

Overall, the women experienced a 2.2% decrease in body mass, a 10% decrease in fat mass, and a 2,2% increase in lean mass.

What does all this mean?

A proper diet, a periodized cardio program (change in intensity levels) and resistance training is not only the best way to get your weight under control, it may be the only way!

Go with the numbers and think about hiring our nutritionist, or get a cardiovascular assessment to design a specific periodized program just for you.

See you in the gym!!

Cardio Stores Fat?

Horrible but true.

Those nice leisurely walks and long bike rides may be a thing of the past if you are looking to lose weight. (unless you do it for fun, of course)

By no means am I saying that doing light activity is a bad thing. At this point, most of the American population is sedentary and any movement is good.

But what I want you to realize is that at some point you need to up the intensity.

After some time, light intensity aerobics makes you efficient at storing fat!

But wait a minute.

If you keep doing the same thing at a low intensity, wouldn't the same be true if you kept doing the same thing at high intensity.....hhmmmmmmm.

Can someone that runs 6 miles a day continue to gain weight?

If you take 4 spin classes a week can you actually pack on the pounds?

The answer: IT DEPENDS.

In our quantity driven culture it is always about how many and how long?

How far can you run?

How much weight can you press?

These are common questions when people are assessing someone's fitness level.

There is hardly ever any mention of quality.

At what intensity can you run?

How much power can you produce in your bench press (much more usable in life and sport, rather than just strength)?

These should be the questions we are asking.

When it comes to cardio training and weight loss you have to realize it is not how far or long you can go, but how hard you work.

What is the quality of the workout?

Someone who runs 6 miles a day for 10 years will continue to gain weight if they always run at the same intensity.

Intensity should increase over time with a proper periodized program to mix high intensity days, medium intensity days, and recovery days.

Just like a person who takes a spin class 4 times a week and refuses to strength train will continue to gain or stay the same weight.

It is very simple:

When you do the same exercise routine your body gets very efficient at that activity.

The body adapts and will efficiently store fat!

It's been a while...

I must start out by apologizing. I have been neglecting you.

I haven't written to you since the end of May!!

Of course I can make all the excuses in the world about how busy things have been here at the club.

We are running 4 time slots for Fitness Boot Camp, and we are kicking off 6 Sports Performance Programs next week for high school and middle school athletes.

It has been crazy...

I have sat down to write to you a number of times but keep getting distracted.

It's kind of like when you fall off your exercise program.

You are going great for a while but once you stop....and lose that momentum it gets so hard to come back.

Take 2 or 3 days off...that fourth day is really tough.

Take a week off and it is almost impossible.

So how do you get back up and running after you lose momentum?

You start small.

Just like this email.

I am not going to write one of my epics today...haha

This is short and sweet and is a little step to get me writing each week again.

You can start with a 20 minute light workout to get back into the habit.

Just get here...

Take a small step and before you know it you will be back in the saddle.