Strength or Cardio?
That’s like saying food or water? You need both! But to get to the point of the post today……
Traditional cardio is in no way, at all, superior to strength training for fat loss and body composition.
Truth be told you will never outwork a bad diet so start there. And this is coming from a guy who makes his living “selling” exercise. For me, Being able to sleep at night trumps making an easy dollar. Preying off people that don’t know any better is just not cool. This is also the reason we assist with nutrition, building habits. We are getting ready to release a new version of our transformation and bringing Precision Nutrition coaching to RPT in 2018!
Now that we agree you should be doing both lets attack a few myths about cardiovascular work and body composition.
People think……..
1.Cardio is just running, rowing, or riding a bike!
2. “traditional” Cardio is safer than strength training
3.Just do more cardio and lose more fat.
Cardio is just running= false
I have come to realize that most people don’t have a clue what cardio work is. They assume it’s just treadmill, bike, or rower. That assumption is wrong in so many ways. They assume this because in a commercial gym setting people are doing strength training in between sets of talking and texting. They will never get their heart rate up doing this. They brag about their hour to 2 hour workouts. If they just set It up the right way, they can get more done in 30 to 45 minutes. They would also get a cardiovascular benefit.
With our style of workouts we are able to combine the two, without a boring treadmill. Not to mention its more effective without the overuse injuries that go along with things like running! Now if you love running then do it! I am not saying don’t run! I am just saying the correlation between running and losing weight is similar to me playing basketball and getting taller. If your diet is awful then it will do NOTHING!
Another trend I see are people that will never blame their injury on the activity they LOVE to do! They can be messed up everywhere because of running (or anything) and continue to do it. They will always blame it on what they hate to do. Personally I went through a phase like this with barbell bench pressing and a shoulder injury. It was the CLEAR CAUSE yet I did it for years like a non-smart person because I loved it! Everyone is different in regards to what causes them pain which is why we always do the no charge success session.
It’s the same way with runners or rowers who can not connect the dots. They don’t see that impact goes all the way up the body. It’s even harder if you weigh more which is why I say “lose weight to run, don’t run to lose weight.” The truth with certain activities is you have to view them like you are an athlete with a career span of………???? And this is ANOTHER REASON TO FOCUS ON STRENGTH TRAINING……TO PREVENT INJURIES!!!! If you love doing these activities then following a solid strength training program will allow you to do them for much longer!
Just do more cardio( or more intense cardio,)and I can eat whatever I want!!—Um, no!!
Sorry, but those places lied to you. Not to mention we now have studies that show calories trackers/monitors are off. Like, way off. Like, Cleveland Browns are closer to winning a super bowl than that tracker is to finding how many calories you burned. So, if you are running around on a treadmill with a goal to become the next fitness model, stop it. Eat better, lift weights, and then do cardio to supplement the program. Just be more active in general and do some fun things you enjoy also! It does not always have to be a competition or some extreme fitness plan!!
***extreme calorie cuts and excessive aerobics= alarm state where the body removes muscle tissue and stores fat. It will then become impossible to lose more fat.
***extreme aerobics elevate cortisol levels = increases fat accumulation around the midsection no matter how much work you do!
VIEWING EXERCISE AS JUST BURNING CALORIES IS A TERRIBLE MINDSET TO HAVE!!! It is way more loaded than this!! It can be hard to explain but I think Rachel Cosgrove did it better than anyone in her article below. Just look at her pics from when she was doing triathlons and running all the time vs. when she was focusing on strength training with much less activity!
https://www.t-nation.com/training/death-of-steady-state-cardio
So there you have it! The majority of you reading this probably just have to get in the habit of doing something, anything. If you are clueless as to how to do strength training the right way send over an email. If you are interested in reserving your spot before a busy New Year then we can set up a call (757 589 7028) to explain our programs, prices, etc. We have the FREE ONE ON ONE SUCCESS SESSION offer available to anyone in the Williamsburg Area.
Happy Holidays!!
Detric Smith, CSCS, ACSM EP-C
https://resultsperformancetraining.com/