An American research study found that 300 hours of cardio per year helped
men and women lose an average of just 5 pounds. That’s brutal.
It would take you over 50 hours – a full work week of cardio – just to lose one stinking pound.
I wouldn’t wish that on anyone! (Reference: Obesity 15:1496-1512, 2007)
Who has that kind of time for exercise? Let alone the time you’d need to add just in getting to the gym, changing, showering,etc. That’s practically an entire morning, afternoon, or evening WASTED.
Another article explained that cardio doesn’t work for FOUR reasons:
1. Cardio causes some people to eat more
2. Cardio decreases your metabolism at rest
3. Cardio burns muscle (another reason your metabolism decreases)
4. Cardio makes you lazier & less active over the rest of the day
(Reference: Obesity Reviews, 13:6)
So if you’re still trying to lose fat with cardio, those are the reasons why you must just say NO to cardio. Cardio does NOT work.
But that’s not all. There’s a fifth and final (and DEADLY) reason to stop doing cardio for good. Just take a look at these findings from doctors that agree you should “Just say NO to Cardio!”
In a study from the prestigious Mayo Clinic Hospital, researchers concluded that too much cardio can cause heart damage and disease. YIKES!
(Reference: Mayo Clinic Proceedings 87:587-595)
As the lead cardiologist from the study wisely said, “When people come to me and say they want to run a marathon I say, ‘OK, do one and cross it off your bucket list and then let’s focus on an exercise pattern that’s more ideal to producing long-term health benefits and improving your longevity.”
So what’s the solution? What’s the “Best Cardio for Fat Loss”?
Just 4 minutes of Short Burst are 7 times better than cardio.
In a shocking study from the Journal of Applied Physiology in
Nutrition and Metabolism (Volume 37(6):1124-31). Canadian
researchers tested a Short Burst style program against 30 minutes of long cardio.
Two groups of college-aged women did 4 workouts per week for 4 weeks. .
Group A ran for 30 minutes at 85% max heart rate (hard cardio!)
Group B did 8 rounds of 20 seconds of a single bodyweight exercise
(burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or squat thrusts) with
10 seconds of rest between rounds.
The results?
Both training groups increased their aerobic fitness levels by the SAME amount (about 7-8%). That’s right, the short bodyweight workouts (of 4 minutes) worked just as well as 30 minutes of cardio even though they were SEVEN times shorter. Shocking.
BUT…it was only Group B – those that did the bodyweight exercises – that also increased muscular endurance in common exercises like chest presses, leg extensions, sit-ups, and push-ups.
And finally, this short, burst style of training used by Group B also resulted in greater overall workout enjoyment compared to the cardio group.
Scientists concluded that “extremely low volume bodyweight interval-style training” will boost cardiovascular fitness just as well as cardio while giving you BETTER improvements in muscle endurance…all in just 4 minutes.
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