In order to burn fat, you have to do lots of long distance cardio, right? That strategy was popular decades ago, but today fitness experts agree that approach just won't "cut it." Sure, professional marathon runners and triathletes are thin, but if you look at the workouts of most people that have that enviable toned physique, you will find that they incorporate a variety of exercises and don't emphasize endurance training. What's wrong with long-distance endurance training? After all, the farther you run, the more calories you burn, so it may seem like the best choice for sculpting a lean body, right? No doubt, cardio is an effective part of a fat-loss program, but when done excessively, it can become a self-defeating endeavor. There are …show more content…
While this is a noble pursuit, it's not realistic and for most people it is a losing strategy. A good workout routine should make you feel energized and even help suppress your appetite. Constant hunger is one of the main reasons people fail in their fitness goals, so don't keep falling into this self-delusional trap. —Excessive cardio inhibits muscle growth One of the most most powerful weapons in your arsenal to burn body fat is your muscle mass. The more muscle you have, the greater your calorie expenditure will be throughout the day, even when you're sleeping and watching TV. Long-distance endurance training does not promote muscle growth, and when done excessively it tends to cause a loss of muscle. That's one reason why fitness experts say [reference] that strength training is a cornerstone of achieving a lean physique. —Adaptation syndrome The body is a very efficient machine that adapts to whatever stresses are placed on it. The more you do a particular calorie burning exercise, the more efficient the body will become at it, which means it will expend less energy and burn less calories. That's why running mile after mile every day usually causes diminishing returns in fat loss over the course of a fitness …show more content…
It increases your heart rate and adrenaline, which helps inhibit your appetite Shorter workouts are easier to fit into a busy schedule It can be done with or without equipment Okay great, but what is HIIT, and how do you do it? There are many different ways to do it, but they all have the same essential elements. The idea is to reach your maximum heart rate for a short period of time, known as an interval, then after a short interval of cooling down you kick it back up to full blast again. You can do HIIT with or without equipment. One popular method is to utilize traditional calisthenics such as pushups and squat-thrusts. Another method is circuit training, where you do weight lifting sets with short pauses in-between, working a different muscle group for each set. —Strength training Strength training focuses on improving the amount of weight your various muscles can lift or move. Not only are these exercises good calorie-burning exercises, but they produce stronger muscles which allow you to put greater intensity into other types of exercises and in your daily life. The net result is better fat loss results in everything you