It’s true that long, slow cardio can work for fat loss, but usually for young, heavily muscled people with time on their hands. These people can workout for more than 10+ hours per week and they have lots of muscle, so even if they lose a bit, it won’t matter.

There’s many men and women out there with little time to train but a real need to lose fat. These people have only 3-4 hours available for workout programs each week and they want to lose belly fat. I have found that for most, slow, traditional cardio is not the way to go.

When we speak about weight loss workouts, we’re speaking about getting the most results in the least amount of training time. High-intensity exercise (strength training and interval training) ramps up your metabolism more than slow, marathon like cardio training sessions. With most kinds of training, there is a diminishing return on every set. So you can’t expect 4 sets to be twice as good as 2 sets. I have found that as long as you get in 1 hard set, you can be well on your way to successful fat burning.

It’s also important to remember that balance is key. You can complete some cardio, but it should be effective cardio, where you are working at 75-80% of your max heart rate and not just logging time on the treadmill. Effective weight loss workouts require that you keep your heart rate up in your target zone. But there is some opportunity to complete fitness workouts at less than target heart rates. This is because new research has shown that if you have a couple of strong weight loss workouts during the week, that really push your heart rate up, then you can workout at less than target heart rates for the your other workouts but for a longer period of time.

Muscle burns energy. Think of muscle as the bigger the motor the more gas you use. If you’re completing intervals and weight training, at first you may not lose much weight but your body fat will decrease. The more muscle you have equals more calories burned while using those muscles.

If you have only 30 minutes, get in there and really work your butt off, you will do yourself more good than if you wait until you have that full hour and then work out more slowly.
diet and exercise are complementary.

Today there’s fitness training programs designed for home gyms equipped with only a bench, an exercise ball, and dumbbells (and a pullup bar for those that are strong enough).

In order to keep up your routine, make your workouts fun, enjoy your sweet treats in moderation, and stay active with family activities where appropriate. Just don’t leave a big ol’ “butt imprint” on your couch. If you follow a regular workout programs with high intensity, you’ll soon be riding a huge wave of motivation where you can really achieve your fitness goals.

Check out more fat burning exercises at Workouts that Burn Fat and Tone Muscle

Tags: nutrition, Health, exercise