Tag: Resistance Training

Does Cardio Sabotage Weight Loss, How It Could Be Hindering Your Weight Loss Plans.

Jogging is the most traditional exercise for people intending to lose weight. But there are many other choices such as swimming, football, or cycling. A whole host of aerobic cardio exercises to help you shed the pounds. The principle is simple: just get moving, and stay moving, for half an hour to two hours. Do it five to seven days a week, and you will burn enough calories to lose weight.

Cardio workouts are not the best way to loose weight

However, this approach is seriously flawed. For starters, cardio is not the best way of burning calories. Cardio only burns a certain number of calories per step or arm movement. Which means that the only way you can burn more calories per hour is by moving faster. And new exercise will burn more calories than exercise you are used to, because for new exercise you are growing new muscles, stronger tendons, and more nerve endings. Once you are used to it, you will only burn the bare minimum. In this sense, does cardio sabotage weight loss, the answer is yes.

Think about muscle growth

Secondly, burning fat is only part of the journey. To have a well-rounded figure and level of fitness, you need to grow muscle too. Muscle tightens your skin, making your figure better rounded, lifting your butt and arms to prevent sag, and generally making you firmer. And muscle gives shape to the body by plumping out the butt and legs, and shaping the back. This balances your figure and makes you look more youthful by adding shape and athleticism. Many women fear growing too bulky if they grow muscle, but in reality we all need some muscle to look and feel good, and for women it is so hard to grow muscle, you can stop long before you get too strong.

Weight loss must be sustainable

Additionally, if you want to ensure that your weight loss is sustainable and that you can avoid setbacks even if you are stopped from exercising, and eat a balanced diet later on without gaining weight, your metabolism has to increase. Muscle burns twice as many calories per pound as fat, and if you have more muscle, every time you move you will burn more calories because more muscle fibers are moving. This means that the number of calories you burn without even exercising goes up, so you can eat more food whatever you do.

In essence, it is vital that you add something which provides resistance training to help build your muscles up. A good start is always body weight exercises. This is especially the case if you have never done any muscle building exercises before, as you will need practice. Sit ups, squats, lunges, pushups, planks, and other common body weight exercises are all you need, no need to worry about doing anything new or special yet. Just add in half an hour of body weight exercises twice a week at first and build yourself up enough to start using weights or another form of resistance.

Develop a workout program

After body weight exercises you need to progress onto something else. Resistance band training, free weights, or exercise machines, add an extra level of challenge.

This is because, old exercise routines burn fewer calories. Therefore add resistance training often. Weights of all kinds are a great choice. Once you have lost the weight you wanted,  stop increasing weights. Focus on staying active instead.

Some women just lift light weights more often in an effort to avoid getting big, but that is actually what bodybuilders do. If you want lean, strong muscles, without bulk, it is best to lift heavier weights fewer times.

Only if you do all of the above, the answer to does cardio sabotage weight loss will be no it doe not anymore..

Finally, remember that when growing muscle you will need more fuel to grow it with. Hence, you will need more calories and protein, especially if you’re losing weight too fast. Additionally, add  glucosamine and micro nutrients to keep the body strong and healthy.

Does cardio sabotage weight loss efforts? Only if not done properly.