Is Cardio The Key To Weight Loss?

Does more cardio equate to more weight loss? After all, you have seen the diagrams on most cardio machines indicating what heart rate you should maintain to ensure you are working in the "fat burning zone". This "zone" equates to 50-65% of your maximum heart rate. Therefore, it should be as simple as logging as much time as you can on the elliptical, and the weight will melt off. Initially, perhaps, especially if you are new to exercise or resuming the habit after a hiatus. Unfortunately, knocking out countless hours of steady-state cardio is not the most efficient method to achieve sustainable weight loss as you will reach an inevitable plateau.

"Fat burning zone" cardio does have its benefits though, so don't throw out that elliptical machine just yet. Steady-state cardio strengthens your heart, builds bone mass, elevates mood, and provides a sound aerobic base for other activities. To lose weight though, aim to shorten the length and crank up the intensity of your cardio sessions. Not only will you spend less of your valuable time doing monotonous cardio, but these more intense bouts can lead to greater weight and fat loss overall. The more calories burned during a workout forces your body to use fat to help your muscles recover. I am referring to Interval Training or HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). A HIIT session calls for alternating brief bouts of intense exercise (80% to 95% of your estimated maximal heart rate) with recovery periods that may last equally as long as the work periods at 40% to 50% of your estimated maximal heart rate. Therefore, HIIT workouts provide similar fitness benefits as continuous endurance workouts, but in shorter periods while preserving lean muscle mass.

Now that you are spending less time cranking out hours of cardio, you will have more time to add the golden ticket to sustainable weight loss to your workouts. This golden ticket to reconfiguring your body and pumping up your metabolism is strength training. That means picking up weights that are challenging enough to stimulate your muscles to grow. For many women though, the mere mention of lifting heavy weights and creating lean muscle may conjure up images of developing into Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fortunately, there is good news. You don't have to be concerned with bulking up as most women don't have the amount of hormones necessary to achieve a look remotely close to Arnold's. Strength training will allow you to increase and maintain lean body mass so that your body will burn more calories in the long run. Consistent strength training should be your priority because the more muscle mass you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate (the minimum amount of calories your body needs to perform normal bodily functions) and the more calories you will burn well after putting the weights down.

Engaging in a combination of strength training and HIIT training (throwing in occasional steady-state exercise is ok) will not only allow you to lose weight but also decrease body fat. Without prioritizing the strength training component, you run the risk of losing muscle instead of body fat. Unfortunately, we all lose muscle naturally as we age, so we certainly don't want to sacrifice any more of it. Fat is not metabolically active, but lean muscle is our calorie-burning furnace. When you train this way, body fat is replaced by muscle, resulting in a more compact, lean physique. Change your workout priorities, and you will achieve your goal of losing weight and fat while stoking your metabolism so that you keep it off.