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Training for Fat Loss
I was recently checking out the CrossFit Invictus blog and came across the following blog post on training for fat loss. This is a subject that is often full of misconceptions (calories in, calories out), myths (cardio and spot reduction), and just plain old bad information. Fortunately, Calvin (the trainer who wrote the blog post) pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as training for fat loss goes (namely, training for strength and dialing in your food intake).
But don't take my word for it, read his post here:
www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/2011/01/31/tuesday-february-1-2011/
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There are a few people who need to read this about a million times.
Sorry for the hijack. MJ and I still need some volunteers for Femme Fit on Saturday August 13th. If you are interested please email me to confirm. Thanks so much!!
I am.
Interesting read, however I think the writer undervalues cardio. Sure weight training is always good, but I gotta tell you there are few things doing a 5-6hour 100mile bike ride will not solve weight wise.
Or better yet try riding a bike up Clairmont road 3 to 4 times a week. You'll be surprised at the muscle gain in the legs and the fat loss. You'll be doing a lot more than the extra 200-300calories from having more muscle from gym work alone.
For example this is my Tuesday night workout, where I typically go through just over around 1500calories http://connect.garmin.com/activity/94259890
When I'm trying to "lean up" I do this ride once a week that usually burns about 4500 calories:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/65732326
So sure weight training helps, but it's all about "real" cardio, ie cardio done outside for an hour or more.
This is a pretty standard argument in today's "fitness society" but I have to say that my experience is that cardio works for weight loss ... but you will be sacrificing some muscle along the way too.
So cardio DOES work but not the way people think it will.
Instead of running on a treadmill for one hour, it's better to do a full body workout where you are taking minimal breaks in between sets and adding short bursts of cardio within the routine. This way, you are burning fat and maintaining / gaining muscle (which helps boost your metabolism).