Hi Joel,
I’m following Ballantyne’s Fat loss frenzy that was in the first month of Transformation Domination. He suggests at least 30 minutes of light exercise on off days but nothing that will impair recovery. I usually walk or ride the bike. Would HIIT be too aggressive on those days or are those days for active recovery?
Thanks,
Joe
Over the next week or so we’re going to be talking quite a bit about metabolic resistance training (i.e. “cardio with weights”), but before we do I want to address something that slightly concerned me when reading through some of the comments that came in on yesterday’s “empty stomach” cardio post.
Apparently, many people are still stuck doing long duration, low-intensity cardiovascular exercise — yikes!
Here’s the deal: if you’re looking to achieve maximal benefit from the time you put into your workouts, long duration “slow-go” cardio is NOT the way to go, and for many reasons.
Here are my top 5:
1. Minimal calories burned — 45 minutes on the treadmill may burn a whopping 300 calories if you’re lucky, the equivalent of ONE TENTH of a pound of fat. Exercise ten hours a week and you might just lose a pound!
Which brings me to my next point:
2. Way too much time involved — I don’t know about you, but I don’t have hours and hours of my time to pour into working out each week. In fact, very rarely do I ever exceed three hours of exercise weekly, and you know what? That’s ALL you need.
Beyond that, slow-go cardio is:
3. BORING as heck — Sitting on an exercise bike staring at the wall in front of me for 45-60 minutes? No thanks.
But perhaps even worse is the fact that slow-go cardio provides:
4. No prolonged metabolic benefit — Did you know that with higher intensity exercise it is possible to continue to burn calories for up to 48 hours post workout? It’s true (and we’ll be discussing this “afterburn” effect in another post very soon). But you know what else is true? Long duration, low intensity cardio provides virtually NO prolonged elevation in metabolism. In fact, with slow-go cardio, metabolism returns to baseline almost IMMEDIATELY following the exercise session.
And finally, the reason that trumps all the others:
5. Minimal fat loss — Minimal calories burned during the session and virtually no additional calories burned afterward = minimal, if any fat loss results. And let’s be honest, the only reason anyone is doing cardio is for the “result”.
So if slow-go cardio isn’t a great solution, what is?
Short duration, high-intensity exercise. Less time, faster results — THAT’S what it’s all about.
And keep in mind, “high intensity” is relative to you. I don’t care if you’re already in great shape or if you’re 40 lbs overweight, you can exercise with intensity.
So what about you? Are you stuck doing slow-go cardio or have you embraced the benefit of much shorter, higher intensity sessions?
Give me at least 750 comments and I’ll be back to talk about short duration, high intensity exercise in more detail tomorrow.
Talk to you in the comments section,
Joel
P.S. Want to learn 3 other specific fat-burning tips that you can start using today? Check out the below link:
==> What “special” foods can boost fat-burning by 207%?
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Hi, apologies if this comes again, but the website collapsed after I tried the first time. Two questions for anybody kind enough. (i) do you need to go to a gym or to have special equipment to do high intensity workouts? (ii) could you provide a couple of easy examples of what is meant by high intensity workouts?
Sorry that I am no expert at all in training
Cannot agree strongly enough with point 5. I always feel my metabolism is still firing high a day or two after a high intensity work out. All I feel the day after a jog or a session on the bike is aching feet or a sore butt!
Hi Joel,
I utilize the techniques you describe for my clients and myself and have seen the positive results. However, when asked about the metabolic after-affect, I have not been able to give a cogent answer other than that the higher intensity of the workouts require a longer recovery time; thus the loss of calories up to 48 hours after the workout. But, I need some more “data” about this – how does this really work!? Please help…
Meir Charash
Certified Fitness Trainer
Jerusalem, Israel
This is my plan is it okay?
(Running)
-Warm up for 2-5 mins
-Sprint for 30 secs
-Recover(Walk/light jog) for 90 secs
And do steps 2 & 3 for 6 reps
PS My cheat day is Sunday and I’m planning to do this on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Are the choices of my days good or should I adjust them?
Yes, I’m stuck on “Slow-Go” cardio
I use low intensity cardio which is done immidiately following my weight training
its my understanding that low intensity cardio done straight after weights burns more fat because the fuel for the cardio session comes from body fat stores.
HIIT also has its benefits but cant or should I say shouldn’t be done on a weight training day,
so has to be done on none weight training days.
This means some form of workout nearly every day, now the professional athlete (and gym rats) may have the time to work out every day but I certainly dont,
I like the 3 days a week weight training followed by low intensity cardio
everything is done in these three days and I have four days were I can forget about working out – dont get me wrong I like to workout but I dont like to live and breath it everyday
Jogging is most assuredly bad for you.
Consider this: Dr. Kenneth Cooper (author of Aerobics, The New Aerobics, Aerobics for Women), the US. Air Force Cardiologist who coined the term “aerobics” (meaning a form of exercise) and has promoted their use for over 25 years now admits that he was wrong! According to Dr. Cooper, further research has shown that there is no correlation between aerobic endurance performance and health, longevity, or protection against heart-disease. He will admit, however, that such activities do carry with them a great risk of injury. Further, he admits that gross-overuse activities such as running may be so damaging to the body as to be considered carcinogenic.
The rest of this enlightening article can be found here:
http://www.mikementzer.com/aerobic.html
Hi Joel,
I have a belly from having twins and would like to lose that and increase my energy levels. The HITT is doing that but not affecting my belly – Diet is not the answer as I eat healthily anyway, and don’t need to lose fat anywhere else. I also do ab exercises daily, but it’s not working. :)
Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!
Thanks!
Joel,
I’ve been doing P90X for about a year and a half now. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s 3 days a week of resistance training, 2 days of hard cardio, and a day of yoga. All workouts are 60 minutes, except yoga that is 90.
Is this compatible with CYWT? Or do I need something different? I also have some hard cardio that is just brutal with a lot of interval training but I’m not really into it, it really bothers my knee.
TIA
More of a question! Yes, boring, slow-go, etc. but that’s exactly what I do to earn a living 5 to 6 hrs of every 8 X 5. Have you any comments on the metabolic effect of long duration light (to medium) work? At day’s end I am usually not up for a work-out but feel very guilty for a not too defined core. I am 62 yrs old, 6′ 1″ tall, 185 lbs in clothes. I do ground work for a tree service; bending, lifting, dragging, and lots of walking.
Hi,
Just bought a copy of CYWT, on Tuesday and I’m going to start implementing today, so cross your fingers. As for slow long boring cardio, I do that just about everyday because I work outdoors for a living. At best, I can maintain my weight and that’s all, very little do I see any difference in weight loss unless it’s just water loss, in which case it comes back on after drinking water.
So I can see where your going with this and I agree, but it’s hard to get the average person to understand that. People will try to get me to eat things I don’t want, and then try to reassure me that “Oh, you’ll just burn it off at work tomorrow”, but it just doesn’t work that way. I’m living proof, thanks for the info.
Joe
Originally Posted By Adam AWow, how stupid of you. You completely bash LISS and leave out all its amazing benefit.s People, you need to realize that both HIIT and LISS are efficient at burning fat, you just need to know when to do which.
Do LISS after each weight training
session, for more added fat burning results. By following up a weight session with a 20-30 minutes of LISS, you�ll get another chance to burn fat, and by keeping the intensity low, you won�t burn up the muscle you�ve just worked so hard to build. Remember, your goal is to build muscle, and do whatever it takes to hold onto that lean body mass.Never do HIIT on your weight training days, or before, or after leg days. If you do HIIT on lifting days, you end up cutting into your muscle gains in order to fuel the activity. Keep away for HIIT anywhere near your leg training days, so you can give legs the full effort, and get the proper recovery
time needed to repair and build yourHIIT should not be overdone. Their are easier ways to burn fat and hold onto muscle, such as LISS, and weight training combined.
You must find balance betweem your weight training and your cardio and between HIIT and LISS. Do some RESEARCH and create a training program that is optimal at burning fat and/or (depending on your goals) gaining muscle. Do NOT blindly follow one mans advice when their is so much research out there.
Hmmmm…………………
I already posted something very similar to this, perhaps not as well explained
but along the same lines
(but seems to have been deleted rather than debated, at least I cant find my post after multiple attempts to find it).
I totally agree.
I have always wondered what is considered “slow” in regards to this argument about slow steady state not being effective? Is it defined by a heart rate? or speed?
Slightly off topic here, but for anyone who is bored with the treadmill, stationary bike, and standard gym methods for cardio, I have a suggestion that may be worth considering.
It’s definitely more popular with the younger, video game, generation, but there is no reason why some adults wouldn’t get into it if you like pop music. There is a game called Dance Dance Revolution, and it is available on PlayStation2, PlayStation3, XBox, XBox360, Wii, GameCube, and similar dance games for PC and Mac. I find it takes the boring out of any workout!
How it works: Left, right, forward and back arrows will scroll up the TV or Monitor as the music plays, and when the arrows line up with a bar at the top of the screen, is when you step on the dance pad for the matching arrow. You get rated based on the timing of your step: boo, almost, good, great, perfect, and marvelous. You collect high scores, and get graded on your performance with E (fail), D, C, B and A, AA, and I think there’s even a AAA for the real experts. Expect all Ds the first time you try it, until you get used to the timing of the step (even on the beginner level).
There is usually a good mix between slow and fast songs, so that way you get your interval training in. Or, you can pick 2 or 3 fast songs in a row for a more “steady-state” workout. Maybe it could be considered interval training, too, depending on how long you take to pick your next song. :) It is also customizeable to your fitness level with usually 4 different levels (beginner – expert). The second level is quite enough high intensity for me!
If you want to see the game in action, or want to try it before buying it, there is an arcade version you will usually find in Dave & Busters and other arcade places. Or ask your grandkids about it, and have them give you a demo, I’m sure they’d be happy to!
Joel, I’m in 100% agreement. Just look at all of those ladies who are still doing step aerobics. Have their bodies changed in the last 20+ years they have been doing it? I’m a trainer, and when I use interval training on them, they always burn about 1 1/2 times more calories than when we use steady state. Additionally, they have about 1/2 the after burn in calories within the next couple of hours. As much as they hate me to push them like that, the proof is in the pudding (low fat pudding of cours!), and the results speak for themselves.
Keep those awesome emails coming! Kay – Chicago
Oh, I forgot to mention that if you’re thinking about Wii Fit or Wii Sports, this stuff is in general very LOW intensity, except maybe if you are playing with a partner on the boxing! These are not bad workouts, but they won’t give you the high intensity for burning fat.
I’m 60 years old, 70 pounds overweight, and have not exercised for a few years. I could not talk myself into doing long slow periods of cardio, but am finding I enjoy alternating 4 minutes of slow speed and 1 minute of high speed on the treadmill and in just 30 minutes feel like I’ve done a fairly good workout. The best thing is I’m seeing progress in just the 3 weeks I’ve been doing it and am able to increase my speeds.
Hi Joel, great post, it’s amazing why people still do to be honest. I believe it is the biggest cop out going! I saw the guy other day in a gym reading a paper while sat on a sit down bike. That’s never been a workout to be fair.
Body weight intervals any day, check out http://www.liveawesome.com for some weird and wonderful ones!
@Aditi –
Turbulence Training and Cheat your way thin diet has done it for my mid section which has always been my problem area
Hey Super Joel Marion
Ha Vince been tellin everyone to call you that so I thought Id be the first Ive seen on here to do it.
I just started the cheat your way thin program, and I really hate this low carb proming phase. lol. I dont do well on low carbs. Anyway, I was worried about getting enough calories but when ya plug in the portion method, and weigh everything it really does pan out about right. Jsut for those of you who wondered.
I am doing a full body weight training program 3 x a week right now and I follow each session with some HIIT. I did the treadmill yesterday, but folks it doesnt HAVE to be running. You can jump rope, you can skip, you can bike, it all depends on your mood. Heck beating a heavy bag works. Im gonna post a link for a conditioning workout that will wreck you, if Joel doesnt like it he can remove it and I wont do it anymore lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4xg2ue7XgY
You have to remember also, HIIT PRESERVES lean muscle, long steady cardio EATS muscle. DOnt beleive me? look at marathon runners or cyclists, versus a sprinter. Also, its my understanding and widely accepted, if you are doing resistance training dont do your cardio right before you lift. Do weights, THEN do HIIT. Theres a theory behind that aside from not wearing yourself out before you lift. Maybe Joel will explain it better.
Joel question for you. I got a workout from Vince to be done on cheat days. It looks intense and I will be trying it on days when I dont have a spotter available. Do ya really think a guy can still gaina lb of muscle a week doing the weight training on cheat days even eating at a deficit the rest fo the week?
That idea REALLY appeals to me, since my main focus right now is leaning down after a 3 month bulk session. I want to not have to buy bigger pants. lol. I still dont have the mass id like yet though. Long rambling post, Im sorry.
I really am interested in knowing your thought on the muscle gain with doing resistance on a cheat day though.
I know you directed your question to Joel but my advice is this. If you are losing inches why do you care what the scale says? Unless you are training to compete in a certain weight class dont worry about it. The scale is a small part of the whole fitness thing. Body composition is what matters. @Sarah –
In a big routine for 50min on a cardio machine per day at a good pace combined with with some good fast intervals BUT I cant seem to budge the scale SO I want to get a better understanding of how to break out of my old routines & do something new that actually works! Same reason I am going to Joel’s Tampa event in January – to learn and understand new stuff! Thanks!
I’m 67 & not overweight, however I’m tired of restricting my diet & being hungrey all the time. I do yoga 3 times a week & reformer pilates once a week. I was doing 30min of eliptical 4 to 5 times a week, but I found that I was suddenly exhasted all the time & my calorie burn had decreased significantly. This is why I became interested in Rob Poulos’ method & now your methods. I’ve only had time to do a few sessions of Rob’s workout & thankfully your information came along just in time for Thanksgiving. I’m hoping this is the answer to my prayers. I was ready to just give up & get fat again (like I’ve done so many times in my life). Thanks
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...