Fat Loss Wars: Intervals vs. Cardio
Tom Venuto is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist, lifetime natural bodybuilder, freelance writer, and personal coach. Tom has used both intervals and cardio in his training, and wants to share his experiences with you. CB: Most of my articles and interviews on my sites promote interval training. However, traditional “cardio” has worked for many people. In your opinion, how does traditional cardio compare to interval training? What are the pro’s and con’s of each? TV: Well, I would agree with what Ian King wrote recently in one of his Q & A columns, “As to whether you respond best to higher intensity interval training (HIIT) or lower intensity steady state training will depend a lot on you. You should try both (not concurrently) and compare.” You simply have to experiment. Test and discover for yourself what works best. How do you know what works best if you don’t test it and measure the results? I don’t create my own program based on what the latest research says or what the popular trend is. I look at the research and pay attention to what’s going on at the “cutting edge,” but I don’t live and breathe by it. I do what produces results, period. There’s no doubt interval training is highly effective and supported with research. A great benefit of interval training for many people is time efficiency. Another is that it is mentally and physically engaging. Long duration conventional cardio can bore some people to tears. My personal preference for my own fat loss cardio training is to work at the highest heart rate I can comfortably maintain for the entire duration of the workout, 20-30 minutes. During pre-contest preparation, I often increase - in a progressive fashion - to as much as 30-45 minutes, so my program to this day is primarily conventional cardio. I occasionally add in interval training more for variety than anything. I do like stair and hill sprinting though, and have done that for years. Oddly enough, I never really considered it “cardio” - I looked at it more as an adjunct to my leg workouts, although I’m sure I reaped some fat loss benefits from it. We’ve all seen the research that compares low intensity, long duration cardio to HIIT, and we’ve seen the superiority of HIIT, but I’d like to see some research comparing, let’s say, 20 minutes of HIIT with 30-45 minutes of challenging steady cardio at the top of your target heart zone. I find this type of cardio extremely effective and I imagine there’s a pretty substantial post workout afterburn in addition to the very large burn of fat calories during the workout. It’s nice to know, though, that you CAN get a productive workout in just 20 minutes or less with HIIT. Regardless of whether we’re talking about interval training or conventional cardio, you want to burn as many calories as you can given the time you have. I definitely don’t believe in the idea that low intensity cardio burns more total fat. That myth has clearly been debunked by the research, even though it still persists. Naturally, beginners and de-conditioned people need to build some kind of fitness base before doing the really high intensity stuff. HIIT can be risky for certain people. Simple conventional cardio like walking is fantastic for the elderly and overweight, although cardio shouldn’t take precedence over weight training in any population. CB: Given all these pro’s and con’s, what’s the best training approach for the masses looking to lose fat and maintain (or even gain) muscle? TV: Depends entirely on the person. Nutrition and training have to be customized. There’s no such thing as a single best approach. We see people make great gains on abbreviated high intensity training and also on high volume. We see people lose fat on conventional cardio and HIIT cardio…with high carbs/low fat and low carbs/high fat. However, one thing is always true - there are fundamentals, which apply to everyone. Each person has to master the fundamentals first. Once you have that down, you begin to personalize. That’s where a really good fitness professional comes in – to evaluate an individual’s situation and make the optimal exercise prescription within that particular context. There is no single best training approach because everyone is so different. The nutrition fundamentals are important of course, but strength training is really the key fundamental for everyone. It’s a shame that strength training is still underplayed in the weight loss mainstream. Dieting is still king, but ironically, low calorie dieting is part of the problem it purports to cure. Weight training is critical to fat loss and I have no argument against weight training and full body workouts being used effectively as the sole means for fat loss. Results are what counts and time efficiency is more important to some than others. I simply think that some people have taken their anti-aerobics sentiment a bit too far. Just a couple decades ago the entire health and fitness movement revolved around aerobics, while strength training was ignored and ridiculed. Today, in certain strength circles, the pendulum has swung completely to the other side: aerobics is ridiculed and strength training is said to be the best way to burn fat. I actually find it kind of funny when trainers are so against cardio that when they do recommend it, they won’t even call it “aerobics” or “cardio”, they call it something else: “Energy system training.” Strength training has a critical role in fat loss, but is it really more important than cardio? The negative effects of excessive cardio on strength have been clearly proven, but how much is “excessive?” Can’t the two work synergistically together if work and recovery are carefully balanced? For people who are not strength/power athletes, is a little bit of extra cardio really such a big concern? Shouldn’t training always be organized around priorities with the main priority never compromised? Using strength training to burn fat is not a new concept. We had PHA training (peripheral heart action) and circuit training many years ago. Bodybuilders have been reducing rest intervals (increasing density), and using supersets, tri sets or giant sets during pre-contest phases since bodybuilding began. Maybe they didn’t understand growth hormone and the other mechanisms that made them work, they just did it instinctively, but they also did cardio. And the problem is, the more you turn strength training into cardio (“circuit training”), the more you compromise your strength and muscle mass increases. I like the balance between conventional (and heavier) strength training, moderate cardio and nutrition the best, although I certainly use increasing density and supersetting during fat loss programs. I’ll go against the current trend in the strength community and stand by my belief that except for big “manly” strength athletes who can stick with weight training alone, the preferred fat loss approach, most of the time, for most people, is a healthy balance between strength training and cardio training. Craig Ballantyne is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and writes for Men's Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness Hers, and Oxygen magazines. His trademarked Turbulence Training fat loss workouts have been featured multiple times in Men’s Fitness and Maximum Fitness magazines, and have helped thousands of men and women around the world lose fat, gain muscle, and get lean in less than 45 minutes three times per week. For more information on the Turbulence Training workouts that will help you burn fat without long, slow cardio sessions or fancy equipment, visit www.TurbulenceTraining.com |
Other Articles
Healthy Eating with 10 Simple Tips 1. Try using applesauce or zuchinni in your baking recipes instead of vegetable oil. You get the same amount of moisture with less fat and get the added bonus of fruit and veggies.2. Cauliflower is a great alternative to Potatoes! Try making mashed cauliflower, the key is to use lots of garlic for flavoring. Feel free to use a little chee ...Prisoner of Carbohydrates I more than understand the carbohydrate roller coaster that many of you may be experiencing. You hear that in order to achieve successful weight loss you should cut carbohydrates. Also, some readings suggest limiting carbohydrates while others say to eat more carbohydrates! Does the carbohydrate mystery have you completely confused?You wi ...Antioxidant Supplements for Better Health It’s hard to get through the day without hearing about antioxidant supplements these days.It’s about time we started to hear about them, considering some of the best nutritional supplements act as powerful antioxidants.First, let’s discuss what antioxidants actually do for you in plain English. Antioxidants can neutralize the damag ...A Toast to Resveratrol, an Amazing Grape Antioxidant One of the most well-known stories about the health benefits of eating fruit is called the French Paradox – the condition of unexpected low incidence of cardiovascular disease in French citizens who regularly eat extraordinary quantities of high-fat foods and consume red wine. These people technically should have high rates of cardiovascular dis ...Feed Your Body: The Proper Nutrition For A Triathlon Any sport or activity requires you to provide your body with the correct fuel you need to successfully complete the task at hand.This is especially true for athletes attempting to compete in a triathlon.In addition to training your body for the swimming, biking, and running events, you should ensure you are providing it with the co ...Aloe The Miracle Plant Nutrition Fact The aloe is a plant originally from Africa. It is a succulent that grows to a height of 12 to 16 inches spreading by offsets and root sprouts. The leaves are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with a serrated margin. The flowers are produced on a spike up to 90 cm tall.Aloe also holds the prestigious title of being the 6th most-used p ...How to Prevent Heartburn Millions of us suffer from bouts of heartburn, some more frequently and more painful than others. We reach for the antacid and hope that it helps, the quicker the better. However, there are ways we can reduce the risk of enduring another bout of heartburn.Despite the name, heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. It is a burning feelin ...Diet and Nutrition There is a lot of controversy about diet. Our society tends to equate a thin body with health, and therefore there are a lot of diets and diet supplements which are used by the public that are harmful.To be sure, they will usually help you loose weight, however they will not promote good health. The fact is that our bodies need three ma ...Why Do I Have Sugar Cravings? Consuming sugar temporarily elevates the levels of certain neurotransmitters in our bodies. Do you know what neurotransmitters are? They are “feel-good” chemicals. Two of the major “feel-good” chemicals released by eating sugar are:1. Dopamine, which releases chemicals including endorphins that give us a feeling of pleasure 2. ...Whey Protein Importance Studies on whey demonstrate it's an even better protein supplement than previously thought. Although whey protein's health benefits have only recently been elucidated, the use of whey protein for medicinal purposes has been prescribed since the time of Hippocrates. In fact, there are two ancient proverbs from the Italian city of Florence that sa ...Quick Tips for Healthy Eating The reason why many of us do not keep up our healthy diets is simply because we are too busy. Eating ends up becoming secondary to all of the other functions we must perform in our lives. While working at the computer or running our children from place to place, it is often easy to just “grab something quick” to shovel into our mouths before m ...The Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea and Coffee The Chinese have used green tea to treat disease for many centuries. Today, Western culture is beginning to appreciate the benefits of green tea.Recent research has revealed some of the health benefits of using green tea including the possible prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and even cancer.Gre ...Treating Endometriosis with Supplements and Nutrition Endometriosis occurs when the endometrial tissue that lines the uterus grows outside the uterus, usually in the pelvic area. But it can grow anywhere, even in the brain and lungs. Endometrios is stimulated partly by the hormones of menstruation. So pain, a characteristic of symptomatic endometriosis, is worse at ovulation and during the menstrua ...Omega 3's From Plants May Be Best Many people know that they need omega-3 fatty acids to prevent heart attacks, and that they can get lots of omega-3 fatty acids from fish. But most people do not know that the omega-3 fatty acids in seeds such as flax and whole grains may be even more important in maintaining your health than the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.Omega-3 ...Vitamins and Minerals - The Role These important nutrients are essential to good health since they help the body use the energy stored in food. If you eat a balanced, varied diet, vitamin and mineral supplements are probably unnecessary.A surprising number of people take vitamin or mineral supplements each day as a kind of nutritional insurance - usually without underst ...DNA Unlocked: Nutrition Secrets For Powerful Athletic Gains Imagine an army of Peter Schmeichel's? Unlocking the genetic code has led scientists to unravel the secrets of sports performance in the competitive athlete. Back in the Early 90's the U.S. Department of Energy and the Natural Institutes of Health unlocked the 25,000 genes that make us human. It was only a matter of time until sports scientists ...Nutrition Is The Key To Maintaining Healthy Weight And Good Health If there were a magic key to maintaining healthy weight and lifelong good health it would have to be good nutrition. You can be a professional athlete or couch junkie nutrition is essential to good health. To obtain good overall health you should start by eating right. The importance of diet and eating right is certainly not new. Good Nutrition ...
|