Low Intensity Cardio for Fat Loss

Another reader's fat loss cardio question today...

Q: I know intervals are great, but is it ever beneficial to do longer workouts of moderate intensity cardio? Is this what beginners should do?

Answer:
Good question. I think that the more fat a person has, the more they will simply benefit from any type of exercise. Therefore, even low-intensity work will help.

However, two things to consider before we just send everyone out for 60 minute jogs and cardio sessions.

1) Is the individual physically prepared for high-volume exercise? Unfortunately, I've seen my share of clients that decided to jump back into fitness with long cardio workouts. Soon enough they were asking me to help rehab their injuries...whether they were small muscles strains or more serious overuse injuries.

So you always have to make sure that the individuals are physically prepared for the exercise program - which is why my training programs include introductory and beginner muscle strengthening phases in combination with exercise that focuses on calorie burning.

Many beginners will have weak muscles - somewhere along the line. So doing dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of repetitions (i.e. longer cardio stuff) can exacerbate small injuries into full-blown injuries. We must always be careful there...that's one of the reasons that people drop out of exercise programs so frequently.

And that's why fitness assessments are very important when you are able to work one-on-one with a trainer (or when you are a trainer - make sure you do these!).

2) Efficiency You can get the same benefits as long cardio in half the time by doing structured interval training instead. So if time is a factor, then intervals rule.

So remember these 4 simple rules for your fat loss program and it will be effective, efficient, balanced, and safe:
1) Strengthen the weak muscles
2) Stretch the tight muscles
3) Burn more calories (through exercise and by boosting your metabolism with resistance training)
4) Improve your nutrition so that you are taking in fewer calories to lose fat, but not dieting so hard that you are messing up your body's fat-burning hormones.

Train right for your type,

CB

P.S. Don't go from zero to hero...
Training thousands of men, women, athletes, beginners, and advanced fitness enthusiasts has shown me what each of these groups can handle in the gym.

That's why TT for Fat Loss comes with a beginner level and a bonus beginner level bodyweight program to get you ready for the advanced fat-burning, muscle-defining workouts that follow in each progressively more difficult stage.

"Craig, I just wanted to let you know that the bodyweight programs you have incorporated into our program has had remarkable results. AS you know, I had fallen off our regular program due to a family illness. At 44 years of age, I was worried about regaining my strength and burning off the bodyfat I gained during a period of inactivity. It was discouraging at first until you included a bodyweight workout. It has been the perfect solution. The bodyweight circuit burns more fat than any prior cardio workout I have ever done.It has also helped me to regain my strength in a very short period of time. The execises are very difficult and challenging but worth the effort. The results I have seen after 3 weeks is the kind I was expecting to see after 8 weeks. I would highly recommend your bodyweight program for anyone looking to burn off bodyfat while gaining strength."
Bobby Logan

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"Hi Craig, I am enjoying Turbulence Training. I am a personal trainer, so I've incorporated much of it into my sessions. Though I used some philosophies from TT, your program has added a world of new ideas, methods, and techniques to my client sessions. And for that, I thank you so very much. Even my wife loves it, ha! So much more to read and implement, so TT reading will keep me busy for many months to come. Make it a great day!"
Loren Salas

"The things I like the most in the TT program: a) Large number of different exercises allowing for ever new combinations, which prevent boredom and routine. b) Different approaches to strength training (dumbbells, own body, simple implements). c) A lot of precise information about pacing, timing and choosing effort levels. d) Sound and solid information on kinesiology and physiology of training."
Peter Tancig


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