Fitness Forum – Cardio Makes You Fat

A rather provocative statement, I agree.  Well, I recently read an article by Jim Karas on Yahoo! Health (http://health.yahoo.net/experts/yahoo-spotlight/why-your-cardio-routine-making-you-fat) that takes a rather provocative position on exercise.  He basically claims that for weight loss and long-term health, interval-based strength training is the way to go and  traditional cardio training is a waste.

Here’s some highlights (and I’ve tried to remove his strongly opinionated tone) : 

Start with the premise that lean, strong, tone muscles are a good thing.  Muscles burn approximately 3x as many calories per pound as does fat.  We naturally lose muscle mass after age 20, and the rate of loss increases with age,  As women approach menopause the rate is even higher. So, as we lose the efficiency of muscles, our metabolism drops and we begin to put on weight.  Therefore, we need to maintain our muscle mass.

Interval-based strength training also enhances your heart rate variability which strengthens your heart better than classic (steady) cardio. He points out some downsides to classic cardio such as: the pounding on joints and that after 20-30 minutes classic cardio begins to chew up your muscles.

Personally, I believe that interval-based strength training is the best approach for both weight loss and long-term health.  Of course, don’t forget the value of incorporating a healthy diet. I wouldn’t avoid cardio, especially if you are training for a race or gain mental/emotional satisfaction from the activity.   But I certainly have re-evaluated my own routine as a result of this article.

Read the article with an open mind because its tone will probably cause an instinctual defensive reaction. But remember, everyone thought Christopher Columbus was crazy when he tried to change the generally accepted belief about the earth.