Muscle up, metabolism up
Am I running down the wrong path with my cardio workouts? They're the foundation of my fitness routine but after considering what Jim Karas has to say about his Cardio-Free Diet -- check out his book here --- I'm not sure they should be.We've been fed a line when it comes to cardio, says Karas, who links the trend toward cardio with an increase in obesity rates. Interval strength training is what we should embrace because it builds lean muscle mass which propels metabolism. The more cardio you do, on the other hand, the more hungry you are, the more you eat, the more you gain.
Your body will simply transform with strength training, according to Karas whose eating regime includes three daily meals and one snack, totaling 1,200 calories. Some say eating only 1,200 calories will cause weight loss no matter what exercise you do. So maybe it's not entirely the cardio-free component that does the trick. Maybe it's the virtual starvation.
"Cardio training (jogging, treadmill, stationary bike) may have been over-emphasized over the last decade," says this blogger, "but that doesn't mean we need to can the cardio. It means we need to start emphasizing the benefits of strength training and bodyweight exercises.
Balance. That's what I think each person needs. So I'll keep at my cardio routine -- I enjoy it, it's helped me drop a few pounds, and it sets my day off on just the right course -- but maybe I'll pump up the number of days I devote to strength training too. What about you?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-11-2008 @ 9:54AM
rrr said...
I lost 30 pounds following Karas' "Business Plan for the Body". The amount of calories you eat depends on what you currently weigh, and your activity level and you adjust it as you lose.
Also, once you reach your goal, you switch to "maintenance" calories which is more than your losing calorie goal but not enough for you to gain the weight back.
I never felt like I was starving at 1200 calories, it took a lot of work to keep from going over but it works and you get to eat anything you want as long as it's under your goal.
Believe me, you learn to make good decisions about what you eat if you only get 1200 calories to work with.
I was able to lose the weight faster and keep it off easier by building up my muscles.
I recommend Karas' plan for anyone who really wants to lose weight and keep it off. (Especially if you don't like cardio much, like me!)
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2-11-2008 @ 12:12PM
Shaten said...
Well what he says is basically true. A pound of muscle burns more calories at rest than a pound of fat. The cardio however allows you more choices on you calorie intake.
In other words you need to do both. You need a good base of muscle, and then regular cardio to help everything flow along.
2-11-2008 @ 3:05PM
Jorn Knuttila said...
Cardio burns calories while you do it. Resistance training burns calories while you do it -and- 39 hours thereafter. Resistance training burns glycogen. The more often you do this, the more you enter into an area where your body goes to get energy from fat stores. Repeat this on a regular basis and you train your body to trade fat for muscle. Fill your body full of carbs, however, and you body will use what it needs at the moment and turn the rest of it into fat.
Reduce the carbs. Grab the weights. Really.
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2-22-2008 @ 7:21PM
lilreeves said...
I agree with this book, traditional cardio is WAY over emphasized.
But people continue to do it for some reason.
The only thing he's missing from what I saw of him on one of the morning TV shows (can't remember which one) is the WAY you're supposed to workout.
Although he did get the part right about doing compound exercises (using a few diff. muscle groups in the same exercise). That's very important.
I learned everything I did to help me lose over 20 pounds (and more if I want but I'm happy where I am now) from #3 on my website below. The book is incredible.
Jeremy
http://www.fitness-product-reviews.com
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