Aerobic Cardio Makes You Fat

If you’ve ever wanted to lose weight, chances are one of the first things you added to your fat loss program was cardio.  Traditional thought has told us, if we put in our time on the road, treadmill, bike, or whatever means we choose that we will expend enough calories to lose weight.  So off we go, 30 to 45 minutes later we’ve burned through hundreds of calories and are feeling great.  We keep this up 3+ times a week for month after month.  At first we’re losing weight and feeling good.  Then it happens.  The weight loss stops and frustration sets in.  Why can’t I lose weight?!?!  Maybe I need to do more cardio to burn more calories…so off we go again.  60 to 75 minutes later we’re feeling accomplished again.  But why isn’t the scale changing?  I haven’t lost a single pound after weeks of doubling, maybe even tripling my cardio!  I lost weight at first, why isn’t it working anymore!?! 

It may be true that aerobic cardio can help you lose some weight when you first start exercising.  But plenty of research has been developed over the years to show that the more efficient you become with repetitive aerobic exercise (i.e. running) the LESS calories you expend per minute while exercising, requiring you to run further and longer to get the same calorie burning effect.  Even then as you increase your mileage again and again over time, unless you’re a professional endurance athlete who carefully plans their life around training, your body will reach a tipping point where the stress from overtraining will eventually lead to burnout or possibly even an injury. 

A 2006 study showcases this effect.  Over 12,000 runners were followed for 9 years.  A majority of these runners gained body fat and waist circumference over the years.  The ones who gained the most fat were the runners who dropped their mileage, primarily due to the unavoidable injury that occurs from a repetitive and unbalanced training program.  But the real highlight of this study was that even the runners who maintained or slightly increased their mileage saw an increase in body fat.  The body adapts to regular aerobic exercise by using less oxygen and energy to perform the most amount of work possible.  This increase in efficiency may help performance, but it doesn’t help your waistline.  At the same time, regular aerobic exercise will also create a catabolic affect in your body, breaking down muscle tissue from the stress effect of repetitive, long duration exercise.  Since a pound of muscle burns up to 10 times more energy then a pound of fat, this drop in muscle mass will decrease your resting metabolic rate.  Not only are you burning fewer calories during exercise, but now you’re burning less at rest.  Thus, you complete your recipe for weight gain.

Don’t get me wrong, there are benefits to aerobic activity, but not that many in the realm of long term weight loss.  Stop eating less and doing more cardio to lose weight.  Take a smarter approach to maximize your results.  With the proper dietary choices and a progressive exercise plan, you will become a fat burning machine.  Make sure to include weight lifting in your training routine at least 3 times a week and as many as 6 days a week depending on your training age.  Weight lifting has been shown to provide just as much heart healthy benefits as aerobic endurance training when performed properly.  Weight lifting will also help you to preserve your muscle mass, thus maintaining and possibly even increasing your metabolic rate at rest.  In addition to lifting weights, include anaerobic interval training to improve cardiovascular conditioning and maximize calorie expenditure over the long haul.  Interval training in general terms is defined as a short burst of work followed by a recovery period usually 2 to 4 times as long as your work period, repeated for a set amount of time.  This could include sprints of any distance or even demanding metabolic movements like burpees and kettlebell swings.  I would recommend starting with 15-20 minutes of interval conditioning directly after your weight lifting session or on days in between weight lifting.  This style of training will improve your metabolism and increase the release of fat burning hormones as well, leading to greater fat loss over time.

References:

Williams, P. Wood. The Effects of Changing Exercise Levels on Weight and Age-Related Weight Gain. International Journal of Obesity. 2006. 30)3), 543-551.

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For more Fitness, Nutrition, and Wellness advice contact Paul Wantuck or stop by the Fitness Center to schedule a consultation and get started on the path towards a healthier you!