Myth Buster: "I only need to do cardio to lose weight"

By Ron McDonald Jr - CPT

Unfortunately this is a common misconception, when it comes time to lose weight for most people. Let me see if I can lead you down the right track.

Current research strongly indicates that, in general, combining a conventional aerobic exercise program with a restricted calorie diet does little (IF ANYTHING) to help you preserve lean body mass during your weight-reduction efforts. It is important to keep in mind that the lower your lean body mass is, the lower your resting metabolic rate (i.e., the calories expended by the body to maintain life and normal bodily functions such as respiration and circulation) will be. As a result, it is more likely that you will regain some or all of the weight you lost.

On the other hand, if you engage in an exercise program that is designed to improve your level of muscular fitness and weight loss, you enhance the likelihood that you will be able to maintain your level of lean body mass. Accordingly, for optimal results in weight management you should combine aerobic conditioning and strength training. Such a prescription will allow you to expend a relatively large number of calories, while simultaneously preserving or increasing your level of lean body mass. The bottom line in weight loss is to burn calories, burn calories, and burn calories - as many as possible on a daily basis, by increasing physically activity and planned exercise.

The biggest benefit to weight training is what is termed EPOC, which stands for Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption. What this is basically referring to is how your metabolic rate stays elevated for several hours after you exercise session has been completed. Weight training has a significant impact EPOC after a training session. The number of calories burned during recovery depends upon the intensity and the duration of the workout. So your burning more calories in your recovery time - this is what you want, by no means can you expect to burn all the calories you need to burn for the day in a 30 min or 60 min training session. The real magic of exercise is the calories you begin to burn when you not in the gym, as you overall metabolic rate increases over time. In general, approximately 15 extra calories are burned during recovery for every 100 calories you expended during your exercise bout.

While muscular fitness is certainly important, aerobic fitness is also essential. The bottom line is you need to make time for both components of fitness in order to achieve your goals.

Be Well.

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