What I'm about to tell you may go against everything you've learned about fat burning. But, if you're willing to open your mind and think outside the box, it might just be the most important information you've ever read.
The truth that there is a better way to exercise. It's the way sprinters and other high level athletes have done for years. It does not involve hours of grueling time on a treadmill or miles and miles of distance on the road. It can give you maximum results in as little as a couple of minutes of exercise per day.
Sprinters (and most other athletes) train primarily their anaerobic energy system... using the energy stored in their muscles to fuel short bursts of high intensity exercise. This type of exercise will give you more "bang for the buck" because it is the most effective way to burn fat and calories while also building lean, functional muscle.
These are benefits that low intensity, high volume cardio just won't give you.
High intensity allows you to "double dip" during your workouts.
First, as a fat burner, this type of exercise is hard to beat. That's because raising the intensity of your exercise results in your body burning huge amounts of calories. The demands placed on your body in quick short bursts of exercise require a lot of energy. Training like a sprinter will burn more fat due to these high energy demands (and, according to one study, may even teach your body to burn fat first).
Not only that, but your body will keep burning calories long after your workout. One study showed that doing high energy exercises every other day could lead to an extra 2 pounds per month (or more) of fat loss, just from the rise in metabolism and extra calories burned. Do the math ' that adds up to an extra 20 plus pounds of fat burned per year due to this post-workout metabolic effect.
And better yet, according to a report released by the American Diabetes Association, high intensity exercise is the best way to burn the fat around your middle (a.k.a. belly fat), one of the most difficult places to melt off the flab. Low intensity, high volume cardio will not give you the same effects.
But, high intensity exercise doesn't just burn fat. The second "dip" in your workout will result in building lean, powerful muscle as well. Hey, let's face it, losing flab is only half the battle. If you want to look good (and feel better about yourself), it's equally as important to tone and firm the muscles in your abs, arms, thighs, hips and backside. If you just lose the fat, you could look soft and flabby. Defining your muscles through high intensity exercise can take care of a lot of that and make you proud of the way you look.
High intensity exercise like interval training builds muscle by putting you through full body, ground-based movements. Forcing your muscles to work in unison - as a functional unit. Just the ticket to raise your natural HGH levels and make your muscles look and feel young again.
Long, slow cardio may actually have the opposite effect... shrinking your muscles to make your body more efficient for the long haul. Upping the intensity of your workouts will burn more calories and fat than tired old cardio. And, in a 2 for 1 bonus, it will also help you build strong, sexy muscle at the same time. (Not to mention that most high intensity workouts can be done in just a few minutes ' much less than the 30 minutes to an hour you've been trying to do on the cardio machines).
Losing a couple pounds of fat or adding a few pounds of muscle will make you look and feel good. Doing both with high intensity training can make things GREAT instead.
So, you have a choice my friend. Stick with traditional cardio in the "fat burning zone" and see minimal results. Or, try something different and up the intensity of your workouts to get into the best shape of your life. After just a few sessions, you'll see and feel the difference.
How To Get Fat
I opened the paper this morning to find out that the country I live in has just taken the number one spot as the fattest country in the world. I don't know when it happened but just like a cupcake sneaking onto the hips, Canada has earned the title of having the largest obesity problem of 63 different countries in a recent survey by the American Heart Association. I wish I could say this was another American conspiracy theory but alas, it's not.
To tell you the truth, I would have rather seen Canada in a number one spot in the Olympics, but I guess for now, this will be our claim to fame. It's baffling because as far as resources go, we have access to everything we could possibly need to stay fit. We have every tool we need to be healthy and vibrant. We have access to medicare, lots of money for food and gym memberships and plenty of leisure time to use it all, and yet our men have the largest waistlines short of the equator itself.
Maybe that is exactly the problem. We have it too easy. Nothing requires the effort that would suck a few inches off those thighs. While most countries are growing and picking their foods in the backyard and biking to work, we spend a couple hundred dollars on downtown parking and an expansive, oops, I mean expensive meal. We need to get back to basics and we need to do it fast.
We need to stop thinking that throwing money at fad diets and fancy machines will fix our problem of obesity. What we need to do is use our bodies the way they were intended to be used, for working. We need to stop consuming more than we need for optimum energy and performance and we need to GOYA.
What's GOYA, well it means Get Off Your, you can figure out the rest. Besides medical issues that are much more rare than the number of people that use it as an excuse, you only get obese by consuming too much and exercising too little. When you think about that statement, that tells me that a lot of people are wasting their lives standing on the sidelines doing little more than watching TV and stuffing their faces. That's sad.
It's sad because life is full of adventures to be had and they can't be experienced sitting on the couch. Getting out dancing, going to the beach for a swim, snowboarding in the winter and dirt biking in the summer. These are all things that make everyday of your life an experience worth the living. An adventure.
I was recently on a trip to Mexico where a 40 something couple had spent a couple of hundred dollars to do a tour of a remote town. Once we got there this couple sat outside the bus for a couple of hours until the tour was over because they got winded when they tried to walk the streets. I'm not talking crazy hills but normal rolling streets that the villagers walk every day. They wasted their money and didn't get to see some things that were a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I'm upset that Canada has taken the lead on this dubious title but my hope is that maybe it will be a wake up call. Don't stand on the sidelines any longer. Get out and live life to the fullest. Treat your body as your greatest asset and GOYA.
Both Tim Kauppinen & Raymond Burton are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tim Kauppinen has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Health and Fitness. Tim Alan Kauppinen (Coach K), has over 20 years experience as an athlete,coach and personal trainer. He has helped people of all ages and abilities get and stay in top shape. Coach K is the author of the Uphill Fitness Training and 30 Second Conditioning,. Tim Kauppinen's top article generates over 110000 views. Bookmark Tim Kauppinen to your Favourites.
Raymond Burton has sinced written about articles on various topics from Multi Level Marketing, Home Management and Lose Weight. How to lose stubborn body fat - bodybuilding champion Ray Burton reveals all the secrets...Check It Out ==> Fat 2 Fit - The Meltdown. Raymond Burton's top article generates over 823000 views. Bookmark Raymond Burton to your Favourites.
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