I watch people everyday traveling down the “road to nowhere”. I don’t blam them for a lack of effort, it’s just more of a lack of knowledge and understanding. I appreciate all the hard work they put in, but the results would be much better if they would apply the same amount of effort to their diet and weight training.
The most common reason I see people do endless hours of cardio to no avail is that they have this assumption that they can do more cardio to compensate for a terrible diet. They will “punish” themselves for having a cheeseburger for lunch. The problem is that it doesn’t work like that. Even though we have always been taught that weight loss is a matter of calories in vs. calories out, it is much more complicated than that. Your body is much smarter than you are, believe me.
Another common misinterpretation is that cardio is for burning fat, and that weights are secondary to cardio in a weight loss plan for this reason. That is 100% false. Weight training is EQUALLY important regardless of gender when it comes to weight loss. The more muscle you have and can retain while dieting, the faster your metabolism will be at rest. Also while dieting and doing cardio it is hard to keep from burning muscle, let alone build or retain it, so if you don’t lift weights you will burn muscle and lose weight, yet still look fat. Hormone secretion as a result of weight training is another reason. Intense weight training releases muscle building and fat burning hormones that cardiovascular exercise will not.
Things to remember. Diet is the most important part of a weight loss plan. Head and tails above everything else. If you need help with that ask a Blue Springs Fitness staff member for help. Weight training actually comes before cardio, and needs to be performed intensly enough to cause hormone secretion and muscle growth. The very LAST aspect of losing weight is cardio. When it comes to cardio just do enough to continue burning fat at a rate of 1-2 pounds per week. More is not better here. Most people have everything in a weight loss plan completely backwards. Heed this advice and you will get twice the results you have seen in any of your weight loss plans.