Cardio training by no means is the holy grail of fat loss training, but it certainly will accelerate progress when paired with a sound weights training program. But what type of cardio will produce the best fat loss results? Cardio is used for either weight control/maintenance or creating a calorie deficit for fat loss. When it comes to doing cardio for fat loss, it needs to be slow and easy or near maximum exertion – think of this as muscle building cardio.
The middle ground for cardio (jogging or running long distance) is not conducive to fat loss, quite the opposite – you are likely to burn muscle. The stress induced by long distance running elevates cortisol levels. Chronically elevated cortisol levels makes it near impossible to lose body fat, especially around the stomach.
Slow cardio like walking outside or incline walking on a treadmill, as boring as it may be, is ideal for this because it requires little or no recovery period. If you’re doing zero cardio at the moment I recommend doing 30 minutes on your non-weight training days.
Interval based cardio or HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is the complete opposite to traditional “cardio.” Aggressive and explosive, if done correctly, it is very complimentary to resistance training and can even assist in building lean tissue. Sprint training and modified strongman training are prime examples. Here is a program for each:
SPRINT TRAINING
8 x 200m sprints (roughly 30-45 seconds), 2-3 minutes recovery. This can be done indoors on a rowing machine, or outdoors at an athletics track or park.
MODIFIED STRONGMAN TRAINING
A1. 4 x 40m Farmers Walk, 1 min rest
A2. 4 x 40m Reverse sled drag, 1 min rest
A3. 4 x 40m Sled Push, 3 min rest