Is Aerobic really the best type of exercise for fat loss?

Often fitness and health professionals will prescribe aerobic exercise (cardio) to their clients looking to lose fat or to improve their health. The Recommendations are usually something like 30-60 minutes of Aerobic training done at a constant pace, 3-5 days a week, at a moderate intensity . This advice is popular, but does it really work or are we just running in place doing long slow boring cardio destined to fail. I'd like you to consider some new scientific research that indicates that steady pace endurance cardio training may not be all it's cracked up to be.

The first thing we need to understand is our bodies are designed to work for short periods followed by rest, or with a stop and go movement rather than the constant repetition you get with cardio exercise. New research are showing that varying the physical patterns when exercise is a very important factor to consider. We can see this in nature as all animals use variable movement, they don't use the same movement for an hour straight. We are the only ones that attempt these endurance activities. Most sports (with the exception of endurance running or cycling) all use variable movement with short bursts of exercise. To look at an example of the different effects of endurance versus short burst exercise, consider the bodies of marathoners versus sprinters. Most sprinters have a body that is very lean, muscular, and strong looking, while the average marathoner is more often bony and sickly looking. Which would you rather look like?

Another thing to remember about the benefits of variability of movement is the internal effect that different types of exercise gives us. Scientists have known that too much steady state endurance exercise (1 hour plus of exercise most days of the week is too much for most people but we are all different) increases free radical production in the body, can breakdown joints, decrease immune function, cause muscle wasting, and can cause a pro-inflammatory response in the body that can potentially lead to chronic diseases. Variable exercise on the other hand has been linked to an increase in anti-oxidant production in the body and an anti-inflammatory effect, a better nitric oxide response (which can encourage a healthy cardiovascular system), and an increased metabolic rate response (which can assist with fat loss).

The big aspect of variable exercise that makes it far better than steady state exercise is the recovery period in between bursts of exertion. Recovery is crucial for the body to promote a healthy stimulus from exercise. Another benefit is that it is much more interesting and is more likely to keep you training until you reach your goal.

Variable exercise can provide benefits like the following: better cardiovascular function, better anti-oxidant protection, increased immune function, decreased risk for joint degeneration, decreased muscle wasting, increased metabolic rate following exercise, and an increased capacity for the heart to handle life's every day stressors. One of the best modes of variable exercise to decrease body fat and increase muscular definition is to do sprinting.

In addition, weight training naturally incorporates short bursts of exertion followed by recovery periods. High intensity interval training (varying between high and low intensity intervals on any piece of cardio equipment) is a great training method that uses short burst and recovery periods. For example, an interval training session on the treadmill could look something like this:

Warm-up for 5 minutes at a fast walk or light jog; Interval 1 - run at 8.0 mi/hr for 1 minute; Interval 2 - walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1 minute; Interval 3 - run at 10.0 mi/hr for 1 minute; Interval 4 - walk at 4.0 mi/hr for 1 minute; Repeat this 4 times to get an intense 20 minute workout . Using Interval exercise with your fat loss program as well as weight training will dramatically improve the benefit of your training program. Use them and feel the difference they can provide.

About the Author

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Urban Health and Fitness Myths

Go to any gym or to your last social party and some person with spit out some urban legend as it relates to health, fitness, or weight loss. So many wise tales have been passed down from generations and especially on college campuses that we start to take them as fact. So, we have list 5 of the top urban myths around health and dieting to see do they tread water or not. Who hasn't thought that alcohol kills brain cells?

Urban Health and Fitness Myth or Fact

1. Inactivity turns muscle into fat: Almost Fact

a. The reality is that muscle and fat are two very different tissues with in the body. No, muscle can't turn into the fat though a sedentary lifestyle will cause your muscles to burn less calories. The fewer calories your muscles burn the greater amounts of fat a person will store. The correct statement is with inactivity fat replaces muscle. This is another way of saying you have a slow metabolism.

2. Women are going to get drunk quicker than Men: Fact

a. The key difference is body weight. The average male has more weight than the average female. The extra weight results in greater amounts of water in male bodies. The extra water lower the concentration of alcohol for men allowing them to stave off impairment longer. Another key difference is men has high amounts of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol is the liver. This allows men to break down more alcohol leaving less in the blood stream.

3. Drinking Alcohol Loses Brain Cells: Myth

a. Alcohol won't make you dumber though you may act dumber. Even binge drinkers are not going to kill brain cells. Studies have shown that heavy drinkers have the same amount of brain cells as the non drinker. Alcohol can kill brain cells though the amounts are too high to consume. You won't pass out or stop breathing before you would kill any cells.

4. Holiday 5 Pounds is a given: Myth

a. People don't gain an average of 5 pounds during the holidays. The average person gains about 1 pound over the 6 weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years. This isn't that different than the weight, from poor food diet and fitness choices that the average American gains at any point in time. The big reason we think about is that come January 1st we are making New Years resolutions and we are thinking about our weight more.

5. Drink green tea to lose weight: Myth

a. Many products and marketing are stating all the weight loss benefits of green tea. Green tea extract has been demonstrated to support weight loss and support increase in calorie burning from your metabolism. The amounts in the tea you drink are too low in concentration though to make much difference. You can still get the antioxidant properties of green tea in your drink though weight loss not much. If you want the benefits of green tea for weight loss you will have to go with nutritional supplements which deliver high concentrations.

Every myth or urban legend typically has some sort of truth to them. The issue it typically isn't exactly the way people think. The goal with any myth passed down is to do your homework.

Copyright (c) 2007 Al Short

About The Author
Al Short

WorldClassNutrition is a leader in discout nutrition supplements with the largest selection of diet pills, creatine products, protein powders, and bodybuilding supplements. Find more information on the products you are searching for at http://www.worldclassnutrition.com . Want more expert advice visit http://www.mynutritionworld.com/index.php.