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If you are a regular reader of my blog you might already know that I am not a raving fan of long and boring cardio. I used to run marathons, and do other forms of long duration exercise, but it has taken a toll on my body over the years.
I also believe that if your are just beginning your weight loss journey, long duration cardio in the form of running is most likely going to either injure or discourage most ladies. Studies have shown that women runners are 6 to 10 times more likely to get injured running. I would prefer that women start out with a weight training program in order to slim down and look good. Add in the running component later on, if you are convinced you would like to run. But I would prefer you develop a good overall level of fitness before attempting this particular exercise.
Now, those of you seeking to obtain that ripped, six pack look, I going to tell you that you don’t need to follow a cardio routine in order to achieve that look. It is actually possible to get those 6 pack abs with zero cardio. The way to obtain the six pack look is accomplished with a calorie deficit.
Simply put, the abdominals will only reveal themselves if you have a low body fat percentage. Which means you need to remain in a calorie deficit mode long enough to shed the last layers of fat. Now if you wanted to accelerate the effect of the calorie deficit, you could then add some cardio as well. To me cardio is an accelerator of fat loss when combined with a deficit diet plan. Caloric restriction by itself will only get you so far in a short amount of time. If you want results fast you will need to scale in cardio to your workout routines. I’m a big fan of Tom Venuto of Burnthefat.com. He dispels a lot of the fitness myths that are being perpetuated on the internet. He recently addressed the subject of fat loss combined with cardio in a recent letter he wrote to one of his subscribers. Here is an excerpt about how he approaches his workouts in order to achieve a ripped look:
“What you need is a caloric deficit. For fat loss, FOCUS ON THE DEFICIT.
How you choose to achieve that deficit is up to you and indeed, the
ideal way can vary from person to person. If you choose to put in only
3 hours of total training time per week, that’s fine; that’s your choice.
But then you’ll need to either accept slower fat loss or get your
caloric deficit by decreasing your caloric intake from food.
For me, there’s not a shred of a doubt in my mind that I’m an
“eat more, burn more” type of person. I have to balance my work with
my recovery like everyone else, but I do MUCH better on more food
and more exercise.
That’s why daily training is not overtraining for me. I always
fuel my body appropriately for my level of training. Sometimes
what you think is overtraining is really under-nutrition.
Other people are better with a larger calorie cut from food and less
exercise; either for recovery reasons, time efficiency reasons or
personal preference.
The approach you must avoid at all costs is high training volume and
very low calories. That’s physique suicide.
It means a higher amount of training and cardio at a higher food
intake, therefore the food is eaten to support the exercise. That’s
the way all good athletes do it.
Last but not least, if your goal is to reach extremely low body fat
or get 6-pack abs, then keep in mind, those are not easy goals to
achieve, especially with a low level of activity.
To achieve a ripped look with low activity will very likely require
a low carb, high protein diet.
My Burn The Fat program (www.burnthefat.com) has a 3-phase
program, including a “competition level (Phase III) low carb, high
protein plan, for that very reason.
One way or the other, with diet or with exercise you’re going to
have to pay a price to get that 6-pack. Most people underestimate
the amount of effort it takes to get competition lean or “6 pack
abs” lean.
It’s simple, but it’s not easy. When your expectations come in line
with reality, it doesn’t get any easier physically, but mentally
it’s easier because you understand what must be done and all the
confusion is lifted… ”
To learn more about this recommended system used to get lean enough to see 6-pack abs, visit this site www.burnthefat.com
Tags: burnthefat, calorie deficit, cardio, six pack abs, Tom Venuto, women workouts
