I say this time and time again to clients but it’s what I believe in and and in my opinion what really works! You SHOULD NOT do long distance/long duration cardio if your main goal is fat loss. If you want to run a marathon for the challenge and to say you did it that is great! But this a very inefficient way to lose fat and keep it off! This is not to say that everyone who runs long distance and for long time periods is overweight, there are many thin runners as well. As a fitness and exercise expert and being part of a society that doesn’t exercise enough I do have a hard time sometimes telling people not to do long duration cardio, so long slow cardio is always better than not doing it. I just feel long slow cardio is counterproductive if your main goal is losing weight and I want people to understand the science of it and make the right choice for them and their goals.
However, there are millions of individuals out there, running and running in misery because they have been led to believe that this is THE BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way to lose fat. Unfortunately, working with hundreds of clients over the years the research and evidence that I have seen is that many actually are running into more fat! Even if your a long distance runner and your not overweight, many who do not proper resistance training and core training are very frail and weak because their body feeds off their muscle tissue to use for energy.
I have mentioned quite a bit about a much more more effective type of training that burns fat up to 9 times faster than the steady state cardio. I reward this type of training as one of the biggest factors in getting my clients results and helping them keeping the weight off long term. Keep in mind, most individuals come to me for help are those who already exercise and are frustrated with their results or the lack their of. I also get quite a few clients who are just looking for something different that is fun or new. Imagine how much more challenging it is to get someone results who is already extremely active compared to someone who has been sedentary, but with the right effort and right approach they can get great results, sometimes cutting their workout time down is the answer! Sometimes when it comes to weight loss less is more.
I have found that around 80% of those who come to see me who are overweight or obese, I am able to help. Another 5% don’t listen to what I say or bail out, and the other 15% appear to be doing everything right and are still not getting results. It is very frustrating for me as well as the client. These types of challenges always keep me looking for more answers and research.
I recently came across a a Doctor online that seems to have it right. I found a video of him talking about this very topic of long slow cardio for weight loss.
In this 10 minute video Dr. Pompa explains very well the point I was just making about why you should do interval training over standard cardio.
Enjoy:
I will never promote long slow distance runs for weight loss. Therefore I will not ever promote the long distance marathons for anyone. However, I feel the 5k race can be very beneficial if you keep your time down and get adequate recovery, nutrition, and resistance training along with it.
Care to share your opinion?
Please comment below!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
Filed under Training, weight loss by on Nov 3rd, 2009. Comment. 
Thanksgiving is a great holiday to remember what we are all thankful for. It is also a great day to spend quality time with family and friends. Unfortunately, sometimes it also is a great weekend to gain weight around our waist line. So for this special occasion I have come up with: “The 5 Important Steps To Not Gaining Weight Over Thanksgiving Weekend.”
Step -1 Do not skip meals (eat breakfast)
The average person will skip breakfast and all other meals up to the time they have thanksgiving dinner. Most sleep in or cook all day and think they will be eating a big meal for thanksgiving so they shouldn’t eat till then. BIG MISTAKE! When you miss meals one you will go into starvation mode and your blood sugar will drop, so when you do finally eat you will eat WAY TOO MUCH and stuff yourself silly! Large meals will be hard for your body to digest and have a better chance of being stored as fat!
Step 2- If you’re doing the cooking use the most natural foods and ingredients possible. Use healthier versions/alternatives for your favorite foods.
-Natural ingredients are lower in calories and your body will use them for energy and not for storage.
I was privileged to have been on the local talk show on channel 13 “Take Five and Company” last Thanksgiving where I talked about this very step. You can view my 4 minute appearance on the show here by watching the video below:
Step -3 Do NOT have one large thanksgiving meal. Have 2-4 smaller versions of these meals. You can have small portions of Turkey, potatoes, and stuffing in each meal just in smaller portions. You will have more energy and feel less like falling into a food coma after eating these smaller meals.
Step -4 Drink lots of water throughout the day. Your thanksgiving meal will probably contain lots of sodium so staying hydrated will be very important. Try to avoid high calorie beverages like pop and alcohol they are just empty calories and will add to fat storage.
Step-5 Get out and exercise a little. Though most of us will be in a food coma, and enjoying the 4-F’s: family, friends, food and football. Taking a walk around the block or working out prior will help you burn off those extra calories. Walking the mall the next day to find all those Christmas deals could be another great option.
These steps aren’t too difficult to follow just need to plan an ahead a little. These steps could be the difference of you gaining or not gaining 5-7 pounds this Thanksgiving weekend.
I created a free Holiday Eating ebook you can download here:
Free Holiday Healthy Eating E-book
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach
David Modderman
Filed under Nutrition by on Nov 23rd, 2009. Comment.