Less is More

When it comes to exercise, most conventional wisdom states that "more is better." But, an overwhelming amount of research in recent years has shown that long cardio workouts are not only a waste of time, they can actually cause health problems.

I recommend you place the emphasis of your training on the intensity of your exercise rather than the duration. This is the way I structure the routines in the Firestorm Fitness Systems Fat Burning Fit Camps.

If you're not currently attending the classes, may I respectfully recommend that you make doing this one of your health resolutions for the remainder of 2008? This one change will not only improve your heart and lung capacity and your overall health, but also it's the best way I know to quickly shed fat.

Where did we get the notion that jumping on the Stairmaster or Elliptical Trainer was the way to go for fat loss? I think I know:

Way back in the 60's, Dr. Ken Cooper did some research that showed that aerobic exercise was good for your heart. We'll go into the basis for this research some other time.

Thus began the "aerobics" craze.

In 1987, the same Ken Cooper found that "people who followed my exercise guidelines exactly, but ignored their diet and their weight, had heart attacks by age 55."

O.K., I ain't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if you're following exercise guidelines EXACTLY, shouldn't there be a reduction in weight? And wouldn't following the guidelines EXACTLY lead one to have a dietary guideline as well?

In 1992, Dr. Ken Cooper found that "research has shown that strenuous aerobic exercise is associated with oxidative stress and tissue damage."

Why are we still listening to this guy?

He also found, in that same year, "the bodies need for oxygen during aerobic exercise seems to produce free radicals which can result in DNA damage, cancer, direct damage to muscle tissue and make the cells more susceptible to aging."

Oh boy, DNA damage!

In 2000, Dr. Ken Cooper found that "there is no correlation between aerobic endurance performance and health, longevity or heart disease protection."

And yet, walk into to any corporate health club and what takes up the most space in the entire facility? You guessed it . . .

Cardio equipment.

Now you may understand a little better when people ask me what I do for "cardio" I always respond, "I run at the mouth and jump to conclusions."

I haven't done "cardio" in twenty years. My heart rate beats at 65 per minute, my body fat percentage is around 10 percent and my strength is great.

For those of you who feel that jumping on a bike, Stairmaster, elliptical or treadmill for 30 minutes of movement is the best way to go, listen in on a conversation I had a short time ago:

"Steve, I used to do what I call "high-low" exercise. In other words, I would exercise in short intense bursts, then rest and repeat. But I made a change when I read something that said long, slow workouts are better - and that's when I put on fat. Then I read somewhere and learned that long duration cardio signals the body that you NEED fat, so the body holds onto it. When I went back to "high-low" type training, I not only I cut my exercise time in half, but my slim figure returned in less than a month.

"Bottom line:
A) Jump on the "cardio" equipment for 30 minutes of steady state aerobic training and stay fat, or:
B) Use intervals for your sessions and slim down.

It really is that simple.

God bless,
Steve