Why cardio is NOT the only answer

I know it has been forever since I have posted anything on my blog so here we go!

I just started a new personal training job in a gym here and I feel inspired to write a little blip about cardio.
When women (and some men) come to the gym, the majority of them have a goal of weight loss and muscle toning. So, thinking that this will help, they go and jump on a treadmill or elliptical for 30 minutes to an hour, if not longer. They think the longer they are on there, the more calories they will burn, the more weight they will lose, and the more muscle tone they will gain. What would you say if I told you that cardio is not giving you the results you want and that you are doing it all wrong?

Well, I am telling you... cardio is not giving you the results you want!
 I know it is hard to believe but let me just explain. When you start to do cardio, your body gets put into a starvation mode. It's natural survival method tells your body to store the fat because it is a liability and to burn the muscle because it is an asset. When you are running, you are using what is called your "Type I" muscle fibers. These muscles are engaged through low force, power, and speed production, but high endurance. These muscle fibers are also known as your "slow twitch muscles". The goal to fat burning is to turn your Type I muscles into "Type II" muscles. These fibers are also known as your "fast twitch muscles" and are engaged through high force, speed and power production, with low endurance. The more Type II muscles you have, the more fat that you will burn because it's more muscle and more calories burned, and with this you need to consume more good calories to sustain that built muscle.

Yes, cardio is extrememly important for several reasons and it does help maintain your body fat and/or decrease your body fat. However, lifting weights is key to fat loss as well. There have been studies to prove that the more Type II muscle you have, the less fat you will have, and how you change that muscle is by lifting weights and increasing your power, speed, and force production.

So...jump on the treadmill to warm up. Maybe run a mile or two, but then hop off and hit the weights! Try doing 3 sets of 12 reps with a 30 second break in between each set. You want to choose a weight that is challenging so that once you hit 8 reps you are very tired, 10 reps you are almost exhausted, and push yourself to do 2 more reps to hit failure. Those last 2 reps are key! Give your muscles time to rest, at least 2-3 days in between each muscle group you are working so that it has time to repair and grow. By all means, do some cardio! I am not telling you to quit it if you love it, or do it if you hate it. Cardio is NOT BAD but it isn't the only answer to fat loss. It is so important and so key to include both resistance training and cardio. Just give it a shot and see for yourself :)

Mix it up and have variety in your workout to make it fun!