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How much Cardio is Too Much?

March 20th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

Individuals have been spending infinite quantities of time and money attempting to slim down. Many have turned to “craze dieting” and “magical tablets” just to fail in the long run. It becomes a bitter cycle that just seems impossible because who has the extra hours to dedicate to an exercise program that requires 4 or 5 hours in a gym or the time and money to shop for special foods and “potions”.
Many physical trainers are recommending shorter more frequent bursts of cardio for example 15 minutes six times a week or three sessions of 30 minutes. This is the most effective way to get rid of the fat. Doing perpetual quantities of cardio in reality has a negative effect on the body in terms of losing weight; it eats up your lean muscle mass which in turn slows your metabolism to a crawl.

One pound of muscle burns between 35-75 calories per day which gives you a permanent metabolism boost where as fat burns absolutely nothing. The other metabolism downfall of your cardio workouts is that as your lungs and heart become stronger and more efficient from your workouts you will continue to burn fewer and fewer calories both during and after your work out.
A doctor from Kentucky said “Despite what women tend to believe, endless cardio sessions do not render the results of a tight and toned body, nor is it found in the surgeon’s office, the solution instead can be found in time efficient workouts especially those busy moms can do right in their homes.”

The bottom line is you must build lean muscle mass in order to compensate for the decline in metabolism caused by the bodies defenses against losing weight. Men and women should not be afraid to “pump a little iron” so to speak, just remember that fat takes up 4 times as much space as muscle so what would you rather have hanging from your belly.