Cardio is Not King: A Myth Derailed

You've decided to take the plunge and purchase a gym membership. Now what do you do? Most of us can't afford a personal trainer, which leaves us to our own devices to figure out how to burn fat and gain muscle. With all these questions in your head you start asking your friends, family, and neighbors what the best way to shed those unwanted pounds is. More than a few times you get some form of this answer: "Well if you want to lose weight just keep doing cardio". Now you're thinking, "Well, if everyone is telling me cardio, then I guess I might as well do cardio". You set off to the gym, hop on the treadmill, and begin running in hopes of burning a massive amount of calories. This happens everyday for the next month, but you notice little improvement.

Let me tell you, from personal experience, this is NOT the right approach at all! Don't get me wrong, cardio is great tool for getting into shape, burning a few calories, or warming up before lifting; but it definitely won't get you the results you really want. Here, I will explain...

When you do cardio, you're burning calories in the moment; essentially raising your heart rate for a fixed amount of time, say 45 minutes, and then allowing it to settle down to it's normal rate. Even if you  just burned 400 or so calories, you didn't do anything to temporarily increase your metabolism through the next day. Not to mention, your upper half didn't get any significant kind of muscle stimulation. This is precisely why you haven't noticed any astounding achievements in the last month of only doing cardio.

Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't do any cardio, because that would be terrible advice. The best way to go if you want to manage weight and burn calories is to lift weights (yes, even you ladies too). To get great results even faster, do about 10 or 20 minutes of cardio BEFORE beginning your weight lifting routine, as this will increase your heart rate and keep it elevated while you lift (allowing you to burn more calories and build lean muscle).

Why, you ask? Essentially, cardio is a temporary increase in your heart rate, while lifting is an extended increase in your metabolism. When you lift weights, you're causing muscles to tear (on a microscopic level) and they need to use energy to repair themselves. This causes your metabolism to increase, allowing more calories to be burned even when you're not working out. As an added bonus, when these small tears are being fixed, the new muscle is more lean than before.

Let's recap. Cardio is not the King of Gym, lifting is. The best results come from working out on a lifting schedule, but should also include about 20 minutes of cardio each day. Keep in mind, if you work your upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week, that leaves you with up to three days you can use for a "cardio day". Just please, please, please, DO NOT have a cardio day everyday!

If you want anymore information please email me or submit a comment below, I'd be happy to talk with you!

Success isn't an option, it's a mission!
S.C.

Killer One Hour Leg Circuit

Is your gym routine getting dull? Are you beginning to feel like you've reached a plateau? Well, let me share with you my gym routine for legs day (aka today). It's simple, but trust me when you get up the next morning you know you did something right. 

Before I hit the gym, I always make sure that I've had something to eat and plenty of water. I hate the feeling of being dehydrated during my routine. So today I had a bowl of blueberries and vanilla Oikos greek yogurt with some honey drizzled on top along with two hardboiled eggs. I know too many people that don't take in enough protein...protein is IMPORTANT! Please make sure you get enough of it. I eat about one gram of protein per pound I weigh. Anyway, I digress...

Now that I've had a proper, energizing breakfast I'm ready to go sweat! Before my workout, I always have either Zeal Protein or Zeal Wellness. Today I chose the Wellness because I needed the energy boost. Here is my routine, if you have questions just post in the comments below and I'll be more than happy to help you out.

Legs Day (Two times a week)

Run 1/2 - 1 mile

One-legged sitting leg press (3 reps of 12 each leg)

Leg Adductor (3 reps of 12-15)

Leg Abductor (3 reps of 12-15)

Horizontal Hamstring Curls (3 reps of 12)

Leg Curls (3 reps of 10)

Inverted Squat Press (3 reps of 15, with added weight each rep)

One-legged lunges (3 reps each leg of 10 with weight)

Squats (3 reps of 12)

Calf Raises with weights: one rep with toes pointed in, one with toes pointed forward, one with toes pointed in. Do 15 raises at a slow, steady pace. Go as far on to your toes as possible. Then 10 raises at double time

Calf Lifts Machine: add weight and do 3 sets of 20

Stretch/Cool Down

This routine is meant to be fairly fast-paced. Keeping your heart rate up is the best way to burn extra calories while lifting and working different muscle groups. Take short 30 second to 1 minute breathers, but keep it moving!

And there you have it folks! This circuit takes roughly 65 minutes and is totally killer. Never do more weight than you are comfortable with. Always stretch before and after your routine, as well. If it doesn't hurt, then you're not trying hard enough!

Keep up the good work,

S.C.