Questioning Cardio for Weight Loss?

Q: I’ve heard you mention that you don’t need tons of cardio to burn
stubborn abdominal fat. Okay, I can live with that, but you’ve also said
that it isn’t absolutely necessary to perform direct ab work either. What
gives?

A: If you want to build a serious set of abdominals, routinely perform the
following exercises and their variations: squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, and
standing military presses. These multi-joint movements require a strong
contribution from the abdominals to stabilize the core, particularly when
heavy loads are used. It is not uncommon to hear clients complain of
abdominal soreness a day or two after performing multiple sets with a
decent weight of the chin-up or standing military press exercise - the ab
prestretch will tap into fibers you never thought existed! And remember,
your abdominals act as a natural girdle, or weight belt if you will, when
performing all exercises, particularly squats and deadlifts. These
muscles act as a bridge between your upper and lower body and are
heavily recruited as stabilizers.

Sure, isolation exercises like pullovers, curls, and even triceps
pressdowns also require a good degree of core stability; however, the
loads used are relatively low compared to the big 4 mentioned above. In
fact, according to Siff & Verkhoshansky, isolation becomes virtually
impossible if large loads are used, and in many cases, the tension
developed in the stabilizers will equal or even exceed that of the prime
movers!* So, you see, the abdominals can be trained quite effectively as
stabilizers - the physiques of top Olympic weightlifters will attest to that.

*Siff, MC, Verkhoshansky, YV. “Supertraining (4th Edition).” Denver, CO:
Supertraining International, 1999. (pg. 241)

Q: I am still very much confused regarding cardio intensity. One book
says keep it low intensity (i.e. 60% of MHR) and go for distance; another
keep it high intensity (80% or more) and go for as long and hard as you
can. The goal is to burn fat. Each book has great arguments for their
approach. Which is accurate?

A: The second approach is far more effective for burning fat. Without
getting into a huge discussion about this, here’s how things work in a
nutshell.

At a lower intensity, your body prefers fat for fuel. Yes, this is true, but
two things generally happen:

1. After awhile of doing this type of activity, your body adapts by actually
laying down fat (you heard me right) to become more efficient at the
given task and this usually occurs in the lower body, and

2. A higher relative amount of fat is burned during low intensity cardio
but a greater absolute amount is burned with higher intensity cardio and
in less time.

Other things to consider are: a) the EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen
consumption) is greater for a longer duration following higher intensity
work; in other words, you’re metabolism is much higher for a longer
period of time post-workout with high intensity cardio, and b) higher
lactate levels exist with high intensity cardio. So what you may ask? Well
there is a direct correlation with lactate and GH (Growth Hormone) and
GH is a potent fat-burner.

Bottom line: with regards to burning fat, do higher intensity work in the
form of interval training and you’ll get great results.

John Paul Catanzaro is a certified kinesiologist and professional fitness
and lifestyle consultant with a specialized honours Bachelor of Science
degree in Kinesiology and Health Science. He owns and operates a
private gym in Toronto, Ontario providing training and nutritional
consulting services. For additional information, visit his website at
http://www.BodyEssence.ca or call 416-292-4356.

Check out John Paul’s new DVD, Warm-Up to Strength Training, for some powerful
techniques to increase strength and improve performance! Discover some unique,
cutting-edge methods like how to increase arm strength by up to 10% instantly! It
has been recommended by many experts including Drs. Eric Serrano, Mark Lindsay,
and Ken Kinakin as well as Olympic strength coach, Charles Poliquin. Visit
http://www.StrengthWarmup.com for more information.

Bikram Yoga - Hot, New Energy Source

As people search for curative and restorative effects to combat the impact of a chaotic world, Yoga has become very popular in our culture. Yoga is for everyone and can be done by every body. Yoga is the only exercise from which you gain energy instead of burning it and it doesn’t matter how well you do each of the postures, only that you do it the right way. Traditional cardio exercise works on 3-10% of the body, Yoga exercises 100% of the body, from bone to the skin, from head to the toes, and to every organ, gland, tissue and cell.

Bikram Yoga is practiced in a 105 degree heated room and consists of 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises … “So what does the heat do,” you wonder? 105 degrees enhances Vasodilatation, and the capillaries surrounding the muscles respond to heat by dilating and the greater volume of blood brings more oxygen, helping in the removal of waste carbon dioxide and lactic acid. When blood passes through warm muscles, oxygen releases more easily from the hemoglobin, blood passing through cold muscles releases much less oxygen.

Warmer muscle tissue temperatures produce a fluid-like stretch that allows greater elasticity and range of motion. Cold muscles don’t absorb shock or impact as well, so they tend to be injured more easily.

Heat speeds up the breakdown of fatty acids and glucose, and burns fat faster and more easily. The stress of intense exercise drops a deluge of fatty acids into the bloodstream. If you exercise with cold muscles they can’t use the fatty acids as efficiently and they end up in places they aren’t wanted … such as in the lining of the arteries.

Muscles are not the only beneficiaries of heat, higher temperatures improve the nervous system function, meaning messages are carried more rapidly to and from the brain by the spinal cord and other neural transmitters and receptors.

Day by day as Yoga gains popularity, people sweat, strain, laugh and do more for their body, health, and well being than they could ever have imagined with Bikram Hot Yoga.

? 2005 Jolene Schwartz

Jolene Schwartz is a grooming specialist for over 20 years; as a master barber and licensed cosmetologist in her own men?s salon. She launched http://appearancesformen.com e-com site; writing monthly columns about men?s products, lifestyle, and offering the finest in men?s grooming products.