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"The Chalk Box!"
Misinterpreted and misguided, the overrated emphasis on “Cardio” Part II
By Israel A. Sanchez
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Continuing with the analysis of the fallacies that are so abundant in this topic, we will focus now on the two that are the most used.
But Cardio Melts Fat!
This statement was popular back in those times when big hair was chic and trendy, “Pac-Man” was the rage, and cell phones were the size of car batteries. Big hairdos are now considered an oddity and more of the realm of the embarrassing year book pictures we want to pretend do not exist.
Video games feature so much realism that some come with warnings; and you can fit a cell phone that does a lot more than make/receive calls, comfortably in your front pocket. Trends have changed. Technology and science have taken huge leaps and what was hi-tech then, is primitive in comparison now.
You would be the target of mean spirited jokes and if you sported a big, head-bangers ball hairdo, and forget about the puns and snickering stares if you were seen carrying one those gigantic old cell phones.
You have adopted the newer trends, and moved on with the new technology and adopted it as it was evident that it is more efficient and superior. Which makes me think, Why in the world do people still believe in the Pong Console of the fitness world? Yes, that belief that cardio is the key component in weight management is as outdated as the big 5.25 floppy diskettes.
People keep being misled into believing that cardio is the best way to burn calories. Calorie usage is not one of those one-fits-all modules. We are given guidelines based on bodyweight, but as we will see later on, there are many variables that are crucial for calculating accurate caloric usage.
The guidelines are given based on certain populations studied, and since the vast majority do not belong to those populations, the assumptions are nearly useless.
The twisted picture that I have seen from all people trapped in this fallacy is that somehow, if they start and keep up with cardio, fat will melt, revealing all the lean muscle that was hidden under the blubber, which then can be shaped up with weights.
Without even getting technical, simply take a look at those who choose to engage solely in “fat burning” activities. Those who spend hours on the recumbent bike, watching TV and reading. Have you honestly seen anyone go from a 32% bodyfat to 10% bodyfat just by wasting time in that fashion? In well over a decade of experience in the field, I have not.
I have noticed those people drop weight, but never actually become lean. I have noticed those people reach plateaus VERY fast, get overwhelmed with boredom, then become desperate and make the mistake of increasing the time.
I have never seen those people improve their health substantially despite the vast amounts of time spent “exercising”. Yet they still want to hang on to those old useless credos, as someone who stubbornly still thinks computers are used only for word processing and the internet is only a passing thing.
I also blame the commercial fitness industry for still promoting the “fat burning” zone in their agendas and equipment. Then again, that is one of their biggest selling points. What could be better than the promise of burning fat with easy work while watching TV or reading? Too good to be true? Well, it is, yet it is still what lures people to throw their money on such equipment and programs.
Think about it, you have two very identical stationary bikes, they are completely identical in their function. However, one features a “fat burning” zone, while the other just shows plain work. Now, which one is more likely to sell better?
But cardio burns more calories!
Now keep in mind that while cardio is important for overall conditioning, it does not have the overrated importance that people give it, not when it comes to the conventional idea of cardio. Yes, cardiovascular fitness is important, but if your idea of cardiovascular work is a mindless machine to which you have to add TVs, or magazines to help you forget how boring it is, then you could not have been any farther from reality.
As was explained in the previous edition, the heart responds to the demands of the working muscles, which are engaged in a form of vigorous movement. Knowing this should be more than enough to make you realize that you can move productively in thousands of ways instead of trapping yourself to a singular movement pattern day after day.
What does this have to do with calorie burning? Simple, in order to sustain the activity for prolonged periods, the activity CANNOT be intense. Therefore, the caloric usage over the time is minimal. You will be burning more calories than you would at rest that is true, but this is not much in the overall picture.
People still fail to realize that the greatest caloric usage comes from the body using energy to keep us alive and functioning properly while we are at rest. People also seem to want to ignore that one of the benefits of resistance training, is elevated caloric usage long AFTER the session has concluded, something that does not take place with traditional cardio.
Some forms of resistance training burn more calories than others during their execution, but the high calorie usage after the conclusion long surpasses any caloric expenditure that may have been done through traditional cardio.
A couple more fallacies along with my conclusions will be covered in the next edition. Stay tuned for the third and final installment on this great topic. Coming next month.
Click here for Part III | Click here to return to archives
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