I got an email from Hilliard Studio Method which shared Liz’s thoughts on doing Cardio and Losing Weight recently, and thought you guys might be interested in the topic. Liz’s p.o.v. lines up with what I’ve read as current thinking on the amount of cardio vs the amount of weight/resistance training to optimize weight loss. My own personal experience tells me that after diet (which is by far the biggest factor in my weight management – actually non-management – program) a combination of cardio and resistance training work best. And I need far less cardio than I thought, which is great cuz it makes me STARVING and messes with my already fragile diet discipline. I am thinking of flip-flopping my work-out goals from 3 days cardio / two days resistance and I am sorely tempted to try the 5 day resistance-only plan I’ve heard works so well in the barre and HSM challenges…..I’ll keep you posted if I can get up the nerve.
Here’s what Liz has to say:
CARDIO & WEIGHT LOSS:
I probably get more questions about cardio than anything else combined. First of all, running and cycling or doing any type of cardio is great for a strong, healthy heart, and you will burn calories while you’re doing it. But minutes after your body cools, so does the calorie burning.
Unfortunately the “cardio is great for weight loss†myth has been perpetuated far too long. The truth is, cardio does little to increase your metabolism and can actually slow down your metabolism when done in excess – by decreasing your muscle mass and making your body burn fat at a slower rate. Resistance training burns fat and calories at the highest rate possible while you work out, but even more importantly, while you’re at rest. At Hilliard Studio Method, we combine muscle-building resistance exercises at a pace that lifts your heart rate and produces the benefits of cardio, all to give your body a lean, strong, sculpted look.
WON’T BUILDING MUSCLE BULK ME UP?
Women have about 15 – 20 times less testosterone than men which means we can never gain the muscle mass of men (short of juicing). So when you lift our 8 lb weights, you aren’t able to gain a large amount of mass. The toned and sculpted appearance comes because you are replacing the fat that is covering your what soon will be well-developed muscles. Tons of research has proven that higher resistance with fewer reps does not produce “bulk†and actually burns more calories and boosts metabolism more than lower resistance with higher reps. For this, I have put my own body to this test. Bulking muscles requires exceptionally high calorie consumption, much over 2000 a day. So it seems it always comes down to diet. High calorie intake = bulk. In my personal experience, I have found that using heavier weights and bands in class builds more lean muscle, boosts my metabolism and keeps me lean.. My heart rate is also increased with heavier weights along with HSM’s complex movements so that I’m getting enough cardio within the hour. Efficiency is key. Seriously, who has more than an hour a day to workout? We get it done at HSM safely and efficiently with a challenging series of upper and lower body combinations that keeps the body working to its edge and producing long lean physiques.
LIZ CITES SOME CLINICIAL EVIDENCE:
Exercisers who did a high-intensity total-body resistance routine combined with cardio lost more than twice as much body fat – in particular, more than four times as much belly fat – compared with cardio-only exercisers, a 12-week Skidmore College study found. The resistance-training group also ate a high-protein diet, while the other group followed a traditional, moderate-protein eating plan. For more on this study, please click here.
LIZ’S CORE PRINCIPLES AT HILLIARD STUDIO METHOD:
Resistance Training at a Heart Pumping Pace + Protein and Plant-Focused Eating = a Lean, Sculpted, Calorie-Burning Machine. All of our classes at HSM are designed to create long, lean muscles so that while your body is at rest your calories are still burning away– like a 747 on idle. Questions? Comment below or reach out to Hilliard Studio Method &
Performance Pilates – www.hilliardstudiomethod.com.
