The new year is among us and with it many individuals are about to embark on a fat loss journey. However, many may be confused as to how to reach their fitness goals.
Common questions include:
“Should most of my time be spent focusing on cardio or weights?”
“If I am doing cardio and lifting weights which should I do first?”
“How much cardio should I be doing?”
“Should I eat before I do my cardio exercise?”
So which should it be?
As a whole, many studies find that both cardio and weightlifting can both contribute to weight loss by helping to create a caloric deficit. However, weightlifting often results in a significantly greater change in body composition during weight loss compared with cardio alone.
How Much Cardio Exercise?
Weight is lost when energy expenditure exceeds energy intake. Therefore, to lose weight an individual needs to reduce daily caloric intake and/or increase activity. In fact, cardio is never actually “required” to see weight loss. However, for many individuals creating an energy deficit large enough to see loss may require a caloric intake that may not be comfortable or sustainable. Therefore, increasing activity in the form of cardio may be beneficial in order to help create an energy deficit. This may allow the individual to eat a bit more food, likely increasing consistency with their nutrition plan.
What Type of Cardio?
Fortunately, there is no evidence that any one type of cardio is superior for fat loss over any other cardio modality. Find something you enjoy and do it!
Should I Do Cardio Exercise Fasted?
There is no significant difference between doing cardio before breakfast or after a meal. Whether cardio is performed in the fasted- or fed-state should be based upon individual preference.
Take Home Points
– Cardio is a tool that can help create an energy deficit along with a reduced caloric intake. To preserve muscle mass, the focus of the time spent in the gym during a fat loss phase should be resistance training.
– Aim to do the least amount of formal cardio necessary to achieve an appropriate rate of weight loss.
– There is no “best” cardio for fat loss. Find a type of cardio exercise you enjoy and incorporate variety to keep things fun.
– If you do cardio and weightlifting within the same session, lift weights first.
– Fasted cardio is not superior to fed-state cardio for fat loss. Whether cardio exercise is performed before breakfast or after a meal should be based on personal preference.
– Remain active outside of the gym during your cut to help reduce declines in energy expenditure through NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis – Calories burned from all other activity during daily life).
Bottom line – DO YOUR REPETITIONS – that’s the only way to achieve your goals and get better!!!
See You next time!
D.
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