FitFocus

L ove it or hate it, most everyone is aware of the need to engage

in cardiovascular activity as part of an optimal health and
fitness plan. But over the years cardio has been stereotyped
into two groupings, both extreme. On one hand, you have die-

cardio for
hard proponents who profess their love and credit their tight
abs and thighs to logging hours on the elliptical, treadmill

weight
and arc trainer. On the other hand, you have death-before-
cardio lifting addicts who consider a five-minute warm-up an
adequate cardio session, and claim their super-intense weight

loss
routine is the sole tribute to their rippling six-pack. So, who’s
right? Believe it or not, they’re both right.

explained
The popularity of cardio is built on the premise that aerobic
activity burns fat. And, there is good reason to believe that
statement. It’s true! However, true weight loss comes not
only from fat burning, but from a total caloric deficit that all
By Alissa Carpio, NASM-CPT comes down to a tried and true cliché nearly everyone’s heard:
calories in versus calories out. That little phrase can’t be
closer to the truth, and it’s the best kept secret in weight loss.
While the solution is simple, it’s far from easy to identify an
individual’s metabolic rate and daily caloric output. Without
extensive, expensive metabolic testing, the best solution is a
very controlled and closely monitored trial and error period.
26 WWW.MAXMUSCLE.COM ı APRIL 2009
 Before drafting the cardio component of a program,
consider your current routine and how much available time
you have to dedicate to a program. Also, unless you’re
training for a specific event such as a bodybuilding or fitness
competition, consider that you will not be able to maintain an
extremely rigorous and time-consuming program for the rest
of your life. It should be livable and enjoyable, above all.
Nutrition
Nutrition and supplementation need to be addressed, also.
All the training in the world won’t help you lose weight if
you’re consuming too many calories, not enough calories,
or the wrong types and amounts of food. Get into the habit
of eating 6-8 small meals daily. If it’s difficult, start with 3
meals and 2-3 snacks. The key is to get your body used to
receiving food and burning it for fuel, instead of hoarding it
for energy and survival. Meals should be balanced, consisting
of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, fibrous vegetables
and fruits and healthy fats. Portion control is important.
By logging your food in a journal or diary, it’s easy to see
exactly what areas need improvement. Without tracking, it’s
impossible to monitor, evaluate and make necessary changes.
Recommended caloric intake is a complex subject in its own
right. Try to give yourself as much food as possible to get the
results you want. Cut slowly and consistently. When it comes
to dietary restriction, less is more.
Supplements that boost energy and help with appetite
control and fat burning are useful during times of strict dieting.
However, in regards to maintaining a lifestyle, they should not
be used on a constant basis.
Weight Training
Never consider a fat loss program without a weight training
component. There are far too many benefits of weight training
to miss out on this awesome activity. Plus, weight loss will be
more difficult as it will become harder to burn calories through
other means of action. Metabolic shutdown is a risk, too.
Weight training will burn up to 500 calories per workout. It will
help build lean muscle, which will in turn burn more calories
at rest. Finally, resistance training will shape and tighten your
body, something that is impossible with cardio alone.
At a minimum, engage in 2-3 weight training sessions every
week. Be sure to work every major muscle group at least
once weekly. For more of a cardio effect, keep rest periods
between sets under 60 seconds. Other options include super
setting (performing 2 or more exercises back to back without
rest) or circuit training. (See the sidebar for more tips.)
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
Cardio is typically referred to as “aerobics.” But what does
that really mean? Aerobic means “with oxygen.” While your
body never truly relies on a single energy source, most of the
energy during aerobic exercise comes from oxygen. Oxygen
is quickly replenished and this is why you can perform cardio
for such a long duration without having to rest.
Anaerobic exercise (meaning “without oxygen”) takes
the body into the training zone where sugars are recruited
for energy. Typically, this style of exercise is weight training.
Stored carbohydrates in the muscles are quickly depleted
and take longer to replenish. This is why you have to rest after
a very short time when weight training, but can then resume
and continue the workout after several minutes.
Why should you care about all this? Through anaerobic
training the metabolism is elevated for up to 38 hours post-
exercise. Studies have shown that high-intensity interval
THE RULES
By Jennifer Lee, CN
Weight Training Rule #1
Eat carbs and protein before you train. This is vital! If you
don’t have enough available and stored carbohydrate
(glycogen) to fuel you through a workout, your body will
break down its own protein and convert it to glucose for
energy. This means you will be breaking down your hard-
earned muscle in an attempt to build new muscle – very
counterproductive! Good pre-workout snack ideas: a
banana with all-natural peanut butter, a protein bar that
includes carbs, yogurt or any Max Muscle Protein shake
with some Carbo Max or fruit added to it.
Weight Training Rule #2
Feed your passion. Do you realize that it takes your body
about 5,000 calories to grow one pound of muscle? Now,
I’m not advising you go out and eat 5,000 calories right
now; rather I’m suggesting that you make sure your diet
is structured to include some calories to support your
strength training (300 to 700 per day depending on the
individual). Don’t worry, if you’re training hard and often,
the extra calories will not be stored as fat but instead will
be used to build new muscle, which in turn helps you burn
fat. This is a tough one for people to swallow because it
goes against so much of what they’ve been told, but it’s
true. You may find that the right balance is adding calories
in the form of a pre-workout snack and a post-workout
recovery snack. Then continue with eating small frequent
meals loaded with quality protein, complex carbs, and
healthy fats the rest of the day. I highly suggest talking to
a Max Muscle Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach to make
sure you understand the importance of this rule.
Weight Training Rule #3
Keep your body guessing. Results come quickly when you
start weight training, but if you don’t change your routine
once in a while you will definitely hit a plateau and become
frustrated. If you’re a novice to weight training, talk to an
experienced trainer for help. If you decide to go it alone,
then buy a good book about training for your fitness level
and take the time to design your workouts before you hit
the gym. If you’ve been weight training for a while, mix it
up a little by incorporating supersets, circuit training and
“pyramid” workouts to keep your body making positive
changes.
Weight Training Rule #4
Don’t sleep walk through your workout. Intensity intensity
intensity! Intensity translates into a higher metabolism
both during and after your workout.
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Day Cardio Type
1 Interval Training on Treadmill:
2 min. sprinting at 8 mph
alternating with 3 min. jogging
at 5mph
2 LSD – Incline Walking on
Treadmill
3 3 on, 2 off, Intervals on Elliptical
4 LSD – Arc Trainer
*Does not include 3-5 minute warm-up and 3-5 minute cool-down.
training helps burn more fat than aerobic
exercise. So if you’re trying to lose
weight, anaerobic training is a must!
While people typically assume that
being on a cardio machine is aerobic
and lifting weights is anaerobic, it’s the
way you train that dictates the energy
source used and type of training being
performed. That being said, you can
alter both your cardio sessions and your
weight training sessions to be more
anaerobic or more aerobic, respectively.
Cardio that is more aerobic in nature
is called long slow distance or steady
state. Cardio that is more anaerobic is
typically referred to as interval training
or high-intensity interval training.
While the benefits of anaerobic
training would seem superior, it’s
important to include aerobic exercise
as well. Aerobic cardio helps the body
recover from intense training, prevents
overtraining, and continues to improve
heart health and endurance.
Cardio Variables
With any type of cardio, the key to
continual fat loss lies in progressively
overloading the body as it continually
adapts to the challenges placed before
it. This can be done by altering one or
more of these four variables: frequency,
intensity, time, type.
Frequency – the number of times cardio
is performed in a given amount of time
(usually one week)/
Intensity – the level of difficulty of a
cardio session. Generally related to time
(higher intensity coincides with shorter
length of time). Measured by heart rate
or Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE).
Time – the length of a cardio session.
Type – the style of cardio, determined
by length and intensity. Two main
categories are high intensity and long
slow distance/steady state.
Remember, the body will efficiently
adapt to the challenges placed upon it,
so they have to continually increase in
difficulty to force the body to continue
ı APRIL 2009
Cardio Time Ideal HR Range
30 minutes* 80% Max HR “on”
60% Max HR “off”
45 minutes* 65-70% Max HR
30 minutes* 80% Max HR “on”
60% Max HR “off”
45 minutes* 65-70% Max HR
to burn calories, which of course will aid
in fat loss. It’s extremely important to
track training heart rate during cardio.
Most gym cardio machines have this
feature built in, but if it’s not available to
you, invest wisely in your own personal
heart rate monitor. This will take out the
guesswork in figuring out which training
range you’re in. It also serves as a safety
feature to prevent your heart rate from
getting too high. Ideal training heart rate
ranges are outlined in the above chart.
Program Design
A great way to approach your cardio
program is to keep it varied. This
keeps things fun, but more importantly,
allows you to reap the benefits of
different types of cardio. Other factors
to consider are frequency of weight
training, and allowing adequate time for
rest and recovery. The chart above is
an example for a fit person working out
with weights 3 times weekly and taking
one complete day of rest every week.
This person would follow a 2-on, 1-off,
2-on, 2-off cardio routine.
Find Your Heart Rate Zones
Subtract your age from the number 220.
This is your max HR. You should never
train at this level of intensity. Multiply
that number by .8 for 80 percent of your
max HR. Multiply your number from
step one by .6 for 60 percent of your
max HR. A 29 year old would yield the
following results:
220 – 29 = 191 max HR
191 x .8 = 153 (80 percent max HR)
191 x .6 = 115 (60 percent max HR)
As part of a well-rounded nutrition
and fitness plan, cardio can assist you
in reaching your health and fat loss
goals. Like all components of fitness,
cardio should be part of a complete plan
coupled with weight training, proper
nutrition and rest. Take your fat loss to
the next level by addressing your cardio
program. Love it or hate it, the results
will speak for themselves! MS&F