Cardio fails to produce fatloss - interesting studies

366to266

Got this interesting email from trainer Josh Marion today

Cardio fails to produce fatloss RESULTS. Are there health benefits? Sure. But you can get those same health benefits (and more) with much shorter, much more exciting, and invigorating workouts. More on that in a minute...

But first, here's what research has to say about cardio:

Utter AC, et al. Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women. Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Sep;8(3):213-22.

-In this 3 month study, women did 45 minutes of cardio a day, 5 days a week, and lost no more weight than those who dieted alone! Seems like a royal waste of time to me!

But perhaps this one study was a fluke? Nope!

Redman et al. Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on body composition and fat distribution. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan 2.

-In this study, subjects did 50 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week, and once again lost no more weight than those who dieted alone!

Well, maybe if they increase it to a full HOUR of cardio a day, SIX days a week, then cardio will actual product substantial results? No again!

McTiernan et al. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Obesity 2007 June - 15:1496-1512.

-Over the course of this one year study, subjects performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day, 6 whopping days a week (who even has TIME for that?) and lost only 3.5 pounds on average in an entire YEAR!

3.5 pounds of fatloss after an HOUR of exercise, nearly every day, for an ENTIRE year. Man, oh man, cardio really is the worst workout ever!

But as mentioned, there is a much better alternative, and that alternative lies in short, intense bouts of exercise.

In fact, a recent study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that 15 minutes of a circuit-style resistance training workout elevated metabolism for a full THREE days! And that's only from 15 minutes!

Other studies have found similar results with interval style workouts as short as 4 minutes producing dramatically more fatloss than long, extended bouts of cardio.

Here's an example bodyweight, short-burst exercise routine that you can try today to boost your metabolism and your fat loss results:

30 seconds of bodyweight squats
30 seconds of push ups
30 seconds jumping jacks

Repeat 4 times.

That workout right there only takes SIX minutes and you'll burn way more fat than you will with those long, drawn out, boring cardio sessions.

But here's the real secret...

NO workout will ever help you lose fat unless you get your nutrition in order. Unfortunately, nutrition is an area where most people really struggle, and sticking to a "diet" long term can be near impossible.

dbmata

Well, you don't do cardio for fat loss. Simple as that. It's to build cardiovascular capability, which would be endurance.

Put another way, it lets you do it longer, not harder.

mrslcoop

Cardio shouldn’t be for fat loss like dbmata says. It’s for cardiovascular health and an increase in stamina (PLUS it makes me feel amazing after. Endorphins anyone?) I’ll always be able to go longer and harder (no matter what the activity is) than someone who doesn’t do any cardio at all. And for those reasons, I’ll be going on my evening run tonight.

SkinnyFatAlbert

-Over the course of this one year study, subjects performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day, 6 whopping days a week (who even has TIME for that?) and lost only 3.5 pounds on average in an entire YEAR!

Cut off your cable. You'll have plenty of time. Most people watch more than an hour of TV a night. That said, yeah, do more than cardio.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

HeidiCooksSupper

Well, you don't do cardio for fat loss. Simple as that. It's to build cardiovascular capability, which would be endurance.

Put another way, it lets you do it longer, not harder.

This.

scottb81

That's one reason that Americans are overweight and out of shape. Everyone is looking for the six minute shortcut and nobody wants to do the work whether that work be on the road or in the weight room.

perfect_storm

Cardio is mainly for the health benefits, this article almost seems to discourage it. If you do not like cardio then do not do it for me, I will continue at it as I find it wonderful.

ninerbuff

Cardio burns calories (just like any other exercise). Fat loss is achieved through calorie deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tyb03

This is interesting to me because I recently cut out the strength training and have focused more so on cardio. I've been doing this for about a month now and have seen some great results. More so than when I was doing a mixture of everything during a 1 hour workout. Hmmm..

KateK8LoseW8

Cardio burns calories (just like any other exercise). Fat loss is achieved through calorie deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

QFT. Six minutes of exercise is great if your goal is to complete six minutes of exercise. To improve cardiovascular health and create a larger calorie deficit, at least 30 is recommended.

sijomial

And in summary....

NO workout will ever help you lose fat unless you get your nutrition in order.

The rest just reads like seeking justification for lazy people to carry on being lazy.

dbmata

Cardio shouldn’t be for fat loss like dbmata says. It’s for cardiovascular health and an increase in stamina (PLUS it makes me feel amazing after. Endorphins anyone?) I’ll always be able to go longer and harder (no matter what the activity is) than someone who doesn’t do any cardio at all. And for those reasons, I’ll be going on my evening run tonight.

Well, I meant harder as in with more strength. With my cardio in check I can run someone down and tackle them. With my lifting on point, my strength will let me do it harder. When they wake up from their impromptu nap, they'll say... damn, I wish he woulda just toned.

CollieFit

I don't believe that it's as easy as "a deficit is a deficit"...

I don't know how many people are familiar with Rachel Cosgrove's experience of training for an Ironman Triathlon? It pretty much reflected my experience. Training weeks of 15+ hours a week of cardio and zero weight loss...

http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/The_Final_Nail_in_the_Cardio_Coffin.cfm

Like other people said, you do cardio for the health and fitness benefits, and even though I'm not interested in racing anymore, I LIKE to be able to just go and run for a couple of hours, cycle 50 miles, swim a mile when I fancy.

There are plenty of folk on these forums with "perfect" bodies who would give themselves a coronary running for a bus.

For me I'd like both, a for me attractive level of body fat, functional strength and cardiovascular fitness.

PikaKnight

Eating at a calorie deficit (regardless of types of food) is for fat loss.

Exercise is for fitness and improvement in health.

Also..there are many people on here with great/perfect bodies that do BOTH strength and cardio and most certainly wouldn't have a coronary running for a bus.

In my experience, strength training can also help with endurance gains so again...I doubt those who focus mainly on strength training would just keel over from short cardio.

tonynguyen75

Josh Marion is just trying to sell you stuff.

dbrightwell1270

Got this interesting email from trainer Josh Marion today

Cardio fails to produce fatloss RESULTS. Are there health benefits? Sure. But you can get those same health benefits (and more) with much shorter, much more exciting, and invigorating workouts. More on that in a minute...

But first, here's what research has to say about cardio:

Utter AC, et al. Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women. Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Sep;8(3):213-22.

-In this 3 month study, women did 45 minutes of cardio a day, 5 days a week, and lost no more weight than those who dieted alone! Seems like a royal waste of time to me!

But perhaps this one study was a fluke? Nope!

Redman et al. Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on body composition and fat distribution. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan 2.

-In this study, subjects did 50 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week, and once again lost no more weight than those who dieted alone!

Well, maybe if they increase it to a full HOUR of cardio a day, SIX days a week, then cardio will actual product substantial results? No again!

McTiernan et al. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Obesity 2007 June - 15:1496-1512.

-Over the course of this one year study, subjects performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day, 6 whopping days a week (who even has TIME for that?) and lost only 3.5 pounds on average in an entire YEAR!

3.5 pounds of fatloss after an HOUR of exercise, nearly every day, for an ENTIRE year. Man, oh man, cardio really is the worst workout ever!

But as mentioned, there is a much better alternative, and that alternative lies in short, intense bouts of exercise.

In fact, a recent study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that 15 minutes of a circuit-style resistance training workout elevated metabolism for a full THREE days! And that's only from 15 minutes!

Other studies have found similar results with interval style workouts as short as 4 minutes producing dramatically more fatloss than long, extended bouts of cardio.

Here's an example bodyweight, short-burst exercise routine that you can try today to boost your metabolism and your fat loss results:

30 seconds of bodyweight squats
30 seconds of push ups
30 seconds jumping jacks

Repeat 4 times.

That workout right there only takes SIX minutes and you'll burn way more fat than you will with those long, drawn out, boring cardio sessions.

But here's the real secret...

NO workout will ever help you lose fat unless you get your nutrition in order. Unfortunately, nutrition is an area where most people really struggle, and sticking to a "diet" long term can be near impossible.

I hope you realize the logical flaws in the information presented. In the first several studies, you compare fat loss from cardio to fat loss from dieting. In the study that is bolded the first comparison is the duration of metabolic increase with the comparison being to some unknown or unspecified alternative. There is no mention of how it compares to dieting alone. What is also lacking is information on how much was the increase in metabolism? Was it 5 Calories per day for 3 days? Was it 50 per day for 3 days? How many Calories were burned from the unspecified alternative for the time doing it and the after burn?

stealthq

...

There are plenty of folk on these forums with "perfect" bodies who would give themselves a coronary running for a bus.

...

Exaggerate, much? I'm completely sedentary other than getting to and from my desk job and a once weekly 30 min heavy lifting session and even I can run for a bus without gasping for air. Seriously doubt the folks who put in the work for the "perfect" bodies would have more trouble than I would unless they starved their way there.

jacksonpt

woohooooo... more studies!!!!

veg_jen

This stuff drives me nuts. He is telling people what they want to hear.

For study #1:
The calorie intake for the D and ED was 1200/day. That's ridiculous. Of course someone is going to lose a lot of weight that way. For the E only, there didn't seem to be any calorie tracking mentioned in the abstract so we have no idea how much they took in. If you eat more, you aren't going to change your body.

I didn't read the Ironman post but it isn't uncommon for someone training 15 hours a week to not lose weight. I don't know if this is the case with the poster but people eat more to compensate. I didn't lose any weight when I was at my peak Ironman training and I've done 3. I only lose when I'm not training at that level and that is intentional.

For study #2
The calorie deficit was the same for both groups, calorie restriction alone vs calorie restriction + exercise. This study is saying that 1200 calories a day thru dietary restriction alone is the same as 1200 calories a day via calorie restriction + exercise to equal 1200. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. 1200 calories is 1200 calories.

For study #3
The results cited on PubMED are: "average weight loss at 12 months was −8.5% for the D group (P<0.0001 vs. C), −2.4% for the E group (P=0.03 vs. C), and −10.8% for the D+E group (P<0.0001 vs. C), while the C group experienced a non-significant −0.8% decrease. BMI, waist circumference, and % body fat were also similarly reduced. Among postmenopausal women, lifestyle change involving diet, exercise, or both combined over 1 year improves body weight and adiposity, with the greatest change arising from the combined intervention."

Check the conclusion in the last sentence.

He doesn't cite the "recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology" so I can't read the details of the conclusions.

My conclusion:
Exercise. Period. Cardio is your friend. I lose body fat and I do no resistance training. I am a runner, that's it. I lose it via calorie deficit and proper nutrient balance. I would gain more muscle with weight training, increasing my BMR which will allow me to burn more calories at rest. My body comp would change faster but I'd rather go for a run then lift weights. That doesn't mean I won't drop body fat.

He is trying to sell you his Golden Circle or whatever it is. You have to read these things with a critical eye.

There is no shortcut. 6 minutes will not fix your (in the collective sense) weight problem. Many years of studies have shown that diet and exercise go together. You have to create a calorie deficit and 6 minutes, no matter how hard you work, won't do it.

sweebum

^ Careful with all the truth and science out there. Great post. :drinker:

Cindyinpg

Eating at a calorie deficit (regardless of types of food) is for fat loss.

Exercise is for fitness and improvement in health.

Also..there are many people on here with great/perfect bodies that do BOTH strength and cardio and most certainly wouldn't have a coronary running for a bus.

In my experience, strength training can also help with endurance gains so again...I doubt those who focus mainly on strength training would just keel over from short cardio.

This. Why not do both?

madtownjeremy

And in summary....

NO workout will ever help you lose fat unless you get your nutrition in order.

The rest just reads like seeking justification for lazy people to carry on being lazy.

....which is roughly 90% of the people here, it seems.

GODfidence

Weight loss is ALL diet. Simple as that.
You can't out exercise a bad diet yet you can
Out eat a 20000 weekly calorie burn on a treadmill.
Pretty simple logic.

Acg67

He doesn't cite the "recent study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology" so I can't read the details of the conclusions.

Here you go if interested

One-set resistance training elevates energy expenditure for 72 h similar to three sets

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3071293/

Mr_Knight

In my experience, strength training can also help with endurance gains so again...I doubt those who focus mainly on strength training would just keel over from short cardio.

I don't doubt it at all. The gyms are filled with people lifting weights who flat out cannot complete a 5km run.

If someone can't bang out 5km, they are plainly and simply not fit. And "six minutes of sprinting" will not fix that.

PikaKnight

In my experience, strength training can also help with endurance gains so again...I doubt those who focus mainly on strength training would just keel over from short cardio.

I don't doubt it at all. The gyms are filled with people lifting weights who flat out cannot complete a 5km run.

If someone can't bang out 5km, they are plainly and simply not fit. And "six minutes of sprinting" will not fix that.

So that's your line for fitness? If you can't run 5K you aren't fit?

bcattoes

Gosh, diet is needed for weight loss?? What a news flash.

Even without weight loss, cardio can improve health in people that are overweight. Doesn't sound so useless to me.

younginaz

Cardio burns calories (just like any other exercise). Fat loss is achieved through calorie deficit.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I was waiting for someone to respond with that little tidbit.

msneave

Ha, my first thought was what are they hawking this time. The latest research which those guys never talk about has found that you need variety in type, intensity and duration to get the best results whether it's for weight loss or fatloss or just general fitness and athletic conditioning. The quick fatloss workout backlash started about a year ago and it's so funny to see these guys hanging on by a thread and digging up old research (like 20 years old) to sell outdated fitness products. I can't stand unscrupulous fitness marketers! They're such an embarrassment to our profession.

cwsikes

These kind of studies hurt my head. I should know to stop reading when the article says things like

"But you can get those same health benefits (and more) with much shorter, much more exciting, and invigorating workouts."

"Over the course of this one year study, subjects performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day, 6 whopping days a week (who even has TIME for that?) and lost only 3.5 pounds on average in an entire YEAR! "

Cardio is not automatically boring and some people can manage to reduce TV time enough per day to somehow devote 5% of their day to exercising.

Cardio has worked for me and somehow I've been able to outrun and outcycle my terrible diet and lose 40 lbs. I can't stand dieting so I'll keep doing things I actually enjoy doing, like the feeling I get from pushing myself in a race which unfortunately requires me to train a lot of running and cycling which then allows me to eat more delicious food.