Personal Training in Rockford Michigan, Personal Trainer in Rockford Michigan.
I say this time and time again to clients but it’s what I believe in and in my opinion what really works! You SHOULD NOT do long distance/long duration cardio if your main goal is fat loss. If you want to run a marathon for the challenge and to say you did it that is great! But this a very inefficient way to lose fat and keep it off! This is not to say that everyone who runs long distance and for long time periods is overweight, there are many thin runners as well. As a fitness and exercise expert and being part of a society that doesn’t exercise enough I do have a hard time sometimes telling people not to do long duration cardio, so long slow cardio is always better than not doing it. I just feel long slow cardio is counterproductive if your main goal is losing weight and I want people to understand the science of it and make the right choice for them and their goals.
However, there are millions of individuals out there, running and running in misery because they have been led to believe that this is THE BEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way to lose fat. Unfortunately, working with hundreds of clients over the years the research and evidence that I have seen is that many actually are running into more fat! Even if your a long distance runner and your not overweight, many who do not proper resistance training and core training are very frail and weak because their body feeds off their muscle tissue to use for energy.
I have mentioned quite a bit about a much more effective type of training that burns fat up to 9 times faster than the steady state cardio. I reward this type of training as one of the biggest factors in getting my clients results and helping them keeping the weight off long term. Keep in mind, most individuals come to me for help are those who already exercise and are frustrated with their results or the lack there of. I also get quite a few clients who are just looking for something different that is fun or new. Imagine how much more challenging it is to get someone results that is already extremely active compared to someone who has been sedentary, but with the right effort and right approach they can get great results, sometimes cutting their workout time down is the answer! Sometimes when it comes to weight loss less is more.
I have found that around 80% of those who come to see me who are overweight or obese, I am able to help. Another 5% don’t listen to what I say or bail out, and the other 15% appear to be doing everything right and are still not getting results. It is very frustrating for me as well as the client. These types of challenges always keep me looking for more answers and research.
I will never promote long slow distance runs for weight loss. Therefore I will not ever promote the long distance marathons for anyone. However, I feel the 5k race can be very beneficial if you keep your time down and get adequate recovery, nutrition, and resistance training along with it.
Care to share your opinion?
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Your Fitness and Nutrition Coach,
~David Modderman
