Are you running for weight loss?
You might as well be trying to pound a nail through a board with a saw.
“What the heck does that mean?”
It means that, if your primary goal is weight loss (and, for the sake of clarity, let’s define “weight loss” as the reduction of body fat and maintenance of lean muscle), and you are using running, or “steady state” cardio, as your primary means of achieving that goal, you’re using the wrong tool.
Well, maybe not the “wrong” tool, but certainly not the most effective one.
Sure, you might be able to pound a nail through a board with a saw, but probably not. And, even if you succeed, you will have wasted a LOT of time and effort in the process. You’d be better off choosing a different tool, a hammer.
For best results, match the proper tool with the task….
Think of fitness as a tool belt. There are a lot of tools you can put in that belt:
- Running
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Spinning
- Hiking
- Strength Training
- Swimming
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
- Martial Arts
- Dancing
- Etc.
If you want to be efficient and productive in your training, match the best tool with the desired result. If mobility and flexibility are your objectives, yoga is a better tool for the task than Spinning. If endurance/cardiorespiratory capacity is your objective, Pilates is not as good a tool as dancing.
If weight loss, the reduction of body fat and maintenance or addition of lean muscle is your objective, then running is NOT the best tool for the task. Neither is standing on the Stairmaster or elliptical machine.
So, if running isn’t the best choice for weight loss, what is?
First, the best first step for weight loss is nutrition, but we’ll talk about that later.
From a training perspective, a better option for weight loss would be to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) or strength training.
Related: (BLOG) WHAT IS HIIT?
Studies show that both of these training methods are superior for reduction of body fat and maintenance of lean muscle to running, or steady state cardio.
Are you telling me to give up running?
NO! I’m a runner, I love running and am not giving it up!
If you run because you love it, because it’s a passion of yours, because you want to increase your cardiorespiratory capacity, because it makes you happy (there is some research to suggest this), then don’t give it up!
I’m just saying that if you want to lose weight, don’t rely solely upon running to do the job because it’s not the best tool for the task.
Running is still valuable for the reasons mentioned above and many more. But if you want to get leaner without compromising muscle, make sure you add HIIT or strength training into your routine to improve the likelihood of success!
Train smarter, not harder
Do your research. Investigate. When you have a specific training objective in mind make sure to find the best modality to help you achieve that objective.
In my experience, when people come to a place in their lives where they know they need to lose weight and they need to lose it NOW, they tend to default to CARDIO, to SWEATING, to BURNING CALORIES because, intuitively, that seems to make sense.
Intuitively, it does.
But if you dig a little deeper you will find that it’s not the best approach. The better approach would be to start with a nutrition plan and then adopt a training method better suited to burning fat; like HIIT and strength training.
I HOPE THIS WAS VALUABLE TO YOU AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO BACK TO LAST WEEK’S TIP, IN WHICH JOE GARCIA EXPLAINS THE VALUE OF HIIT AND WHY YOU SHOULD BE DOING IT FOR WEIGHT LOSS!
Remember; more is not better. Better is better. See you soon!
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