High Intensity Interval Training - Strategic Cardio for Fat Loss

Today, I am going to cover a Cardio strategy that has helps me drop unwanted fat, keeps me in relatively good cardiovascular health, and doesn't put me at risk of chronic injury. There is a lot of "Cardio Bashing" going around in the fitness circles, and you are probably on the band wagon. And I will add that is largely for good reason. For most people doing traditional high intensity cardio routines, they are not going to get the fat-burning results they are sweating for because they are going about it all WRONG. I see this at the gym a lot: people toiling on the treadmill or elliptical machine, doing intense, sustained aerobic activity for 45 minutes to an hour. Here are a few reasons why "killer cardio" is not the way to go:

1. It over stress' the heart and involves repetitive joint motion that it causes chronic injury. 
2. It relies heavily on a carbodydrate-fueled energy system 
3. Promotes hyperinsulinemia (overproduction of insulin) 
4. Increases oxidative damage (the production of free radicals), 
5. The stress of prolonged, high intensity training raises cortisol (stress hormone) levels through the roof. 

As a species, Humans have the capacity to go long and relatively hard every now and again. But It’s the chronic, day-in, day-out long, hard stuff that is counter-productive. Think about it... Did our hunter-gatherer ancestors regularly ramp up their heart rates for over an hour a day, every day, to acquire food or escape danger? After 45 minutes to an hour of all out running, you’ve spent an incredible amount of energy, but have no food to replace that energy. Now you need Carbs. And to top it off, you are so exhausted that you have potentially become some other animals prey because you are physically wiped out. Hardly a blueprint for human survival. The Human organism is made for short, intense bursts of activity with a foundation of frequent slow moving. We aren’t designed to run as hard as we can for two or three hours. Our bodies are not suited to running all out with the express purpose of “burning calories.” So for many in today's modern world, doing 45 minutes of high intensity, steady state "killer Cardio" can actually put your health at risk. I know that this may go against the grain of conventional wisdom. So just bear with me.

A few years ago, I ditched doing cardio in the gym. I did however adopt a High Intensity Interval Training workout that involved doing treadmill sprints once a week. I am a big fan of Mark Sisson, and read his books and follow his blog, Mark's Daily Apple. He is a major influence in my diet and fitness lifestyle, and is one of the most vocal detractors of "chronic cardio." He maintains that low level activity (walking, hiking) aerobic activity, with sort, intermittent sprints, is the the kind of cardiovascular activity that best suits our species. And I agree. Overall, I felt that the once a week sprint routine was doing it's job, but I picked up a fitness routine by Rusty Moore, a fitness expert who advocates combining strategic High Intensity Interval cardio with steady state cardio.

HIIT

The concept behind HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is that when aerobic exercise is performed in a very specific manner…your body will release its natural fat burning hormone called Human Growth Hormone…or HGH. HGH is naturally produced in your body all your life, but it begins to decline at age 20. HGH decline combined with a slower metabolism is what contributes to fat gain as many people get older. Working above your aerobic threshold for one minute alternated with short active rest periods is what will make your body release HGH. Studies have also shown that HGH is released better if you train on an empty stomach. It is also suggested not to eat right after training to insure the maximum release of HGH. So when I do my workouts, I don’t eat any calories 3-4 hours before and one hour after training .

Here is High Intensity Interval Training workout program that will shoot your HGH levels through the roof…as well as boost your metabolism for several hours after the workout.

1. Walk on a treadmill for 5 minutes at a moderate pace (between 3.5 and 4.0 on most treadmills) 
2. After 5 minutes, speed up the treadmill to a jogging pace for one minute (start at 7.0 or 8.0) 
3. After one minute of jogging, slow back down to your set moderate pace (somewhere between 3.5 to 4.0 as discussed before) 
4. After one minute of moderate, speed up the treadmill to your previous jogging pace, but this time add .5 to the speed (so if you first did 7.0…now you are going to set it at 7.5) 
5. After one minute of jogging, you are going to go back to the same set moderate pace for one minute. 
6. Alternate every minute between jogging and walking for 20-30 minutes…making sure that you use the same walking speed each time, but increase to jogging speed by .5 until you can’t jog any faster for one minute.

Note: Take advantage of the natural fat burning state your body is in by doing 10-20 minutes of steady state cardio. This is a great way to skim off every last little bit of body fat.


For more great Cardio secrets, I highly recommend Visual Impact Cardio.

I like the one-two punch of "Strategic Cardio" (intervals followed by low intensity).

A Word of Caution

It has been shown in studies that performing HIIT more than 2-3 times a week can lead to overtraining and possible injury. Many experts suggest doing this for no more than 8 weeks before taking a few weeks off, to make sure you don’t wind up chronically overtrained. Personally, I was doing this type HIIT + Steady State Cardio of 3 to 4 times per week, but after 4 weeks of this intensity, I got burned out and needed a break. 

So now, I do my Strategic HIIT + Steady State Cardio 2 to 3 times a week and limit the duration to 30 minutes after lifting.

The views expressed on this site are my opinions and should not be taken as a substitute for qualified medical expertise. I am not a Doctor. I do not give medical advice or make claims to cure any sickness, disease or affliction. I simply share my understanding of health and fitness. Please consult your Doctor or Health Care Practitioner before starting any diet or fitness routine.

Affiliate link disclosure: I use affiliate links on my Blog. This means that in some cases when I link to an online retailer I get a commission for referred sales. Meaning, if you click one of these affiliate links and make a purchase the retailer gives me a cut of it. For what it’s worth, I never write articles and insert affiliate links for the sole reason of earning a commission.