Long, slow cardio workouts are not the best programs for fat loss. You’ll be surprised in this cardio Q’n’A where I expose cardio and the fat burning zone as being ineffective and you’ll discover a better way to burn fat.

Q: Should I exercise in the fat burning zone to lose fat?

Answer:

There is nothing magical about the so-called "fat burning zone" for fat loss. The fat burning zone is generally low-intensity exercise, but low-intensity exercise burns fewer calories. Therefore, forget about this term and this fat burning myth. Instead, use the interval training guidelines in this manual to improve your fitness, calorie burning, and fat loss.

Q: My friends said that it is best to do my cardio first thing in the morning and that will help me lose the most fat. Should I?

Answer:

Cardio doesn’t have to be done first thing in the morning to help you lose fat. If that’s when you can exercise, that’s fine. If you can’t exercise till later in the day, that’s fine too. It’s the big picture that matters (i.e. how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn each day). Besides, I find intervals to be better than slow cardio for fat loss.

Q: How much cardio should I do each day?

Answer:

I recommend interval training in place of traditional cardio. You can complete the interval training program in less than 30 minutes (and usually less than 20 minutes). You can do regular cardio on off days if you have time and interest.

Beginners will need to use a lower intensity and duration and should exercise in blocks of 5 minutes to accumulate 20-30 minutes of exercise each day. Eventually beginners should work up to exercising for 30 minutes consecutively.

Q: What is interval training? How is it different from cardio training?

Answer:

Interval training is a form of cardio training. It is very efficient and effective, and can be used by fit people to help them lose fat faster.

Interval training is simply alternating periods of hard exercise followed by period of easier exercise. An example would be fast walking for 30 seconds followed by a slower walking for 90 seconds. Interval training is also very common in spin classes where you increase the cycling intensity for 30 seconds and then slow down for a minute or longer.

I recommend performing 3-6 intervals per training session. This will help you burn more calories during and after exercise so that you achieve fat loss.

That’s the complete truth about cardio for fat loss. If you want to transform your body, say goodbye to long workouts and stick to interval training instead.