Well, I ain't no expert but I do know a thing or two when it comes to fat loss. It requires one to change one's entire lifestyle and not just the workout methodology. It also involves diet (the most important of all) and many other things. But we're now focusing only on the training methods here.
Before we start comparing both methods, let's first take a look at what is cardio all about. So what is cardio? Well, cardio is a form of low intensity aerobic exercise which is performed for a long period of time in one single session.
And when we talk about cardio exercises, usually the first few things that pops in our minds are running 40 minutes on a treadmill, a bike or on an elliptical machine. Hmm...This sounds pretty gruesome...Who would wanna run on a treadmill looking at the sweaty face of a 65 years old man for 40 minutes? Well, tell you something you already know, the mass public actually force their own body to do that everyday in order to help reduce the fats within their body.
So we're saying that cardio is the best way to reduce fats within the body huh...Is it? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of extensive cardiovascular exercises:
Pros:
- Improved cardiovascular functioning
- Increased maximal cardiac output
- Increased stroke volume
- Reduced resting heart rate
- Reduced heart rate during submaximal activity/exercise
- Reduced blood pressure
- Increased capillary density and circulation (increases oxygen and nutrient delivery to cells)
- Increased mitochondrial density
- Increased cardiovascular endurance
- Improved aerobic performance
It is widely assumed that low intensity exercise (cardio in this case) emphasizes on fat usage while high intensity (H.I.I.T. in particular over here) exercises emphasizes on carbs usage. Well, I can safely tell you that this assumption is very wrong. Think about it, how many aerobics instructors have you seen actually have really lean, muscular bodies?
Now let's take a look into H.I.I.T.
Assuming no fats were spent during a H.I.I.T. session, our bodies' glycogen level drops, forcing our body to focus on the fats that we have in our body for energy to function for the rest of the day.
Now what if we replenish our with carbs right after the training session? Will that cause our glycogen level to rise and result in deficiency to burn fats? The answer is no, let me tell you why.
Studies have shown that even after replenishing carbs into the body after an H.I.I.T. session, due to the fact that our bodies still need to function properly while glycogen is being replenished, our bodies will continue to burn fats.
During an H.I.I.T. session, our bodies induces metabolic acidosis which results in depleting our first two energy systems which are the ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) and the Glycolytic systems. And during our rest intervals, our bodies become very active in burning those fats at a high rate. And even when that period is over, energy is still being used but the glycolytic system picks up.
And when you're doing H.I.I.T., muscle fibres are broken down to build more lean mass in your body. Now think about it, simple logic. When your body is packed with muscles, your body is constantly hungry for energy to feed those muscle fibres. And if your body has an abundant amount of fats, what's gonna happen? It's obvious isn't it?
I don't think there's a need to go on any further. After that much being said, I believe you'll be able to decide for yourself, which method is a better way to burn those stubborn fats that you've been longing to shed off all these while.
