If you want to lose fat, build some muscle tone and get into better shape, the best thing to do is avoid doing steady state cardio – opt for anaerobic training instead.
Steady state cardio or aerobic exercise (prolonged bouts of cardiovascular exercise), like running, are often the first port of call for someone who is trying to lose weight. However, research shows that this is not actually the best way to train if your ultimate goal is to lose body fat.
Anaerobic training is a type of training where your body is forced to produce energy without the presence of oxygen, and is the complete opposite of running for long periods.
By changing the way you train from aerobic to anaerobic training, you will not only maximise your fat loss results potential, but you will also save yourself a lot of time.
Anaerobic training increases EPOC (excess post exercise oxygen consumption) during your recovery time from a session, which will usually last 24 hours. During this 24 hour period, your body will have an increased calorific burn after exercise.
Having a high level of cortisol (stress hormone) is undesirable for fat loss. Cortisol becomes a problem when it is either elevated at the wrong time or elevated for too long.
When you go out for long runs (aerobic training), your body is placed under significant stress, which results in a rise in your cortisol levels.
The rise in cortisol causes your body to release sugar into the bloodstream for added energy, to deal with the stressful situation, swiftly followed by your pancreas releasing insulin. Insulin will inhibit your body’s ability to burn fat and will start a fat storing process instead.
Weight lifting and interval training release beneficial hormones, such as testosterone, which help to reduce cortisol, aid recovery and help to burn fat.
By training with resistance and doing intervals regularly, you will become more sensitive to insulin. When you are sensitive to insulin, your body becomes more effective at dealing with sugar, meaning less insulin is produced to restore balance to your blood sugar levels when you eat something that contains sugar.
This means your chances of storing body fat become lower as you become more sensitive to insulin. This is also very beneficial for overall health.
As more and more research is being done on sugar, more links are being made to disease and illness through over consumption of sugar, so being as sensitive as possible to insulin is very important.
