The Cardio Curse: How Exercising Makes You Fat...

 

Mindy...

JC...

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”

How are you suppose to end a workout? Standing? Dying? Lying? Crying? Should you be utterly exhausted, ready for me, or eager to 5k your way to fame? The answer may be the difference in stubborn fat, and fat no-more.

 I'm not looking for blog traffic with a cute little post title like the one above. Or the ones titled, "5 easy ways to burn fat fast". That's bush league first grade tactics of bloggers trying to drive traffic home. No, I am more professing a truth. A truth as inconvenient as it may be, is till better than being wrong. And when fat loss is at the top of the goal list as it is for many CFers this new year. Or even during our Re-Comp Revolution it may not be popular to say...exercising make you fat".

Ok so that was a little tricky because if you read up to there you would most likely continue to see where this deranged asshole is going with saying such things that. You know I must have a catch....thankfully there is a catch. A big one. In fact a positive one for most exercisers, but maybe not so positive to addicted Cfer's.

If you will recall the reason CrossFit works so splendidly is because it relies heavily in the anaerobic pathway...or without oxygen. Essentially applying E.P.O.C (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption). Basically you don't have air when you WOD. So to "repair" for that loss of function your body "prepares" for the next time your going to do it. Burning off excess fat, utilizing glucose better, storing glycogen more efficiently. Building muscle. All very positive things that only occur during short bouts of intense work. In fact the Cooper Institute, which used to say the opposite, has come around to believe short intense bouts are a surefire way to health, as oppose to long aerobic working orders. Interestingly short makes you better at long, but not vice verse.

So where does that leave us with these lite jogs, the excessive treadmill time. The "cardio" to burn away the fat? Well that depends...can you hear me back there in the 80's with your leotards and puffy socks.

Does "cardio" burn calories? Of course. Living burns calories, but that doesn't make it efficient. And the recent dedication some folks are having to extra "cardio" isn't inherently bad, but it may very well be counterproductive if all your ducks weren't in a row before you made the decision to hop on a T-mill for the duration.

First and Foremost there is absolutely no need to perform extra cardio if your NOT ending your WODs an inch away from meeting your maker. Your results are a direct reflection of your intensity. And if your mechanics are there, and you consistency is-then make sure your attacking each WOD like a fat death row inmates last piece of cake, and watch the fat melt away.

Conversely, you will most assuredly stall your fat loss if you are attacking WOD after WOD, never really resting, and placing hours of the slow death (cardio) on top of that. Your body wants enough. After you have given it enough, give it a rest. Going above that will demonstrate fat gain in the majority of us, as opposed to the lose that the majority seek. If your a diligent WOD phenom who can't seem to drop a pound...back of the extra, and watch the pounds melt away.

Hours and hours of extra work seems like a large price to pay for eating a piece of candy. Sadly most of us think we can jog those extra pieces of pizza off. While it may be true, "cardio" does burn calories in the immediate, you can't exercise your way through a shitty diet. 

The next time you feel like scurrying along the treadmill like a caged gerbil make sure you have ass busted every WOD to date. Make sure that the WOD you just ended wasn't the sixth WOD of the week...and it's only Tuesday. Lastly make sure at least 80%, most likely more, of the food you put in your mouth was Paleo approved, carb free goodness. After all those standards are meet feel free to play with extra "cardio" here and there to enhance WOD results. The last thing you want is to be cursed with endless "cardio", thinking your doing yourself a solid, when in reality your just getting soft....thats the real curse.

Strength:

Rest

For Score:

"Blitzed By Tabata"

One Full Tabata of:

-Deadlifts for max weight moved

-Air Squat

-Jumping Pull-ups

-Situps

Post total weight moved on the deadlifts, and all reps from every other event to comments.

Comments

[Crossfit Equipment]

Excellent post... most people don't realize this with cardio..

hey, was hoping for you guys to check out http://www.crossfitequipmentreviews.com - we try to give unbiased reviews on all equipment related to crossfitting. We are always updating the site with more and more equipment and reviews. If you add us in your side bar, we would greatly appreciate it! Thank you!

[holly]

11,205 weight moved
281 total reps

[vicki]

4,830
306 reps

[runmelrun]

DL wt moved: 8360
JPU/squats/SUs: 443

[jb]

Crossfit Equip Reviews...thanks, I will take a look..

[Angela]

4940 wt. moved
274 reps

[Heidi]

4940 Wt Moved
288 Reps

[#10]

After driving and recounting my weight moved I realized my math was off. I only moved 13050 lbs. Can someone please change that on the board for me please? Math is not a strength for a bus driver. Lol. ;)
Reps 307.

[Mo]

7600 Wt moved
310 Reps

Someday I'll squat like Mitchell and Renee! Dang girls you were gettin it :-) Long legs is just an excuse lol

[Lori]

6710 DL wt moved
310 reps

[Dave]

8505 wt moved
reps will remain a mystery... :)

[Jen D]

8910 DL wt moved
307 reps

[Min]

8050 dl
396 reps

[JN]

7440 lbs moved
221 reps

[Chuck T]

12025 Weight
325 Reps

[get rid of cellulite]

Before engaging with body workouts, you must be guided first by advices from medical personnel. Then you should ask the guide of the gym instructor if you are still a neophyte. It could be risky thing to do big body workouts.

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Exercising is best for health. It improves your body stamina. But some workouts are limited from those persons who are capable doing it.