www.TurbulenceTrainingProgram.com

As I mentioned in a previous post, Craig and I don’t always see eye to eye on certain topics. I’ve become used to hearing him say, “long and boring cardio”, and although I can’t stand that phrase, I appreciate where he’s coming from.

I personally love long cardio sessions whether it be jogging, biking, walking, hiking, rowing, or whatever form of activity I choose. But I also have experienced first hand just how powerful the shorter and more intense cardio sessions are for burning fat.

That’s why I incorporate both long duration and interval training into my workout program. I understand that Craig’s philosophies and training regime is designed to appeal to the incredibly busy person who doesn’t have time for long bouts of cardio.

My stance has and always will be, MAKE THE TIME!

I’ve tried doing just interval training and I’ve tried doing just HIIT. They work well, but are never as effective as when I include long duration cardio into my program.

Lets face it we’re all different. From Craig’s experience he has found interval training to be the most effective at burning fat for himself and his clients. That’s why it’s so important to try different programs and give them 100% of your effort to see how your body reacts to them.

Try the cardio workout above and share how it felt to you. What form of cardio do you enjoy best? Do you mix it up and incorporate both HIIT and long duration cardio into your program?

I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

Empower Your Mind… And Your Body Will Follow!

Scott Tousignant

2 Cardio Mistakes You’re Probably STILL Making

By Tom Venuto
www.BurnOffTheFat.com
www.Burn-The-Fat-InnerCircle.com

As I thought about reviewing the newest scientific study from Australia this week, or explaining the post workout “afterburn effect” (EPOC) that comes from intense forms of cardio, it dawned on me to backtrack, and ask…

“WHY are people still confused about fat burning cardio in the first place when the solution is drop dead simple, common sense and right in front of our noses?”

I thought to myself,

“if I could help remove the SOURCE of the confusion, then regardless of which cardio program you choose, every decision and action that emerges from your new understanding would be more productive right?”

RIGHT!

As best as I can figure, there are two major reasons why people are still mucking up their cardio programs for fat loss.

REASON #1 NOT ENOUGH FOCUS ON TOTAL CALORIES BURNED

Most people aren’t burning enough darn calories. Why? well, I guess they are too busy worrying about the “proper” type of exericse (which machine or activity), the “optimal” mode (steady state or intervals), the “perfect” ratio of intervals, or the “best” duration. Some people coast along on the treadmill at 2.3 miles per hour or some similar super-slow pace and they think that just by hitting a TIME goal, such as 45 or 60 minutes, that with “X” duration completed, they are assured to get the results they want. On the other extreme, we have folks who have found or created some mega-intense, super-duper short training protocol like the “4-minute wonder workout from Japan.” Just because the workout is high in intensity and it is performed in intervals, they too think they are assured to get the results they want. What’s missing in both cases is the realization that total fat loss is a function of total calories burned (assuming you don’t blow your diet, of course). AND… Total calories burned is a product of INTENSITY times DURATION, not intensity OR duration. Too much focus on one variable at the exclusion of the other can lead to a less than optimal total calorie burn and disappointing results. And remember, intensity and duration are *variables* not absolutes! (“Variable” means you can change them… even if your “guru” says you can’t!) when you understand the relationship and interplay between INTENSITY X DURATION you will find a “SWEET SPOT” where the product of those variables produces the maximal calorie burn and maximum fat loss, based on your current health condition and your need for time efficiency.

REASON #2: TOO MUCH FOCUS ON WHAT TYPE OF CALORIES BURNED

There is one whopper of a mistake that is still KILLING most people’s cardio programs and that is…

Way too much focus on WHAT you are burning during the workout – fats or carbohydrates – also known as “substrate utilization.” This idea comes from the notorious “fat burning zone” myth which actually tells people to exercise SLOWER and LESS intensely to burn more fat. Hold on a minute. Pop quiz. Which workout burns more calories?

(A) A 30 minute leisurely stroll through the park
(B) A 30 minute, sweat-pouring, heart-pounding run?

Like, DUH! And yet we have trainers, authors and infomercial gurus STILL telling us we have to slow down if we want to burn more fat??? Bizarre.

The reason people still buy it is because the “fat burning zone” myth sounds so plausible because of two little science facts:

And thats the problem. You should be focusing on total calories and total fat burned during the workout and all day long, not just what type or percentage of fuel you are burning during the workout.

It’s not that fat oxidation doesn’t matter, but what if you have a high percentage of fat oxidation but an extremely low number of calories burned?

If you really want to be in the “fat burn zone,” you could sit on your couch all day long and that will keep you there quite nicely because “couch sitting” is a really low intensity (“fat-burning”) activity.

(Of course, “couch sitting” only burns 37 calories per half hour…)

HERE’S THE FAT-BURNING SOLUTION!

In both cases, the solution to burning more fat is drop dead simple: Focus your attention on how you can burn more TOTAL calories during your workout and all day long. If you want to burn more fat, burn more calories and you can do that by manipulating ANY of the variables : intensity, duration and also frequency. If you build your training program around this concept, you will be on the right track almost every time.

BUT WAIT – THERE IS MORE TO IT…

Naturally, we could argue that it’s not quite this simple and that there are hundreds of other reasons why your cardio program might not be working… and I would agree, of course. But on the exercise side, the ideas above should be foremost in your mind. On the nutrition side, you have to get your act together there too. For example, many people increase their food intake at the same time as they start a cardio training program, thereby putting back every calorie they just burned during the workout! Then some of them have the nerve to say, “SEE, cardio doesnt work!”

Incidentally, this is the most likely reason that a few studies show that adding cardio or aerobic training to a diet “did not improve fat loss”: It’s not because the cardio didn’t work, it was because the researchers didnt control for diet and the subjects ate more!!

It should go without saying that nutrition is the foundation on which every fat loss program is built.

Choose the combination of type, intensity, duration and frequency that suits your lifestyle and preferences the best, and WORK THE VARIABLES to get the fat loss results you want, but whichever cardio program you choose, remember that a solid fat burning nutrition program, such as Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle is necessary to help you make the most of it.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnOffTheFat.com

I hope that this article from Tom shed some more light on the issue of HIIT vs long duration cardio. You have to manipulate both the duration and intensity variables if you want continued success. Cranking up the intensity and keeping your workouts at a set time will only get you so far.

I’ve been a member and moderator at Tom’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle for nearly two years now. He’s got many articles there where he picks apart a lot of research and topics that confuse most of us and are somewhat controversial. Not to mention all the other great information at his site which you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Because of my relationship with Tom, he has allowed me to offer you a $1 trial to the Burn The Fat Inner Circle. You can check it all out by visiting…

www.Burn-The-Fat-InnerCircle.com

Have a 6 Pack Abs-solutely awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

Is Long Duration Cardio Really Boring?

To some people, sure it is. And that’s what makes HIIT training so appealing to many people. I admit, running on a treadmill can be pretty darn boring. But running through a forest, on a nice river front trail, or a beautiful park setting can be an uplifting experience.

But cardio is not just jogging. As I’ve mentioned before, I prefer to bike. On my 30 minute bike rides down my winding county road which follows the narrow Belle River, I am certain to see some pretty amazing things along the way. I regularly witness a fox chasing a rabbit, deer running along side me, geese honking and splashing around on the river’s edge, and the simplicity of the horses, cows, and donkey’s that I see along the way.

I guarantee that my 30 minute bike rides contributed to burning the 14% body fat that I recently discarded. And for people to tell me to stop doing something that’s been effective for them and that they actually enjoy is doing a disservice in the battle of obesity.

A Fit Chic’s HIIT Experience

Every day I get at least one email or one post in my support communities from people who are frustrated and confused in regards to this cardio debate. The hype about HIIT has been poured on so strong that it’s been causing people to give up what they enjoy and instead do something that they don’t enjoy because all these experts are telling them to stop doing long duration cardio even though it’s been effective for them.

A Fit Chic member posted her question in the support community and was dizzy with confusion. She had been experiencing fantastic results with long duration cardio incorporated into your workout program and she was enjoying it. But the hype got to her. Being told to “Stop doing long duration cardio because it’s a waste of time” finally sucked her in.

Two weeks of HIIT and two doctors visits later she was ordered to stop HIIT training. It was injuring her and weakening her immune system.

Plus it took all the fun out of exercise. She was dreading her HIIT sessions. But because these experts were pounding it down her throat, she continued with it because this must be the solution to fat loss. Little did she know that she already had the solution. What she was doing was working.

HIIT Evangelists Do Long Duration Cardio Too

The ironic thing is that I know for a fact that there are many HIIT evangelists out there that do triathlons and marathons. Now why is that? I know for some of them it’s because they enjoy it, it’s a new challenge, they do it for a cause, and it’s all a part of living in optimal health.

If they are doing it, why the heck are they telling you to stop?

Hot & Cold Body Types

In the interview below that I did with Kevin Gianni, he shares some great information about body types and which form of exercise would work best for you based on your body type. For example, if you are a ‘hot’ body type, HIIT will actually put stress on your body. This is exactly what happened to The Fit Chic member above and has been experienced by many others within my support communities.

The message that I’m trying to get across here is to listen to your body and listen to yourself. If you are doing something that you enjoy like I enjoy riding my bike, you will stick to it. When it comes to fat loss it’s all about compliance.

If you jogging hurts you or is boring to you, try something different. If HIIT hurts you, try something different. There is no one single solution. The solution is to do what you enjoy and to do what works for YOU!

As I’ve mentioned before, I love both HIIT and long duration cardio. Incorporating both into my program has worked best for me. It’s up to you to find the right balance for yourself.

Take the time to listen to this 14 minute interview with Kevin Gianni. Then share your experiences with HIIT and long duration cardio. Are you overwhelmed and confused? Did you stop long duration cardio because of all the hype with HIIT?

Share your thoughts and opinions… they truly matter and could have a great impact on many peoples lives.

Also, I recommend that you take the time to visit Kevin Gianni’s blog called Renegade Health…
www.RenegadeHealth.com Kevin loads his blog full of amazing content every day. His videos are fantastic and he truly has your best interests at heart.

He also has a fantastic program that’s all about water. Ya, you know the most vital component to health and well being. It’s definitely worth your while to check this program out. You can learn more about it by visiting…

www.UnstoppableFatLoss.com/water.php

Enjoy the audio and have an awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

In my humble opinion, in an effort to sell their programs they are reaffirming your self limiting belief that you have no time to workout. You certainly won’t get that from me. Angie and I know what it takes to get 6 pack abs and it’s not just a few minutes a day three times per week. Even these other fat loss experts know that, they just hide it in their ‘fine print’.

As I mentioned in HIIT vs Long Duration Cardio Part 1, most of these quick workout programs tell you to do 30 minutes of activity on your off days. Why don’t they just tell you that up front?

So lets face it. It takes effort, intensity, honesty, and time to get a nice set of 6 pack abs. On our journey to 6 pack abs Angie and I started off weight training, HIIT training, and long duration training for a total of 3 hours per week. The last 6 weeks we cranked it up to 5 1/2 hours per week.

It’s Not About The Time… It’s About Your Priorities

There are 168 hours in the week. Don’t tell me that you don’t have 3 hours to dedicate to your health and fitness. And don’t tell me that increasing it to 5 1/2 hours per week for 6 weeks would take away from the things that matter most to you in life.

That’s a bunch of crap. If watching Gray’s Anatomy, Oprah, or whatever reality show is on every night matters more to you then your health, then why the heck are you even trying to get into better shape in the first place?

I’m going to be blunt and honest here. I’ve heard people say that they refuse to sacrifice time with the kids in order to get in some extra cardio. I have 2 young children myself, but I realize that the time I spend taking care of my health means that my children will have more time to spend with me because I will live a longer more vibrant life.

The time that I do spend with my kids will be true quality time because I will be giving them the very best ‘me’ that I could possibly give them. For example, yesterday I spent 45 minutes chasing my 7 year old son, 5 year old daughter, and my 3 young nieces and nephew around the yard with squirt guns. We wrestled, we pretended we were characters in Kung-fu Panda, and we had a non stop good time.

If I did not place my health as a priority, I would have been winded after 5 minutes at the pace we were going at. My kids would not have had the nearly endless pleasure of soaking dad. If I didn’t place my health as a priority I would be robbing my children of the father that they deserve.

Hey, I’ve done that before. When I was 35 pounds heavier and thinking that spending more time in the office to make more money for them, coming home stressed out and depressed, I was non existent as a father. That sucked.

I would come home and vegetate in front of the television because I needed that break from reality. And what would I do? Eat! I would skip my workouts to spend what little time that I had with my family. My body was there, but my mind wasn’t. The real ‘me’ was not present. I had no energy, no focus, and no drive to do anything.

Does that sound familiar to you at all? Do you watch television to escape from reality? How much television do you watch? The average American watches over 4 1/2 hours of television per day.

I thought we were too busy? Ya, we are… too busy watching the boob tube! So what you are telling me is that you can’t ‘fit in’ 5 1/2 hours of exercise per week at the extreme end of the spectrum, yet you can watch nearly that much television in one day.

Now many of the fat loss professionals will allow you to use the ‘not enough time’ excuse when it comes to working out, but I 100% refuse to. If you want to live in optimal health and live the life that you deserve in the body that you deserve, you will make the time. You will do whatever it takes. And no you won’t sacrifice your time with your children. You will sacrifice the useless time that you spend doing useless things.

The moment I placed my health as my #1 priority, everything else fell into place. I quit watching television cold turkey. And let me tell you, there were many shows that I was completely addicted to. Surprisingly, this was much easier than I had thought. I couldn’t believe how much more time and freedom that I had in my day. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. In fact I began to think of everything that I was missing out on because I watched so much television. Now we just rent movies once or twice each week.

I also told my friends and family to stop sending me useless junk mail. It’s amazing how much time we waste sifting through the crap in our inbox. If you are going to send me something you better make it useful to me.

Then there’s the parents that have their kids in every sport and after school program imaginable. From the moment they get home until the moment these poor kids crash at 11pm, it’s non stop. Everyone is stressed out. This definitely contributes to weight gain. Not to mention that there’s no time to make dinner so you stop off at a fast food joint instead.

There’s something wrong with that picture if you ask me. Yet this is what millions of people are doing every day and somehow they think it’s ok.

I also hear the excuse that it takes too much time to prepare healthy meals. Angie and I certainly don’t spend much time preparing meals. Nearly every time we make a meal we are sure to make enough to last at least 3 meals. And the meals that we do make on their own usually only take 3 minutes to prepare. Healthy eating can be done quickly.

Back to the cardio. I believe that the best way to burn fat and stick to a fat loss program is to incorporate both HIIT and long duration cardio training. It’s time for you to get yourself organized and make your health a priority. Schedule at least 30 minutes of long duration cardio three times per week, and schedule three 15 minute HIIT sessions per week in addition to your quick weight training sessions.

Long duration cardio does not always mean jogging. I can’t stand jogging any more, and I can’t do it any more since my knee surgery 5 years ago. I prefer riding the bike and I love it. There are so many different things that you can do and I encourage you to mix it up and find the ones that you love.

You’ve got to realize that there is time in your day for fitness. I’ve trained some ridiculously busy men and women over the years. Most of them have been self employed with young children. If anyone could have used time as an excuse, it was them. But I refused to accept that limiting belief from them and they soon refused to accept that limiting belief themselves. Now they are living in fantastic health and are more productive than ever in their business and family life.

No matter what you value in life, health should be your #1 priority. Because without it, you will not be able to do the things that you value in life. It’s time to wake up and give our heads a shake. It’s time to be honest with ourselves. Do you really not have enough time to exercise? Or is that just another excuse.

Long duration cardio is effective for fat loss. It’s worked for me all my life. It’s worked for all my clients. It’s been incredibly effective for countless people out there. But it’s not the only solution and I would never suggest that.

I’m just trying to be the voice of reason here. HIIT rocks and so does long duration cardio. Together along with an intense weight training program, you will become UNSTOPPABLE!

What do you think? Do you still believe that you don’t have enough time for fitness? What do you do to make more time in your day for fitness? I want to hear from you!

You deserve to live in a vibrant and healthy body. It’s waiting for you!

Scott Tousignant

“Steady State Cardio 5 X More Effective Than HIIT????”

By Tom Venuto
www.BurnOffTheFat.com
www.Burn-The-Fat-InnerCircle.com

High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT for short, has been promoted as one of the most effective training methods ever to come down the pike, both for fat loss and for cardiovascular fitness. One of the most popular claims for HIIT is that it burns “9 times more fat” than conventional (steady state) cardio. This figure was extracted from a study performed by Angelo Tremblay at Laval University in 1994. But what if I told you that HIIT has never been proven to be 9 times more effective than regular cardio… What if I told you that the same study actually shows that HIIT is 5 times less effective than steady state cardio??? Read on and see the proof for yourself.

“There are lies, damned lies, and then there are statistics.”

- Mark Twain

In 1994, a study was published in the scientific journal Metabolism by Angelo Tremblay and his team from the Physical activity sciences laboratory at Laval University in Quebec, Canada. Based on the results of this study, you hear personal trainers across the globe claiming that “HIIT burns 9 times more fat than steady state cardio.” This claim has often been interpreted by the not so scientifically literate public as meaning something like this: If you burned 3 pounds of fat in 15 weeks on steady state cardio, you would now burn 27 pounds of fat in 15 weeks (3 lbs X 9 times better = 27 lbs). Although it’s usually not stated as such, frankly, I think this is what some trainers want you to believe, because the programs that some trainers promote are based on convincing you of the vast superiority of HIIT and the “uselessness” of low intensity exercise. Indeed, higher intensity exercise is more effective and time efficient than lower intensity exercise. The question is, how much more effective? There’s no evidence that the “9 times more fat loss” claim is true outside the specific context in which it was mentioned in this study. In order to get to the bottom of this, you have to read the full text of the research paper and you have to look very closely at the results. 13 men and 14 women age 18 to 32 started the study. They were broken into two groups, a high intensity intermittent training program (HIIT) and a steady state training program which they referred to as endurance training (ET). The ET group completed a 20 week steady state aerobic training program on a cycle ergometer 4 times a week for 30 minutes, later progressing to 5 times per week for 45 minutes. The initial intensity was 60% of maximal heart rate reserve, later increasing to 85%. The HIIT group performed 25-30 minutes of continuous exercise at 70% of maximal heart rate reserve and they also progressively added 35 long and short interval training sessions over a period of 15 weeks. Short work intervals started at 10 then 15 bouts of 15 seconds, increasing to 30 seconds. Long intervals started at 5 bouts of 60 seconds, increasing to 90 seconds. Intensity and duration were progressively increased over the 15 week period.

The results: 3 times greater fat loss in the HIIT group

Even though the energy cost of the exercise performed in the ET group was twice as high as the HIIT group, the sum of the skinfolds (which reflects subcutaneous body fat) in the HIIT group was three times lower than the ET group. So where did the “9 times greater fat loss” claim come from? Well, there was a difference in energy cost between groups, so in order to show a comparison of fat loss relative to energy cost, Tremblay wrote,

“It appeared reasonable to correct changes in subcutaneous fat for the total cost of training. This was performed by expressing changes in subcutaneous skinfolds per megajoule of energy expended in each program.”

Translation: The subjects did not lose 9 times more body fat, in absolute terms. But hey, 3 times more fat loss? You’ll gladly take that, right? Well hold on, because there’s more.

Did you know that in this oft-quoted study, neither group lost much weight? In fact, if you look at the charts, you can see that the HIIT group lost 0.1 kg (63.9 kg before, 63.8 kg after). Yes, the HIIT group lost a whopping 100 grams of weight in 15 weeks!

The ET group lost 0.5 kilograms (60.6 kg before, 60.1 kg after).

Naturally, lack of weight loss while skinfolds decrease could simply mean that body composition improved (lean mass increased), but I think it’s important to highlight the fact that the research study from which the “9 times more fat” claim was derived did not result in ANY significant weight loss after 15 weeks.

Based on these results, if I wanted to manipulate statistics to promote steady state cardio, I could go around telling people, “Research study says steady state cardio (endurance training) results in 5 times more weight loss than high intensity interval training!” Or the reverse, “Clinical trial proves that high intensity interval training is 5 times less effective than steady state cardio!” Mind you, THIS IS THE SAME STUDY THAT IS MOST OFTEN QUOTED TO SUPPORT HIIT!

If I said 5 X greater weight loss with steady state, I would be telling the truth, wouldn’t I? (100 grams of weight loss vs 500 grams?) Of course, that would be misleading because the weight loss was hardly significant in either group, because it doesn’t distinguish between weight loss and body composition and because interval training IS highly effective. I’m simply being a little facetious in order to make a point: Be careful with statistics. I have seen statistical manipulation used many times in other contexts to deceive unsuspecting consumers.

For example, advertisements for a popular fat burner claim that use of their supplement resulted in twice as much fat loss, based on scientific research. The claim was true. Of course, in the ad, they forget to tell you that after six months, the control group lost no weight, while the supplement group lost only 1.0 kilo. Whoop de doo! ONE KILO of weight loss after going through a six month supply of this “miracle fat burner!” But I digress…

Back to the HIIT story – there’s even more to it.

In the ET group, there were some funky skinfold and circumference measurements. ALL of the skinfold measurements in the ET group either stayed the same or went down except the calf measurement, which went up.

The girths and skinfold measurements in the limbs went down in the HIIT group, but there wasn’t much difference between HIIT and ET in the trunk skinfolds. These facts are all very easy to miss. I didn’t even notice it myself until exercise physiologist Christian Finn pointed it out to me. Christian said,

“When you look at the changes in the three skinfold measurements taken from the trunk, there wasn’t that much difference between the steady state group (-6.3mm) and the HIIT group (-8.7 mm). So, much of the difference in subcutaneous fat loss between the groups wasn’t because the HIIT group lost more fat, but because the steady state group actually gained fat around the calf muscles. We shouldn’t discount simple measurement error as an explanation for these rather odd results.”

Christian also pointed out that the two test groups were not evenly matched for body composition at the beginning of the study. At the beginning of the study, the starting body fat based on skinfolds in the HIIT group was nearly 20% higher than the ET group. He concluded:

“So while this study is interesting, weaknesses in the methods used to track changes in body composition mean that we should treat the results and conclusions with some caution.”

One beneficial aspect of HIIT that most trainers forget to mention is that HIIT may actually suppress your appetite, while steady state cardio might increase appetite. In a study such as this, however, that can skew the results. If energy intake were not controlled, then some of the greater fat loss in the HIIT group could be due to lowered caloric intake. Last but not least, I’d like to highlight the words of the researchers themselves in the conclusion of the paper, which confirms the effectiveness of HIIT, but also helps put it in perspective a bit:

“For a given level of energy expenditure, a high intensity training program induces a greater loss of subcutaneous fat compared with a training program of moderate intensity.”

“It is obvious that high intensity exercise cannot be prescribed for individuals at risk for health problems or for obese people who are not used to exercise. In these cases, the most prudent course remains a low intensity exercise program with a progressive increase in duration and frequency of sessions.”

In conclusion, my intention in writing this article wasn’t to be controversial, to be a smart-alec or to criticize HIIT. To the contrary, additional research has continued to support the efficacy of HIIT for fat loss and fitness, not to mention that it is one of the most time efficient ways to do cardiovascular training. I have recommended HIIT for years in my Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle program, using a 1:1 long interval approach, which, while only one of many ways to do HIIT, is probably my personal favorite method. However, I also recommend steady state cardio and even low intensity cardio like walking, when it is appropriate.

My intentions for writing this article were four-fold:

1. To encourage you to question where claims come from, especially if they sound too good to be true.
2. To alert you to how advertisers might use research such as this to exaggerate with statistics
3. To encourage the fitness community to swing the pendulum back to center a bit, by not over-selling the benefits of HIIT beyond what can be supported by the scientific research
4. To encourage the fitness community, that even as they praise HIIT, not to condemn lower and moderate intensity forms of cardio.

As the original author of the 1994 HIIT study himself pointed out, HIIT is not for everyone, and cardio should be prescribed with progression. Also, mountains of other research has proven that walking (GASP! – low intensity cardio!) has always been one of the most successful exercise methods for overweight men and women. There is ample evidence which says that obesity may be the result of a very slight daily energy imbalance, which adds up over time. Therefore, even a small amount of casual exercise or activity, if done consistently, and not compensated for with increased food intake, could reverse the obesity trend. HIIT gets the job done fast, but that doesn’t mean low intensity cardio is useless or that you should abandon your walking program, if you have the time and if that is what you enjoy and if that is what’s working for you in your personal situation. The mechanisms and reasons why HIIT works so well are numerous and will have to wait for the next newsletter. It goes way beyond more calories burned during the workout. Until then, train hard and expect success!

Tom Venuto

Reference:
Tremblay, Angelo, et al. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism. Vol 43. no 7 (July). Pp 814-818. 1994.

I hope that this article from Tom shed some more light on the issue of HIIT vs long duration cardio. I’ve been a member and moderator at Tom’s Burn The Fat Inner Circle for nearly two years now. He’s got many articles there where he picks apart a lot of research and topics that confuse most of us and are somewhat controversial. Not to mention all the other great information at his site which you won’t be able to find anywhere else.

Because of my relationship with Tom, he has allowed me to offer you a $1 trial to the Burn The Fat Inner Circle. You can check it all out by visiting…

www.Burn-The-Fat-InnerCircle.com

Tomorrow I will be discussing the time factor when it comes to HIIT vs long duration cardio. I’m not going to be holding anything back in this article and it may even upset some people, but hey, I can’t always be Mr. Nice Guy

Have a 6 Pack Abs-solutely awesome day!

Scott Tousignant

The Unfair Comparison

The approach that I see many of my fellow fat loss experts use is, “Wouldn’t you rather have a muscular physique like a sprinter rather than a frail and scrawny physique like a marathon runner. Here are the pictures that they reference when making the comparison…

What they claim is that if you do long boring cardio you will look like a frail marathon runner. Sometimes they will even tell you that you will get fat from doing long duration cardio… WOW!

Since when has 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic activity like jogging, biking, or even stair climbing a few times per week become the equivalent of several hours of running every day? Is it really fair to compare you to a Kenyan marathon runner?

A fair portion of my fat loss program involves long duration cardio. Take a look at my picture at the top of the page. Do I look like a frail Kenyan marathon runner? I don’t think so!

Here’s a picture of my buddy Tom Venuto. Tom has used long duration cardio to burn fat and get down under 4% body fat. Does he look frail? It wasn’t until recently that Tom began incorporating HIIT into his fat loss program.

That’s the key word… ‘INCORPORATE’. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past few years. HIIT is definitely a part of my fat loss solution, but it’s not the one and only solution. More on that in a minute.

The flip flop…

So on one hand these marketers will tell you that you will look like a frail marathon runner if you do long boring cardio. Then the next day they tell you that you will get fatter if you do long duration cardio. So which one is it? And now I’m hearing claims that long duration cardio will make women get fatter legs and butts. Really???

So why is that you don’t see a whole bunch of female marathon runners jogging around with big butts and thighs?

Everyone is created differently. Many women are predisposed to carry weight in their butts and thighs. I’m sure this so-called study took these women who were genetically predisposed to carry fat in their thighs and told them to jog for a few months, and they got their answer… long duration cardio will make women get fat thighs.

The truth of the matter is that people who choose to do marathons are made of all shapes and sizes. I’ve seen some very heavy people do a marathon because of a life goal. When you get to the Olympic level, yes you are going to see some pretty scrawny people. But when you are competing at that level you have to be thin like that.

Now onto the picture of the sprinter. Do you honestly believe that if you follow a few quick workouts each week that you will get a physique like an Olympic sprinter? That is a 100% hell no! In fact, I will go as far as saying that it completely undermines the extreme efforts that these elite athletes put into developing their physiques.

Do you know how much time and effort it takes for them to create those physiques? They spend hours every day training. So much so, that most of them can’t even hold a job while they are training. Working out and training is their job.

Here’s the funny thing. Many of the fat loss experts that claim their quick workouts will make you look like an Olympic sprinter do not have an Olympic sprinter body themselves. Ask them to take their shirt off and get down to their tighty whities and show off their sprinter body. You aren’t going to see one in most cases.

The Fine Print

Here’s the part that I find amusing. Many of these programs that say you only need to workout a few minutes per week recommend, for maximum results you should perform 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on your off days.

Hmm, and just what would that moderate intensity be??? Could it be long duration cardio?

They won’t tell you that on the sales page, but once you get the product it’s right there in the fine print. To me, that’s no better than the supplement companies that tell you that you can lose weight while you sleep by taking their pill. Then in the small print it says, “For best results you should follow a nutrition and exercise program.”

I’m Not A Hater

I’ve been going on the attack here and it probably appears that I hate all these programs that preach HIIT is the only way to burn fat. Here’s the thing. I don’t hate these programs. I actually enjoy many of them. I just hate the way they market them.

My programs The Fit Chic & The Fit Bastard both include a full year of 10-20 minute express workouts that you perform 4 times per week. I enjoy getting in and out of the gym quickly most of the time. But I would never advertise that you can get 6 pack abs in just 40 minutes per week. That’s false.

In order for me to get 6 pack abs I also added a few days of long duration cardio and a few days of 15 minute HIIT sessions. Then the last 6 weeks I did long duration cardio every day and HIIT every day. It was only for 6 weeks and a 5 1/2 hour commitment to fitness per week during that time was not too much to ask.

Within The Fit Chic & The Fit Bastard program I include both HIIT training and long duration cardio. And I also include longer workouts. Lets face it. There are many people out there who enjoy spending 45-60 minutes working out in the gym. We’re all different. Plus I include muscle building phases which I believe are crucial to your fat loss success.

There you go, there’s my little marketing pitch. But that’s not the point here. The point is that there is no one single solution. The solution is for maximum results you should incorporate a variety of methods of working out. Even more important is doing things that you enjoy and will stick to. It’s really about compliance. We’ll get to that during this article series.

There is way too much for me to cover on this topic to cram into one article. That’s why I’m turning this into a 6 part series. Each day I will be covering different aspects of the HIIT vs long duration debate, including a couple guest articles and an audio interview.

It’s my hope that by the end of the series you will have gained some clarity on the issue and will be able to make an informed decision on what’s best for you.

Have a 6 Pack ABS-soulutely amazing day!

Scott Tousignant