The Myth Behind... Long Duration Cardio For Fat Loss. A MUST READ

One of the most common myths held by the public and indeed many fitness professionals is the notion that steady state cardio (long duration aerobic exercise) is the best exercise for fat loss. However when we take a look at the science and results I achieve with clients, it tells us a different story.

A study published by Trapp and Boucher et al, at the University of New South Wales, Australia has shown long duration aerobic work to be infective at burning body fat and can in fact make you even fatter!
Below are two study's that will open your eyes and educate your mind to world of aerobic training and it's affect on fat loss.

Study 1: Trapp and Boucher et al (1)

Group 1: performed 40mins of steady sate aerobics at 60% of VO2 max, three times per week for 15 weeks.

Group 2: performed 20mins of  interval training (8secs on, 12secs off - 60 times) three times per week for 15 weeks. Group 2 started at 5mins for the first week then built up to the full 20mins during the 15 week period.

Both groups had their dietary intake closely monitored.

Results
Group 1: The steady state group GAINED 0.5kgs of fat in the 15 weeks!

Group 2: The interval training group LOST on average 2.5kgs of fat in the same time frame. When two already lean subjects were removed the interval training groups results improved to an average loss of 3.9kgs of fat. (two of the women in the group lost 8kgs of fat, each)

Study 2: Tremblay et al (2)

This study pitted 20 weeks of endurance training against 15 weeks of interval training.

Group 1: 20 week steady state aerobic program burned 28,661 calories during their workout.

Group 2: 15 week interval training program burned only 13,614 calories during their workout (less than HALF as many as group 1)

Results
Group 2: lost 450% MORE body fat than group 1, despite the fact their workouts were both shorter and burned fewer calories.

Conclusion
The calories you burn during your workout are much less important than the calories you burn after your workout.
A 30 minute steady state aerobic workout will only give you 30 minutes of a metabolic boost and that's it!

A 20 minute high intensity interval workout will:

• Burn more calories after your workout, boosting your metabolism for up to 36 hours post exercise.
• Cause your body to burn more fat all day long. Your body will burn a greater percentage of calories from fat after an intense workout rather than a low intensity workout, such as jogging ot long distance training.
• Keep the stress hormone (cortisol) low, allowing for preservation of muscle, low oxidation stress and decreased death of brain cells.

You only need to compare two kinds of athlete - a marathon runner and a sprinter to help show that interval training supersedes long distance work when it comes to fat loss!

Sources: 
1. Trapp EG and Boutcher SH. Fat loss following 15 weeks of high intensity, intermittent cycle training. Fat Loss Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

2. Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism, 1994 Jul:43(7):814-8