By Chris Walker Professional Health Coach
100% Hardcore Truth
I don't know what it is but every time I go in the gym I see this massive schisim, this separation betwix men and women. You know, the women are busy pounding away on the cardio machines or dancing up a sweat in the aerobics rooms and the men are busy grunting with the free weights. The norm in most health clubs are men mostly do weights or resistance training and women mostly do cardio or aerobics however there comes a point when you can do too much cardio or aerobics. The guilty culprit is usually a female. Women just seem to have this predisposition to anything aerobic. Hey, you ever see those fat aerobic instructors? They're fat because they do too much cardio. Doing alot of aerobics isn't bad, not by a long shot. It depends on what you're goals are. If you're training for a 10k run then great, alot of cardio is what you need but for fat loss which is a common goal amongst many there is a time when too much cardio can hurt your fat loss results.
Explanation
When you do too much cardio you run the risk of losing muscle. That's why an aerobic instructor who doesn't make time for resistance training will be the fat aerobic instructor; kind of an oxymoron. Your aerobic instructor is suppose to be the one who you aspire to look like. Well here's why, when you're in aerobic mode your body can use two methods of energy glycogen or glucose (your bodies fuel) or fat which is stored fuel for a rainy day. People who do too much cardio which is using more energy than your body can supply will end up losing muscle (muscle burns fat). When you do cardio or aerobics in excess you use up all your glycogen or glucose. Now depending on how hard you're working aerobically will determine your bodies next step. If you're entire workout is intense your body can only use glycogen or glucose if your workout is moderate your body can now move on to fat stores. So, if you do intense aerobics for 11/2-2 hours you run the risk of using up all your glucose/glycogen. When this happens your body is forced to look for other methods of energy and will break down muscle tissue using amino acids as fuel. How do I know if my workout is intense or moderate? Great question glad you asked. The easiest way to tell is if you can't talk or carry on conversation then your workout is intense; if you're able to talk without gasping for air then your workout is moderate.
Fat Skinny Women
Fat skinny women are those women who only do cardio or aerobic type exercises. You know the type: they're skinny because they're always doing cardio thinking it's a permanent weight loss solution, they're soft and mushy when you touch them and usually have a high body fat % despite their efforts. The problem with fat skinny women is they're losing muscle due to exsessive cardio and metabolism slows down. This becomes a problem because the minute they back off on cardio or aerobics the weight comes back, as a result they think they need to do more cardio further worsening the problem losing muscle and slowing down metabolism. Muscle is what is needed to maintain a slim toned physique, a truth that usually is unknown to a fat skinny person.
Conclusion
Aerobics have their place and is a definite part of an overall health and fitness routine but if your concern is weight loss don't do too much cardio or aerobics. Also, don't be fooled by picking up a few dumb bells and swinging them around in your aerobics routine. That's not resistance training! You need to dedicate seperate time where you only focus on resistance or weight training. In closing I'd like to say don't become a fat skinny person. Oh, one more thing being a fat skinny person is not ok or should I say not healthy. I've seen females who look physically ok but because of their high body fat % run into the same problems as someone who is physically obese. Stay fit!
Chris Walker
www.chriswalkersfitness.com
