Are Cardio Workouts The Worst Way To Lose Belly Fat?

Most fitness experts who speak up against long cardio machine filled workouts are usually questioned and put up for trial for good reason. Cardio workouts are probably the worst way to lose belly fat and get flat abs. Now before I loose you, let’s dive into why they aren’t the best use of your time…

First, cardio workouts are usually done on treadmills, elliptical machines and other contraptions found in the cardio area of gyms. Most machines you get on are helping you through half of the movement and get you moving through momentum.

For example, take the treadmill. The treadmill actually takes your quads fully into the equation and completely takes your hamstrings out of it. Not only that but many times avid treadmill runners have very bad hip problems. Of course, that comes with the territory of busting your butt to lose belly fat. But we should try to maximize what we are doing by not hurting ourselves.

Second, cardio workouts are very short sighted when it comes to the whole picture. The #1 thing you should be trying to do every workout is not burn calories during the workout but maximizing what I call the afterburn affect. The afterburn, is an effect you get after working out that allows you to burn calories for hours and days on end when you are done training.

So you can literally be sitting on the couch eating chips while burning a heap full of calories. With normal, long card workouts you are only burning calories as you exercise and I doubt that you can exercise for days on end and get the same afterburn effect. To workout this way all you have to do is train for 80 to 90% intensity with equal amount of rest periods. Going back and forth from intense and rest will allow you to reach between 20 to 30 min total of training.

Third, if cardio workouts were the best thing on planet earth to lose belly fat and get flat, every tri and marathon athlete would have lean, ab popping physics. But that’s not the case, sprinters are the ones with the most muscle filled physiques. Marathon runners actually gain fat during training because their bodies hold on to fat by fear that its under attack because of the long work load they have to endure in that type of sport. Now, I don’t want you to think I hate cardio, like everything else, it has its place but it shouldn’t be used as the primary way to lose belly fat.

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