Why Cardio Fails for Fat Loss

By Craig Ballantyn

One of the biggest fat-loss myths is that you must do long aerobic cardio workouts to lose fat. The truth? Long, slow-cardio sessions are not only boring but a waste of time. To quickly lose fat you need to focus on your nutrition and on boosting your metabolism with more intense exercise methods.

Based on my experience with hundreds of personal clients, using interval training and high-intensity exercise do help them lose more fat. And now scientific studies are supporting the superiority of the interval approach.

Australian researchers from the University of New South Wales recently compared interval training to slow, steady aerobic training in a 15-week study. Two groups participating in the study exercised three times per week - but the interval training group only worked out for 20 minutes per session, while the slow-cardio group trained for up to 40 minutes.

Not surprising, at least not to me, the interval training group lost the most weight by the end of the 15 weeks. This backs up earlier research from Canada (from the mid-90s) that interval training is a better way to burn body fat.

If you are a beginner, start slowly. Increase your exercise intensity by 10 or 20 percent for two-minute intervals, and alternate with two-minute intervals at a lower-than-normal intensity.

~ Ed. note: Craig Ballantyn is an expert consultant for Men’s Health magazine.