We are down to our final installment in this series! This month we are talking about “I’ll do cardio before I start lifting weights”. If I had a nickel for every time I heard this I’d be a millionaire.

I have heard this at cookouts, from friends, from potential clients and a hundred other people as they discuss their fitness plans. I will listen and sometimes add in my two cents. It usually falls upon deaf ears because the 386 pound person I’m talking to that has 39% body fat knows more about fitness than I do. I usually hear them telling me their golden plan as they choke down a cannoli too. They don’t know fitness but they do know pastry.

Here’s the thing, we have talked about this before, cardio doesn’t do very much to elevate your metabolism post workout. Elevating your metabolism, a lot, post workout is the fastest way to lose pounds and inches (get in shape). Strength training is the single fastest and best way to get this done. Studies show that endurance based exercise does indeed boost the metabolism during and after exercise. The thing is that it does not do much. Jogging an 8-10 minute mile for about 30 minutes will burn an extra 10-30 calories post workout and studies also show your resting metabolic rate returns to normal in about an hour. Exercising (cardio) at a much higher intensity ( up to 70% intensity for 80 minutes) is also shown to increase the “afterburn” (EPOC), the problem here lies with the fact that the people beginning fitness programs work at a very low intensity. Beginners will not go near 70% intensity for this amount of time, nor should they.

While we subscribe to the “slow and low” method of strength training for raw beginners, meaning take it slow at a low intensity for the first few weeks, we do this with strength training. After an initial getting acquainted period for beginners we introduce them to higher levels of intensity gradually. This leads to circuit training, interval training and more at higher levels when appropriate. The research shows this approach to be the best for fat loss and fitness. When coupled with an appropriate nutrition plan the results are astounding. Research and practical experience prove that EPOC is related to the intensity and type of training with high intensity strength coming out on top in every legitimate study. In the field, it is what keeps the doors open at the most successful training organizations like TPS and Results Fitness (Alwyn Cosgrove’s place-note: Results Fitness is one of the BEST gyms in the world for fat loss training.) If we don’t deliver the results for clients paying for premium services, they don’t come back. We don’t have them start with cardio first! Alwyn has said in seminars and interviews numerous times that if a client asks what they should do if they had 2 hours week to exercise, they should perform high intensity ( at a level that is right for them) strength training. If they have 3 hours a week the answer is the same. It remains the same all the way up to 4 even 5 hours a week. Cardio is added when they have lots of time to burn.

Take a look at our Total Transformation Camp. This camp is designed for raw beginners to come to the gym for 2 hours of training a week and lose a ton of fat. We also strongly suggest that they take a few of our high intensity classes like Gutts and Butts or Kettlebells. Some do, some don’t. The common denominator is that they all lose fat and get in shape without cardio. They do it in 8 weeks too. We have seen consistent results of 4-6% fat loss on average since we began running this camp over a year ago. We have also seen up to 10% fat lost in only 8 weeks by a few highly motivated individuals. These people did start with a high level of fat of begin with and most of them did a nutrition plan to go along with the training.

The bottom line here is that if you want to get in shape and not waste your time, listen to someone that knows what they are talking about. To get in the best shape of your life don’t spin your wheels doing something that will yield little results. Learn how to strength train. Strength training for beginners can be as simple as doing modified pushups, blast strap pull-ups, back raises, sit-ups and a few more simple body weight exercises in a circuit for 15-20 minutes. You don’t have to squat 500 pounds, you do need to get in the gym and move your body through a series of challenging exercises ( at a level appropriate for you) . Increase the intensity, frequency and duration of this type of training as the weeks go on. Back off a little after a few weeks and then ramp it up again. Pair this with a sound nutrition plan and you’ll be aces in no time.

Now get off that treadmill and get in the weight room and stop asking me for advice at the cookout if your aren’t going to take it. I’ve got cheeseburgers to eat and Guinness to drink.