Continuing last month’s article, I will now start to look at the different types of cardio which are usually implemented into a program to effectively burn body fat. The two most effective types of cardio implemented when the goal is to maintain muscle and burn body fat are either High Intensity Interval Training or Low Intensity Steady State cardio. Both of these offer different advantages as well as disadvantages and the choice of cardio as well as how it is implemented into an individual’s routine can make or break that competition winning physique!
Firstly though, let me just explain briefly why moderate intensity cardio should be avoided in a program optimized for burning fat whilst maintaining muscle mass, or even just burning fat in general, as maintaining muscle mass is key to keeping the metabolism elevated and therefore is an important consideration even for a heavily overweight person just looking to get in shape.
Yes, you can burn more calories working at a moderate intensity for 45 minutes than at a low intensity. But, those calories will come from glycogen stores instead of fat tissue (see part 1 for information on fat oxidation). If glycogen is not readily available you will end up breaking down muscle tissue in order for amino acids to be used as the energy source. Long-term, this will have negative effects on muscle mass and hence negative effects on the metabolism.
What’s more, the intra-muscular fiber adaptions are opposite to those required for building muscle size. The body will also quickly adapt to this increased energy expenditure, as well as the reduction in muscle mass, through its use as an energy source during activity. Muscle tissue will become preferential as an energy source over fat tissue at other times, too, as the body clings onto its most dense energy source (fat tissue) for when needed to fuel the extra activity it is being put through on a daily basis. It will also adapt to the extra caloric demands by reducing the amount of the most energy-costly tissue that the body holds – skeletal muscle! So all in all, excessive moderate intensity cardio will deplete muscle mass, especially when in a caloric deficit, and long-term will actually make body fat harder to shift.
HIIT
Firstly, by HIIT I mean HIGH intensity interval training! Not go fast for one minute, then reduce pace for a minute, I mean flat out sprinting! If you are able to perform HIIT for longer than 30 minutes max, then you are not going flat out during the sprints! In fact 8 x 30-second sprints should be all you need to get the job done! Anything longer than 30 minutes and what you are performing will be classed as MIIT (MODERATE intensity interval training) and we have already talked about the negative effects of moderate intensity training.
Proper HIIT style cardio should leave you breathless after each sprint, in doing so, you are working at intensities that are comparable to those utilized during your weight training sessions. The effects are comparable, too, providing you have the adequate fuel available for the workouts. Otherwise, like your weight sessions, they will be counterproductive with skeletal muscle once more likely to be used as a fuel source. Let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of HIIT when it comes to its use when dieting to optimize fat burning whilst maintaining muscle mass:
Advantages
Disadvantages
This article will be continued in part 3 next month.
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