If fat loss is your goal, steady state cardio is not your friend. Getting on the elliptical for 45 minutes 3-4 times per week or walking four+ miles is not going to do it for you. Why? Because your body gets used to those activities very quickly. As a matter of fact, research shows that a body probably adapts to an exercise within 2-3 weeks of performing that exercise regularly. We used to think it took 12 weeks! That's a big difference. Interval training burns 9X more fat then steady state cardio. Let me explain. When you get super uncomfortable, or near maximum output, followed by recovery of course, your body thinks 'if he/she is going to do this again, what can I do to make it easier?' The heart and lungs are muscles, so now it thinks 'if I were a little lighter (weight loss) then my heart and lungs wouldn't have to work so hard, so I'll use a little of my stored energy (fat) to fuel these workouts and repair muscle (increased metabolism AFTER the workout). I don't want to burn muscle as fuel because he/she is using that muscle, so I will sacrifice the fat, lightening the load, and thereby making the activity easier'.
When you perform steady state cardio, your body thinks 'no big deal, I want to survive, this is low intensity so I'll just put out less effort'. And there's the difference. The body doesn't want to put out much effort. It is always in survival mode. How can it make anything easier, so it will last longer.
I think people stick with the 3-4X per week cardio-machine workout because A. It's easy and B. They initially see results so they think it is still working, even though they see no change in body composition. Plus, I don't think people like to get uncomfortable. I see it with my clients all the time. They don't like the work but they absolutely LOVE the results. Leaner, tighter and more defined. Who doesn't want that?!
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