The majority of gym goers assume that long sessions of aerobic exercise, like steady state running, is the most effective training strategy for reducing body fat. I would argue that it’s actually an over rated and inefficient method for losing dead weight.
My reasoning is based on eight years experience as a pro sportsman, seven years management of a personal training company and a lifetime’s dedication to health and fitness. From my observations I have concluded that high intensity activity is the key ingredient for achieving slenderness through exercise.
Vigorous workouts significantly promote the growth of lean muscle and elevate metabolism, which are the two most important training factors for achieving fat loss. When exercising at a high intensity, calories are burned during the workout and, most importantly, for a long time after.
On the other hand, aerobic activity only encourages the body to process calories within the confines of the session itself, and your metabolism quickly returns to normal at the end of such a workout. In simple terms, over the course of a day you will burn more calories by performing high intensity exercises, such as resistance training, than you will through aerobic exercises such as road running.
Of course the caveat to all this is diet. No form of exercise will achieve fat loss if you regularly consume more calories than you expend. Calories in and calories out, as they say.
Here is my list, in descending order, of the five most effective fitness training methods for reducing your body fat:-
1. RESISTANCE WORK eg. Weight training
2. ANAEROBIC EXERCISE eg. Sprinting, plyometrics, shuttle runs
3. AEROBIC INTERVAL TRAINING eg. Fartlek running
4. HIGH EFFORT AEROBIC TRAINING eg. Fast road running
5. LOW EFFORT AEROBIC TRAINING eg. Gentle cardio exercise, golf, country walking
Former pro sportsman Theo Wood has become one of the most respected and innovative personal trainers in the UK.
He services a diverse portfolio of clients and is a prolific author of diet and fitness articles, in addition to being employed as a health consultant by organisations in the corporate and leisure sectors.
To read all of Theo Wood's cutting edge theories, and to get free access to a multitude of essential tips on diet and exercise, visit his fitness website at www.theowood.net
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