Sprint Training for Fat Loss

I know how great exercise is, I love it. And if I saw any benefit it working out multiple hours a day while still being able to recover and function optimally, I would do it. But the fact is, that's not the case (there are a couple very specific situations, including specific supplements).

Doing the wrong exercise, too much, is a huge problem many health conscious people have.

First off, let me clear up what I think is good exercise. Good exercise is weight lifting (power, tension, pump); good exercise is high intensity interval training (sprints, bodyweight circuits, ect...); good exercise is active recovery (stretching, yoga, ect...). Good exercise activates plenty of muscle, is challenging, and most importantly produces results.

Back to what I think is bad training...

All in the name of improving cardiovascular health (which has been shown to be done through shorter intense workouts) people expose themselves to systemic inflammation (contributing to that lower abdominal protrusion and joint pain), Abdominal fat storage (cortisol receptors in high concentration around abdominal), weak immune function (excess cortisol depresses immune function), fatigue (this is how your body tells you to rest and relax), and cravings (that's not for everyone).

On top of that, excess cortisol can interfere with normal hormonal cycles, leading to another host of problems.

Intense exercise trumps long-drawn-out-boring-exercise time and time again. So why do people still do it? They're not thinking.

If you're putting in the miles a couple hours a day, day after day, week after week, and on top of that eating sugary crappy foods to "fuel" yourself, drinking chemical-laden drinks to "keep you hydrated", losing out on sleep to put in more training (because you can only burn fat in the morning), and so on and so on, don't you think that's going to catch up?

I mean really. Joint pain, injuries, fatigue, cravings, inflammation everywhere, skinny fat... none of that sounds good!

On a side note, I'll give you the hydration drinks, because I know they actually do help. But there are also smarter choices out there void of crap ingredients, and don't even talk to me about those drinks giving you energy if you're sleeping 4 hours a night and not using real food to "fuel" your miracle (your body). There are companies out there that actually work out the ratios of carbohydrate to protein (say it: PRO-TEIN) and try to minimize the excess ingredients. Those are the companies you should be buying drinks from.

So what's the solution? I've already said it. High intensity training.

What you can grab from that is that working out for shorter periods of time, while keeping the intensity up, will produce better results then turning on a TV at the gym for 2 hours while "working out".

P.S. If your form of extended cardio happens to be your passion, I would never tell you to drop it. But I would tell you to find methods of completing your training smarter, and emphasize the other foundational principles even more than others would. Never know, you might just reduce your work load, and improve your results!

Want to learn more about intense exercise? Interested in working out for shorter amounts of time, but getting better results? Check out livingnotsurviving.com/2011/01/02/sprint-training-is-one-of-the-best-methods-for-fat-loss sprint training and my website, livingnotsurviving.com livingnotsurviving.com