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A question on cardio exercises

A friend told me (and I am just paraphrasing):

Cardio, especially HIIT, burns calories long after the workout is over. That's why cardio is effective, NOT because it burns calories during the workout. Because workout burn will be hardly 50 calories or so, even if it is 100 it is useless since you can eat less (instead of exercising to burn just 100 calories).


So my question is, does cardio do what my friend says - that it burns calories post-workout. Does that mean it improves metabolic rate and hence helping you shed fat? I just want to grasp the logic behind this.

Comments

  • Some things I choose to believe whether they are true or not. This is one I'd believe.
    Worse case you are still unenlightened( supposition) but lighter:)
    vinlyn
  • NevermindNevermind Bitter & Hateful Veteran
    True, and that's also why it's best to workout in the morning.
    betaboy
  • betaboy said:


    So my question is, does cardio do what my friend says - that it burns calories post-workout.

    Does that mean it improves metabolic rate and hence helping you shed fat? I just want to grasp the logic behind this.

    All activity does this as your metabolic rate is a broad guesstimate based on past trends and current status - if you exercise more, your resting metabolic rate will increase and your body will be repairing more etc.
    It is more pronounced with weight training than cardio - the calorie burn after weight training is significantly higher (a few hours after you'll be burning calories at the same rate as when you were training and then a longer period of increased metabolism) - in addition with weight training you will increase in size ergo metabolic rate increase.
    The most efficient fat burning routine is I think, low calories morning, 3 meals 2 or so hours apart with total calories approaching half DRA (or 30% below usual intake if you measure), nil calories after 6 pm with a 1 to 2 hours light weight session at 7-8... no calories after (as much fluids, salad etc).
    0.5kg drop every 3 days or so in cycles - it's tough on the body after 6 weeks... change to a normal diet for 2 weeks in between... from love handles to 6 pack in around 4 months if done without fail.
  • My dad is the opposite of me in many ways, and only respect him for a few things. One of them was giving up chain smoking 25 years ago and being a total fitness freak. He always told me never to work out more than 60-90 mins in a day and never to work out the same muscle group in consecutive days as the cells do not rebuild. He was in the army for 6 years in the tank regiment.

    Anyway, he said EVERY workout you should add a non-stop of at least 15 mins cardio as that will help to lose fat, work your heart, and generally help to lift weights. If you eat properly before hand and time it right, cardio in fact will help you lift heavier weights. You may say you do not want to lift weights as you are trying to lose wight, but if you lift lighter weights and work all muscle groups instead of body building, the fat will drop off quicker, trust me.

    vinyln has seen this on facebook lol. This was me after 3 months of 15 mins cardio and 45 mins weights 2-3 times a week. Before I had a beer belly.
  • Invincible_summerInvincible_summer Heavy Metal Dhamma We(s)t coast, Canada Veteran
    betaboy said:

    A friend told me (and I am just paraphrasing):

    Cardio, especially HIIT, burns calories long after the workout is over. That's why cardio is effective, NOT because it burns calories during the workout. Because workout burn will be hardly 50 calories or so, even if it is 100 it is useless since you can eat less (instead of exercising to burn just 100 calories).


    So my question is, does cardio do what my friend says - that it burns calories post-workout. Does that mean it improves metabolic rate and hence helping you shed fat? I just want to grasp the logic behind this.

    All exercise increases your metabolic rate. Lean body mass (muscle) uses more energy (is more metabolically active).

    Cardio exercise in particular, though, uses your aerobic system (vs. anaerobic, like weight training or any activity lasting less than 3 mins), which in turn uses carbs and fat for fuel.

    Some examples (from my nutrition textbook):
    A 100-m dash (~10-15 seconds) gets energy from about 50% carbs, 50% ATP (a chemical created in your body for quick cellular energy).
    A 10-km run (~30-60 minutes) is 100% carbs.
    A marathon uses about 75% carbs, 20% fat, 5% other (not sure what this means)
    A day-long hike (we're talking several hours) gets energy from 35% carbs, 65% fat.

    Notice how the longer the amount of aerobic activity, the more fat is used as fuel? So if you want to burn fat, "long and slow" is the name of the game.

    By the way, a quick way to determine your basal metabolic rate (BMR) - the base amount of calories you need in a day to just function - you take your body weight in kg, multiply it by 1 calorie/kg, and multiply that number by 24 hours...
    (Body weight in Kg x 1 cal per kg) x 24 hours = BMR
  • All exercise, in fact all metabolic functions, use ATP. A fuel, mostly carb but also lipid or polypeptide, is oxidized to yield energy to phosphorylate AMP and ADP to ATP. ATP then drives the cellular functions, so it is a "currency." 100% of the energy used in a 100-m dash, as well as 100% of the energy used for every life function, is proximately supplied by ATP. What varies is the fuel that is oxidized to make ATP from its precursors. If the quotes are directly from your nutrition book, it needed a biochemist on the editorial team.
    Invincible_summer
  • Sorry, should have elaborated: carbs are sugars and starches; lipids are fats, oils, and waxes; polypeptides are proteins and enzymes. All three groups can be fuels, but the primary fuel is carbs. Others are burned in varying portions depending on the exercise, as Invincible Summer describes.
    Invincible_summer
  • I have it on excellent authority that is correct. It speeds up your metabolism so that you continue to burn calories. Best
  • Thanks for all the insights, guy and girls.
    One more doubt, if you dont mind. Is it true - at least for men - that belly fat is the last to go? I've been working out and people say I am thinner now, plus face/arms etc. look slimmer, but belly fat ... not so much. So do I just wait for the belly fat to come off eventually, or must I assume my exercise/workout isn't good enough?
  • betaboy said:

    Thanks for all the insights, guy and girls.
    One more doubt, if you dont mind. Is it true - at least for men - that belly fat is the last to go? I've been working out and people say I am thinner now, plus face/arms etc. look slimmer, but belly fat ... not so much. So do I just wait for the belly fat to come off eventually, or must I assume my exercise/workout isn't good enough?

    It depends on your biochemistry, we are all different but mainluy guys tend to store their fat around their belly and girls around their butt and thighs. If you check out the link below it will explain this for you.

    If you work out only by lifting weights and doing push-ups, your body fat will decrease at a very slow rate, furthermore any muscle produced around your abs will make you look fatter as it is under the fat and the fat is still there. You need to do a mix of hard cardio 15 mins and then work on your muscle groups. Lifting smaller weights but working on all muscle groups during a workout helps your body to lift off the far along with cardio.

  • ZeroZero Veteran
    edited December 2013
    betaboy said:


    Is it true - at least for men - that belly fat is the last to go?

    If you're looking for abdominal definition then you'll need to be at around the >12% body fat range - there is a very narrow range between abs out and dangerously thin so there is nowhere to go after this level of definition.
    In that sense therefore, abdominal definition is achieved at the extreme end of the body fat ratio so it could in a way be said that 'belly fat is the last to go'... sort of... perhaps 'Abs are the last to show' is more accurate.

    My understanding on belly fat in men per se is that it is the primary mobile fat reserve burnt for fuel? This means that fat from this region is constantly on the move in your blood - as it is depleted, I think it may be topped up by fat from other parts of the body... I may be way off the mark and I'm straying into distant memory though so apologies for any inaccurancy.
    I think this is the reason that belly fat is so dangerous as it is more mobile in the blood and can lead to increased risk or heart attack and stroke - hence the 'pinch an inch' campaign.
    In this sense also, I think the region remains relatively fatty compared to other reserves due to its more mobile nature and everyday use so it appears that the belly may be later in leaving.
  • Invincible_summerInvincible_summer Heavy Metal Dhamma We(s)t coast, Canada Veteran
    Zero said:

    betaboy said:


    Is it true - at least for men - that belly fat is the last to go?

    If you're looking for abdominal definition then you'll need to be at around the >12% body fat range
    I think you mean < (less than) 12%... :p
  • I run about 40 miles a week, at my weight that's approximately 110 calories per mile; so I burn around 4000 calories a week through exercise. There's something like 3500 calories in one pound of fat, so if I could eat the calorific intake for someone of my height who doesn't exercise, then I should lose 1 lbs of fat a week.

    But I don't because I eat too much and just maintain my weight; which I'm okay with (but secretly I'd like to be a lot skinnier because it helps with running).

    My point is, it really doesn't matter how much we exercise, a restricted diet must play a part of it if we want to lose weight.
    anatamanThailandTomInvincible_summer
  • They say abs are made in the kitchen. Well, I'm always in the kitchen and I ain't seen no abs. :scratch:

    :lol:
    TheEccentricInvincible_summer
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