Is cardio the path to a better day at the beach?

“Ugh. It is Summer in just a few weeks, and I have got to lose 15 pounds. Time to hit the elliptical.”

For those of you scoring at home, that is 52,500 calories (3500 calories times 15 pounds). That will take you about 70 hours on that lovely machine: two hours a day for over a month. Good luck with that.

Cardio is great if you are training for an event that requires cardiovascular endurance. It is also great as a supplemental exercise when you are trying to shed pounds. However, it is NOT a great tool for getting rid of weight. Why? I am glad you asked.

1. Anything you can do for an hour straight is, by definition, low intensity
2. Once you stop, calorie burning is over. All of that stuff you have read about the continuing burn after your workout has been debunked
3. An hour straight of repetitive motion of anything leads to overuse injuries
4. You do not build lean muscle tissue or “tone up” your legs from cardiovascular exercise. It is not high intensity enough to build muscle, which DOES burn more calories after you stop exercising

Read this article about some tips for using cardio properly as part of your program, not AS the program.