Cardio For the FAIL

Its amazing how some gym myths are so hard to die. Ask just about anyone at the gym these days and they will sell you the common wisdom: "Cardio is the way to lose weight." But the truth is that I've seen people workout on cardio equipment for years and they have not lost any significant weight at all.

These are dedicated gym rats that workout 3-4 times a week and use cardio machines for 30 minutes or more. Yes they break a sweat and feel ok afterward but their bodies look the same year after year.

We recently got a few new crosstrainer machines at our gym. They are the latest model and honestly everyone loves them because they just glide so smoothly. One person said: "It feels like you are not working out at all." These dedicated gym members get their 20 minutes "fat burn" workout and feel like they got all the exercise they need for the day.

These new crosstrainer machines take all the "work" - out of working out. They are great if your only goal is to go to the gym to socialize and be pampered (nothing wrong with that, many gyms today are just giant spas).

But if you are going to the gym to get results and you are looking to lose some weight then no amount of easy gliding is going to do it for you.

I think most of these new machines are design to make you feel better about yourself today but not designed to get you the results that would make you feel happy with your body for the rest of your life.

The truth is that these crosstrainer machines do not work when your goal is fat loss. They tend to be a total waste of time. You do moderate exercise and the computer gives you some high "calories burn" number that to me just doesn't feel right. You have a mild sweat and breathe just a little bit heavier than normal. That is not the way to lose fat and get trim.

So you ask what is the answer. What do I do if my goal is to lose fat and get healthy. Well the answer is short intense bodyweight circuits. Its the only way to feel that burn. You end up really sweaty and feel great because of all the heavy breathing. Its a new way of thinking but short intense workouts actually do work at shaping your body into the lean fighting machine it is designed to be.

Gerry Bosworth is a Health and Wellness Coach and an advocate for healthy living. He has worked as a trainer and manager at a government fitness center for the past five years. He has help federal agents attain peak performance. He has worked with state and city members to reach their fitness goals. Bosworth decided to share his knowledge and tips at his website: http://turbulencetraining.gurudeluxe.com/index.html