Strategic Cardio is a phrase you don't hear very often from fitness professionals.
This is mostly because most fitness pros are not fans of cardio in the traditional sense. They would most likely say to lift weights faster and to move at a higher intensity.
Everybody wants to pretty much swear by HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).
Sprints, burpees, prowlers, box jumps, and anything else you could possibly think of. Those are sexy.
Jogging and walking are... not so much.
But here is the thing... slow boring cardio actually WORKS.
If you combine it strategically with HIIT.
That is "strategic cardio" using cardio strategically to burn fat.
I myself have just begun using this form of "strategic cardio" myself and the fat is melting off far faster than before.
I want to tell you a little bit about why it works.
As many of you already know, if you don't you will now, HIIT produces a metabolic after-burn effect allowing you to continue burning fat and calories for the next 2-3 days even if you aren't doing anything.
That in and of itself is a great aspect of HIIT, but that is only half of the equation.
See when you do intense exercise it causes your fat cells to break up. When that happens some fatty acids are deposited into your bloodstream.
Now these fatty acids will not be burned up and will actually be redeposited to fat cells.
That is where "strategic cardio" comes into play.
After you do the HIIT you will want to do anywhere from 20 to 45 mins of the slow-ass cardio. This slow-ass cardio is what will burn up those fatty acids that are in your bloodstream, allowing the after-burn effect to target the fat that you have.
Now to make the slow-ass cardio work you will want to be at a pace that keeps you slightly out of breath.
For most people just walking won't be enough to do anything. So I have a few modifications that you can use to increase the intensity.
1. Walk on an incline. If you have a treadmill use the incline function or just find a large hill somewhere.
2. Carry light dumbbells
3. Wear a weighted vest
4. Drag a sled behind you. This is a great one and a staple of my own training. The easiest way to do this is to make a tire sled.
So the bottom line is this... if you are stuck in your fat loss you might want to give the slow-ass cardio a chance.
I know... its not sexy but it does work, and that is what you want. Something that works.
Now just get going.
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