It’s a bit of a hot topic, long steady state cardio, morning fasted walks or hitting the weight room… Which one you ask?
Yes you can knock over a few hundred cals in your 45 min run but you’re staying a consistent low intensity pace
Over time your body will adapt to this style of training and results will slow. Going beyond 40 mins or so will lead to increased cortisol (stress hormone), which is havoc for fat loss by the way.
When you do lose that weight usually there won’t be any muscle to back it up since cardio was the main focus
Let’s say you run for 45 mins and burn 450 cals. Exercise post oxygen consumption occurs after training.
What is exercise post oxygen consumption?
Think of a car’s engine remaining warm after it’s turned off. Same as after your workout is over and you’re back in your daily routine. Your body’s metabolism can continue to burn more calories when at a complete rest
You may consume a further 30-50 calories after your post-run (12 hours or so) which leads to more calories burned overall.
Let’s take weight training into consideration. In a 45 min weightlifting session, you may burn upto 200-220 calories. Exercise post oxygen consumption will occur. Up to 72 hours, burning an addition 350-375 calories. BOOM!
What about cardio in CrossFit?
So, in fact, the ‘cardio’ we do in CrossFit is HIIT (High-intensity interval training). Or a blend of both weights with cardio.
Think Tabata, EMOM’s, AMRAPS, Sprints etc etc.
High levels of output (speed, power, strength) with minimal rest. Producing massive results which will lead to more exercise post oxygen consumption
Another benefit to weight training is you have a more solid frame due to increased muscle. This will make you feel and look better. Also increased bone, ligament and tendon structure. This will give you less chance of injury.
Ever seen a jacked up long-distance runner? Didn’t think so
