A storm is brewing on the fitness and weight loss front. It is caused by a backlash against conventional long duration cardio and aerobic exercise sessions.
Exercising for 30 minutes or more has long been popular in “fat burning” weight loss programs. But new alternative training programs recommend short bursts of intensity for workouts that last less than 20 minutes.
What is magical about the 20-minute barrier?
Well, after 20 minutes of training we start to burn fat. Before 20 minutes, our workout burns carbohydrates and other energy sources to sustain the workout. On the surface, burning fat during a workout would seem like a good thing, especially if the workout is part of a weight loss program.
This is where the controversy arises and the new way of thinking about training.
Proponents of shorter workouts, like Dr. Al Sears, who developed the 12-Minute PACE® program, believe that our bodies adapt to burning fat during workouts by generating more fat before the next exercise session. The body will manufacture what it feels is depleted and needs, in this case…more fat.
For people looking for an exercise program to lose weight, putting on fat is the last thing they want their body to do.
The science of shorter workouts holds that the session lasts 20 minutes or less BEFORE you enter the “fat burning” period. This allows for replenishment of muscle and other energy sources by burning fat AFTER the workout is over.
Because you are burning fat while you rest, the body doesn’t feel the need to replace this fat unlike after a long session of low-intensity cardio or aerobic training.
While there are a number of short, intense training programs that last anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes, care should be taken in choosing a program that provides recovery between these short bursts of intensity. An intense workout that makes your heart and lungs work for as little as 7 minutes without resting may weaken these organs over time instead of strengthening them.
While many people on a weight loss program will be relieved to find that they don’t have to spend hours every day on gym equipment or jogging long distances, these programs still require periods of high-intensity training; in other words… you’ll break a sweat.
The intended result behind these programs is still fitness and lung and heart strengthening, but the workouts are designed to simulate a more natural stimulation of your heart and lungs.
After all, our bodies were developed for short bursts of energy to escape and survive predators rather than long periods of sustained muscular tension where the body feels like it’s under constant attack.
A weight loss program should consist of eating the right foods in the right portions and exercising regularly. Choosing the right exercise routine is just as important as eating healthy, and if you’re looking for a “fat burning” exercise program, then consider a low-intensity alternative program to the old cardio and aerobics of yesteryear.
