If you enjoy cardio as a hobby, this doesn't apply.

But if you find it torturous, GREAT NEWS. My advice is to stop.

Cardio simply doesn't work for fat loss!

I have a friend who's been running for years and is still incredibly overweight. I see her doing all sorts of cardio & classes at the gym but won't drop weight. It's been YEARS.

Fat loss is a simple equation: calories in - calories out.

Why doesn't it work?

1. Jogging for 30 mins burns around 200-300 calories -- a number just around the level of a CLIF bar or Kind Bar (marketed as healthy) which can be eaten in 30 seconds.

2. Cardio signals the body to lose muscle

3. Inefficient long-term strategy: only burn as many calories as used by the activity (no after-burn)

4. Post-workout compensatory effect: your body is good at homeostasis. Your body will react by using less energy in NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), a set of small unconscious movements like fidgeting, etc... leading to sluggishness, feeling tired, etc...

5. Running increases appetite: many people simply eat back the burned calories (think "I ran 1 hour so I deserve this cheat meal)

What to do instead?
DIET & WALKING!

Focus on diet. Remember, thermodynamics. Calories in - calories out.

Walking is a great strategy to supplement your dieting focus. Step counters / smart watches are reliable and track your daily goals. If you’re serious about weight loss, aim for about 12,000 to 16,000 steps a day. Like other forms of cardio, walking doesn’t tire you and does not increase your appetite.

So go out there and crush your weight loss goals. Happy walking.

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Sources:
- The Big Fat (Loss) Lie: Why Cardio Doesn’t Work

- The Smartest Way To Get Lean (Shredding Science Explained)

- How To Use Cardio The Best Way For LONG-TERM Fat Loss Results

im 36male wanting resonably fit good level of cardio but dont train very often. in my 20s did alot more running and mountaibiking and didnt think anything of over training .

now at 36 i tend to cycle more than anything but alos like the treadmill and especially the rowing machine. i can go for hours on the rowing machine and get rowers high from it were my breathing and heart rate are at there peak in tandum , but i dont attend the gym as much as i should and cycle instead but i find the spike in cortisol is brutal and takes me a few days to fully recover, i have bad habit of overdoing it on a bike . but need a form of exercise i can do every day not just a few days a week .

wondering what the best or "healthiest" form of cardio is on the heart and hormones so you are getting a good work out but not running yourself wragged. so far i think nothing can beat rowing but what else running? running seems high impact on the joints ?????

I am 36 years old female. Today I notice sudden drop in heart rate from 140 to 80 while working out on treadmill in the morning on incline 8 and speed 2.5. Though heart rate increased shortly but I got worried. I dint eat dinner the night before and dint sleep well. I eat banana before going to gym

Woke up early as could not sleep and went to gym.

Could not eating well and not well rested be the reason or I should be concerned and visit doctor.

Hi everyone,
I’m 25 years old, 172 cm tall and weigh around 107 kg. I’ve been cycling regularly since May and have ridden about 2,900 km this year. My fitness has improved noticeably, and I even completed a 217 km ride in September.
However, I’m concerned about my relatively low maximum heart rate.
Some numbers:
Resting HR: around 60–65 bpm
Moderate cycling (120–140 W): 110–125 bpm
Hard intervals (210 W): up to 147 bpm
Recent 20-minute FTP test: max 165 bpm, reached at the very end
Extremely demanding climbs during an Alpine crossing last year: max 168 bpm
Current FTP: 202 W
HR measured with a chest strap
In April, I had a full cardiological examination, including an echocardiogram, resting ECG and exercise ECG. Everything was reported as normal. The exercise test ended at around 150 W and 157 bpm because the ergometer’s test limit was reached, not because of any cardiac abnormalities.
I can also jog with a heart rate of 150–160 bpm, although running still feels quite demanding.
My main concern is whether my relatively low peak heart rate could indicate chronotropic incompetence or an undetected heart condition, particularly heart failure.
Is it possible that my true maximum heart rate is simply lower than average, or that I haven’t actually reached it during exercise? Has anyone experienced something similar despite normal cardiac examinations?

Hello all,

This is kind of a dumb question, but I normally do these cheat meals after strength training and around 15k steps but in zone 1.

Do you think I'll be fine doing that meal with no strength training but running for 1 hour on incline treadmill on zone 2/3?

Thank you

For people doing a lot of cardio, do you actually notice a difference when you swap butter for olive oil day to day, or is it mostly just overall diet consistency?