Is Cardiovascular Exercise Really All It’s Cracked Up To Be?
Can cardiovascular exercise help you lose more weight?
Even the experts can’t seem to agree on this one. And if they can’t agree, how are you supposed to come to a solid conclusion on the issue?
Well, if you look at the research there is no doubt that cardiovascular work can increase fat loss. Here are five ways that cardiovascular work can help you lose more fat:
1. Cardiovascular hypertrophy. In other words, your heart increases in size. This increased size allows your body to get blood, oxygen and energy to your working muscles. In turn, this allows you to exercise longer and harder.
2. More blood in your body. Blood is the liquid of life because it transports all the vital nutrients necessary for work to the different tissues in your body. And if you have more of it, you can get a lot more physical work done.
3. Higher capillary density. Capillaries transport blood to your muscle tissues. Think of this as having more trucks to get your cargo (blood) to where it needs to go. Again, more blood will increase flow and help burn fat at a faster rate than normal.
4. More mitochondria. These are small structures in your cells where energy is produced from ATP. If you have more mitochondria, you have more energy and can produce more physical work. In turn, more physical work translates into more calories burned.
5. More energy enzymes. The process of energy production in your mitochondria doesn’t happen by itself. Your body needs enzymes to get the necessary reactions started. Think of enzymes as workers in a factory that push along products on the conveyor belts.
As demonstrated by the research, cardio is a great way to speed up weight loss-it’s not just for long distance runners. So it’s in your best interest to include some cardio in your weight loss plan.
Having said that, figuring out the perfect amount can be less obvious. After all, if you go overboard you can prevent your body from recovering. In the end, you’re best served doing an amount that allows you to remain energetic and fully able to recover from weight lifting workouts.
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