More Metabolic Truths

Beyond Some Rules of a Fast Metabolism:

from my 3/6/13 Post on Metabolic Conditioning:

from Women's Health March 2013 issue:

Ketchup or mustard?  Flats or heels?  The X Factor or The Voice?  That eternal fitness face-off--cardio or strength training--is just as perplexing.  Cardio is a known calorie crusher, but strength workouts build muscle and rev your metabolism.  But you don't have to choose sides: A new regimen of experts have dubbed metabolic conditioning offers the best of both.

By combining short, high-intensity work periods, little to no rest between exercises, and big-body movements, metabolic conditioning challenges your strength, power, and cardiovascular endurance in one workout--maximizing calorie burn during and after a sweat session, says Frank Salzone, a group fitness instructor for Equinox in New York City.  It also helps improve your muscles' ability to use energy during workouts, so you can push harder and get better results over time.

Sound too good to be true?  It's no gimmick: A study in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that women who completed a 10-move strength circuit recorded 13 percent higher oxygen consumption levels (or EPOC, which measures the energy used to return your body to a resting state) three hours after their workout than a control group.  Plus, their resting metabolic rate (the amount of calories burned at rest) was still elevated 16 hours later.

Links to Check Out:
How Effective Is HIIT? Low Intensity Fact Or Fiction
Greater Muscle Mass = Higher Metabolism
Muscle Fiber Types
Energy Systems
ATP

 

 

& from my 6/6/13 Post on Yet Another Article on Metabolic Truth:

 

from Women's Health May 2013 issue:

Here's something that may be hard to believe:  Just because the scale is dipping doesn't mean your fitness routine is working. 

If you're logging hours and hours on the treadmill, you've likely seen the numbers on the scale decrease, but you may not be losing body fat.  In fact, a 2011 review in the Journal of Obesity found that the effect of regular aerobic exercise on body fat is negligible.  Instead, shorter, high-intensity workouts--some that don't even include traditional cardio--have been shown to be more effective at reducing fat than any other type of exercise.  These workouts have also been shown to significantly increase your fitness level, lower insulin resistance, and improve glucose tolerance.

Case in point:  When comparing the effects on women of high-intensity exercise versus steady-state exercise, one study found that only the high-intensity group had a significant improvement in fat loss after 15 weeks.  What's more, there was a significant reduction in fat from their legs (usually a stubborn spot for women) compared with their arms.

That's not to say traditional cardio like running is off-limits--it just shouldn't be your focus if you're trying to shrink your hips and slim your waistline. 

Sound familiar?  Metabolic Training is the best way to a healthier, slimmer your!  Be sure to check out all the metabolic training info and links on these Pages:  How Effective? Very! How Do I Know? / Workout Tidbits / Measuring Results