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There’s a lot of conflicting information going around about cardio. Is it good or is it bad? I am going to clear up any confusion and tell you the real deal. First of all, if it elevates your heart rate, it is technically a form of cardiovascular exercise. Well guess what? Strength training can elevate your heart rate, so cardio can’t be all that bad. So what’s the problem? The problem is doing aerobic cardio. This form of cardio burns energy mostly by increasing the demand for oxygen primarily by the lungs. It is also performed for an extended period of time. While this can result in weight loss, it’s not the type of weight loss you should want. The more aerobic cardio you do, the more muscle you lose (which slows down your metabolism). That means you now have to work much harder and longer to burn off calories over time. It is also a slower process of losing weight. Examples of aerobic cardio would be jogging or spinning.

You can also use strength training as a means of cardio. But this type of cardio is called anaerobic. The oxygen stores in the muscles are used, which burns more calories and results in greater fat loss. Circuit training workouts are a great way to get in anaerobic cardio. But you can’t strength train five to six days per week, which is the recommended frequency for fat loss. Strength training at that frequency would not allow your muscles enough time to recover. There is a solution to this riddle. Power cardio should be your weapon of choice on days that you won’t be strength training. Power cardio can best be described as a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic activity. Brisk incline walking, plyometric circuits, jumping rope, and sprinting are just a few exercises to pick from.

Substitute aerobic cardio with power cardio and you will see better results in less time. You will also maintain muscle instead of burning it off. Since muscle helps kick your fat burning metabolism into overdrive, this is extremely important. Supporting muscle retention should be a key part of any quality fat loss program. Yet and still, I continue to see guys jogging for an hour on the treadmill. Don’t get me wrong, some of them will make positive strides. But they will never get the same level of high quality results they would have from power cardio.

You have to push at 100% intensity during each power cardio workout. Based on your level of conditioning, you only need to train for ten to thirty minutes. It’s ok to take a break when you have to, but for no longer than 90 seconds. If you use this in combination with a circuit training routine and quality nutrition plan, you will win the battle of the bulge. Every time you train you should track the details of your performance. Push to do a little better on your next session.

But maybe even after reading this you still don’t believe me. Maybe you just can’t shake the idea that you have to jog for 60 – 90 minutes for your cardio workout to be effective. Let me make one last point to prove my case. Running backs, wrestlers (real, not the fake stuff), and sprinters all make a living performing jobs that require power cardio. How much body fat do you see on these guys? Get it now? Remember, working hard is good, working smart is better, and working hard and smart is the key to greatness.

Circuit training workouts are an exellent way to lose body fat and extra pounds. Quality fat loss programs should utilize them as a means to success. Visit Vaughn Council’s site for more information on this and much more.