TMHS 211: The Great Cardio Myth - With Craig Ballantyne

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a professor, a trainer, a coach, a well-meaning gym buddy, a special news report, or a random passerby say that you need to do more cardio to burn more fat, I’d have Scrooge McDuck level cash in my account. If so many people say it, then it must be true, right? Scratch that… if so many intelligent and well-meaning people say it, then it must be true, right? And therein lies one of the problems… If you take really smart, well-meaning people and teach them the wrong thing, they can become world-class at doing the wrong thing. So good at doing the wrong thing, in fact, that they create compelling arguments as to why they should continue doing it (even if it’s not working). When it comes to doing hours of cardio each week, and still not seeing the weight budge, we can justify and say… “Ah, I just need to sneak another hour in each week.” or “I just need to cut back on the calories even more.” or “I’m just not good at this.” or, and this is the worst, “I’m obviously not trying hard enough.” So, we try to beat our metabolism into submission. Or, we develop a condition of learned helplessness… where we believe that no matter how much dieting and cardio we do, we’ll never be able to change. But, what if all along it was the tactics, and not the ability of the person, that was not working to begin with? Cardio being the ideal form of exercise for fat loss was something that was largely just assumed and not proven. Sort of like when people believed that the earth was flat (this was even taught in universities!), until the assumption was finally disproved. That busted myth took centuries to happen. The Great Cardio Myth is getting busted in just one episode of The Model Health Show. In this episode you'll discover: Why cardio machine are lying to us. The impact that conventional cardio exercise has on appetite. How basic dieting compares to doing hours of cardio. Where the idea of doing more aerobic exercise for better health originated. How low-fat, high-carb diets got advocated along with conventional cardio. Whether or not you can outrun a pizza. The truth about how overuse injuries occur. Why the treadmill creates abnormal walking and running movements. The shocking influence that conventional cardio can have on heart health. How high intensity interval training compares to strict cardio in clinical trials. What to do if you’ve only got 3 days a week (and less than 30 minutes) to exercise each week. How to train if you want to build muscle mass and if you DON’T want to build muscle mass. The real reason so many people gravitate towards cardio for exercise (truth bomb!). Items mentioned in this episode include: Onnit.com/Model