Is Cardio The Solution to Lost Weight?

Today is the first unofficial work day of the year 2009. I'm sure a lot of people are panicking about their weight gain over the holiday season. The gym floor is packed. All cardio machines (treadmills, elliptical trainers, bikes, stairmasters, step climbers) are taken with 30-minute limits.

If you think that time spent on those cardio machines alone can help you lose weight and get the six pack abs, you're grossly wrong, wrong, wrong!!

In fact, far too many (particularly overweight people) overdo the cardio that may cause damage than good.

The following is a list of 14 tips from two famous trainer, Craig Ballantyne and Vince DelMonte, that cardio is not the be all and end all of exercise for fat loss. Take note if you (or anyone you know) have at least one or more of the 14 signs that you're doing too much cardio.

Typicall males can get down to 10% body fat and females 16% body fat with proper nutrition and weight training alone. Cardio is not needed until you need to strip the last few pounds off.

#1 - You have to spend 5 minutes before your workout flipping through all the magazines in the gym to find one you haven’t read before.

#2 - You know the other cardio addicts on the machines beside you (that you talk to everyday) better than you know your own friends.

#3 - You know exactly how many calories you burn per minute on every machine in the gym. (And you use that information to justify every calorie you eat.)

#4 - You simply hate doing it and dread your workouts more than a trip to the dentist.

#5 - The only thing you are losing is precious time - and not belly fat.

#6 - You go to the gym to watch your favorite television shows while doing cardio.

#7 - You’re getting overuse injuries from repetitive motion because you keep doing the same activity over and over again everyday.

#8 - You do cardio with your cell phone.

#9 - You calves are bigger than your biceps.

#10 - You can actually tell the difference between Gatorade and Powerade.

#11 - You asked for a water belt for Christmas.

#12 - You can recognize the members in your gym by the sounds of their breathing.

#13 - Your 8KG iPod is not large enough to store all your workout music.

#14 - You look the exact same as last month.

(Credits: Craig Ballantyne, Vince Delmonte)

Free Download - The Dark Side of Cardio and Sample Fat Burning Workout