Know your cardio...

I asked you a while back, who is usually in better shape, a sprinter or marathon runner? If you said sprinter, then you are absolutely correct.

Why is that?  Why is a sprinter, who sprints for 10 seconds be more ripped than a marathon runner who can run 2 hours per session?

Well, it is actually pretty simple. A sprinter focuses on the fast twitch muscle fiber (type IIa and IIb) and a marathon runner focuses on the slow twitch muscle fiber (Type I).

Two different styles of training, two different results.

I am not saying that you shouldn't do long boring cardio but if your goal is to burn fat efficiently, then you must train the right muscle fiber. Most people will tell you that all you have to do is run 30-60 minutes a day and you will be ripped in no time. The sad truth is that long boring cardio (slow twitch muscle fiber) alone does NOT give you an athletic, fit and defined body. In fact, doing too much cardio can actually break down your muscle tissue (convert it to amino acids to usable glucose) to use it as an energy source. That is not the ideal outcome.  Muscle is the location where your fat is being burned so it is something that you don't want to sacrifice (plus muscle is what gives your the awesome definition).