Some people want to know how to increasing efficiency of their cardio, and ask me if splitting the cardio into two daily, shorter sessions (say 15 minutes long) will improve their cardio's fat loss potential.
Personally I do not believe that is the best option for fat loss.
Beta oxidation (of stored fat) doesn't kick in until about 10-15 minutes into our cardio session. This is because until then (about 15 minute mark) our body relies on ATP-CP/glycolysis, neither of which can break down the fat alone.
Fat (in our fat stores) MUST go through beta-oxidation before it can be broken in the KREBS cycle/ETC for energy.
EVERY article out of the Journal For Applied Physiology I've seen agrees, that the longer your bout of cardio is, the more fat you burn. Longer bouts of cardio, at around 50-60% VO2max have been clinically repeated time and time again to be THE best range to burn fat, and as the time increased the % of calories from fat increased as well (In the studies they measure that by strapping people to machines measuring their respiratory output. You can measure how much fat you burn vs. how much carbs you burn by measuring the amounts of O2 and CO2 in your exhaled breath).
Loudly touted HIIT (high intensity interval training) for example may cause a greater calorie deficit, however going from high to low intensity intervals will be taxing the ATP-CP/glycolysis/KREBS cycle... NOT beta oxidation. Until we get the FFAs moving (thru beta oxidation), our body will not use fat for energy, PERIOD. The greater calorie deficit will first and foremost come out of the "sugar stores" all over our body (glycogen in our liver, muscles, etc...) but NOT fat.
To Increase Efficiency of our Cardio we have to start with what everybody refers to as a "clean diet". But the term "clean diet" is so broad and often defined differently depending on who you're talking to.
For our purposes we'll be discussing a "clean diet" as it applies to FAT LOSS goals. You may or may not be a fan of some popular diets out there, but the most efficient diets for fat loss are:
- KETO
- Atkins
- SCD (Slow Carb Diet)
I'm not going to go into details on what they entail, you can look that up, however they all share one thing in common: turning off that insulin tap that has been running so freely for years, making you fat and putting you at risk of diabetes.
That's right. You should pick one, and stick to it. By limiting, or almost eliminating, dietary sugars/carbs, your body will be slowly "convinced" to turn off (turn down) the insulin production and start squirting out glucagon.
Glucagon is insulin's less famous brother responsible for triggering lipolysis (breakdown of stored fat into Free Fatty Acids - FFAs - and releasing them into the bloodstream).
Let's list some basic, logic, "HAVE TO's" for FAT loss. In order to start losing FAT you have to:
- reduce caloric intake (eat less calories throughout the day)
- increase caloric expenditure (move more)
- ensure your metabolism is more like a hyperactive kid as opposed to half asleep couch potato, by:
- eating small but frequent meals throughout the day (5-7)
- drinking water regularly throughout the day (avg. 1L per 25kg of body mass)
- some supplements can help here but they are just that: supplements!
OK... but what about "Increasing Efficiency of my Cardio"? ... well:
HIIT for 15 minutes will do 2 things:
- deplete any remaining glycogen
- kick off lipolysis via beta oxidation
You are now primed for FAT LOSS!
Now that your body is primarily using fat for energy (FFAs) it is time to burn that energy off. If you don't it will be stored right back where it came from!
Medium effort cardio (at around 50-60% VO2max) for minimum 30 minutes right about now is PERFECT for burning off all that fat being released into your bloodstream.
There are several different supplements (ie: caffeine) which can make the fat oxidation, and FFA utilization much more efficient then our bodies can muster on their own, however those will not be discussed in this post.
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