Why I hate the treadmill
Monday, April 19, 2010
When people first meet me, they are often shocked when they ask me the question: "Which is the best setting on the X-trainer for fat loss" and my response is to advice them not to spend any longer than a few minutes on these machines when the goal is fat loss. My opinion that aerobic work does nothing for your physique (other than strip you of any of that unwanted muscle mass you have worked so hard for) is no secret to my clients. However, I often find myself repeating my reasons for believing this over and over again. People do not seem to want to hear that the 45 minutes of reading they did whilst sat on an exercise bike did about as much for their body composition and general health as cutting one of their limbs off.
The reasons I do not like aerobic work, or "cardio", are many and detailed. Below I have listed a few of the most obvious reasons that this type of workout should be left for those with no interest in looking better.
1. Any exercise that can be done watching Jeremy Kyle is NOT conducive to fat loss.
If you are telling me that you can work intensely whilst reading a magazine, watching TV, eating lunch or balancing your cheque book then you are seriously mistaken.
2. Any exercise that catabolises muscle is NOT going to get you lean and beach-ready.
Doing prolonged aerobic work "burns" muscle tissue for fuel. The less muscle you have, the lower your metabolism is and the lower your metabolism is the slower you metabolise fat stores and get lean. Plus, a body without muscle is a body without shape.
3. When did taking the easiest option get anyone anywhere?
The exercise bike is easy, the X-trainer is easy and the treadmill is easy. This is the main reason why they are so popular in commercial gyms! All you do is hop on, in a nice neat line with all of the other zombies, and start churning away. They take the thought, effort and result out of exercise, so do not waste your gym membership paying to perform an activity that used to be used to power back-up generators.
If you want to lose weight, get in shape, get healthy and enjoy life then train harder, train more efficiently and seek the help of a professional who can save you years of heart-ache and zero results. Leave the treadmill alone!