Most Asked Fitness Questions, Answered.
Is cardio good for fat loss?
Answer: Yes, and...
Explanation: Despite popular belief, cardio is great for fat loss. Why? Well, the more you do it and the better you get at it, the better you’ll become at burning calories and burning fat. You will effectively become a “better butter burner.” Most people opt out of doing a cardiovascular activity because they’re lazy. You’ll hear people in the gym who’re prioritizing muscle gain say they don’t “do cardio” because it’ll break down the muscle they’re working so hard to build. Don’t listen to those assholes, they don’t want good for you. In fact, you should run far away from people like that. Do you know what’s a muscle? You’re heart. Your heart is the muscle, the most important one. If you’re not working out your heart then you’ve clearly completely missed the point when it comes to holistic and wholesome training. The benefits of cardio are plenty, so if you want to learn more about those benefits, you should read an older blog post of mine, here. I would like to point out, though, that when including cardiovascular activity into your program, the goal really should be to improve your anaerobic and aerobic capacity, not necessarily fat loss.
How to improve Vo2 max?
Answer: Sprint.
Explanation: Improving your Vo2 max is simple, though not easy. Vo2 max is your maximal oxygen uptake, which means you have to push yourself to that maximum limit in order to move the needle. “HIIT,” high-intensity interval training, is a great way to improve your Vo2 max, but unfortunately people do it wrong. People don’t actually go hard enough to really even make a difference, and what’s even more important than that is, they don’t rest long enough. High-intensity interval training needs to be high intensity, all-out, max effort, and nothing less. Anything less should not even be considered HIIT; you may as well call it a circuit. So, you want to improve your Vo2 max? Sprint (all out, max effort), recover fully and repeat.
How to contour abs?
Answer: You can’t. Unless you’re Michelangelo and you have some marble to spare.
Explanation: I, myself, get asked this question all the time. And, anytime I’m asked, I cringe and kindly ask for clarification. When you say “contour,” what exactly do you mean? If you really mean “contour,” we could just head over to Sephora and take care of that. Kidding, kidding, I digress. I am clever enough to know that when most people say they want to “contour” their abs, they mean they want to be able to see their abs make them more defined. This is a hard question to answer because it is very person-specific. One person might need to build muscle mass while another might need to lose fat, and then you might actually need to do both. So, really there’s no universal answer to this question. But, what I will say is that everyone can benefit from strengthening their core, and as you’re doing so make sure you’re really challenging yourself and progressively overloading the muscles.
How to estimate body fat?
Answer: You don’t.
Explanation: You can go out and buy a caliper, get a DEXA scan, or one of those scales that measures body fat, whatever it is, I personally suggest you don’t. Don’t do any of it. The only thing you should do is Google, "body fat percentage chart",” and then take an educated guess, because that’s really all you need. You need a range, an idea. Knowing your specific body fat percentage doesn’t do anything. When you figure out what range you’re in, then you can create an action plan if you have some sort of body fat percentage related goal.
How to workout at home?
Answer: Just do it.
Explanation: I hate to be that person, but if you want to workout at home you literally just have to start. The longer you research questions like “how to workout at home,” the more time you actually waste not working out. There are thousands of home workouts online that you can find, so just choose one and change it when you get bored. Anything really is better than nothing, if “nothing” is what you’re doing right now. Now in making this decision, I suggest you choose something that is genuinely challenging and maybe even exciting, though the latter isn’t a requirement because you really should be exercising and working out regardless of whether or not you think it’s fun or exciting, it’s a good measurement to consider. When working out at home, I’ve found that circuit-style workouts work best, as you’re able to “get in and get out,” there isn’t much sitting around or waiting between sets. Quick tip: look into flows based workouts and kettlebell training. These modalities really shine in situations where you don’t have access to a traditional facility or gym space.
