Is Cardio Necessary?

Whether you’re looking to get ripped six pack abs…

...or you just want to lose some of that extra belly fat...

You probably think that you need to start adding a good amount of cardio to your exercise routine.

And it’s no secret that, well, cardio is no fun.

Who wants to spend hours per week on a treadmill, running like a zombie on the human version of a hamster wheel…

...boring network TV reruns blaring on a small screen lodged in front of your face, trying to distract you from the monotonous torture of your current situation?

OK, maybe it’s not THAT bad. But it’s still not something most people look forward to.

But what if I told you that cardio wasn’t necessary to lose fat?

That you could absolutely develop a strong, well-defined six pack without even stepping on a single hamster wheel (err… treadmill) ever again?

Well today’s your lucky day, because it’s the truth.

You do NOT have to do any cardio at all to lose fat - it’s totally unnecessary.

In fact, the very people that benefit the MOST from cardio are those who are already lean and fit!

OK, let’s explain…

In order to understand why cardio isn’t necessary, we have to review the GOLDEN RULE of weight loss.

(Which also happens to be one of the most important principles you’ll need to understand to get the most out of the next few emails in THE 7 DAY REBOOT… so listen up!)

The GOLDEN RULE is this:

Your body has to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight.

In other words, weight loss is all about energy balance, and the way it works is quite simple:

If the amount of calories consumed (energy in) is greater than the calories burned (energy out), then you will GAIN weight.

If the amount of calories consumed (energy in) is less than than the calories burned (energy out), then you will LOSE weight.

For those of you who aren’t afraid of math, the equation would look like this:

Calories Consumed - Calories Burned = Net Weight Gain / Loss

So here’s the thing…

If you want to lose weight, you can either DECREASE the amount of calories consumed (diet) or INCREASE the amount of calories burned (exercise), or both.

Now let’s bring it back to CARDIO, and why cardio is totally unnecessary for weight loss…

Let’s say that you need to reach a 500 calorie deficit in order to lose 1 pound per week.

Well, you have a few ways to accomplish this calorie deficit:

a) Do enough cardio per day to burn 500 calories (increase calories burned through exercise).
b) Eat 500 fewer calories per day (decrease calories consumed through diet).
c) Reach the 500 calorie deficit with a combination of diet and exercise.

Remember when I said that the people who benefit most from cardio are the ones who are already lean and fit?

That’s because in order to burn 500 calories through cardio alone - Option A - you need to be running at a moderate intensity for over an HOUR on the treadmill.

Well, who do you think is physically fit enough to be able to run at moderate intensity for over an hour?

That’s right, folks who are already lean and in good shape.

And that’s why Option A isn’t really an option for most people...

Because if you’re overweight and out of shape, it’s going to be verydifficult to accomplish any sort of significant calorie burning through cardio alone.

Which leaves Option B and Option C - both options that include a dietary component.

In other words, if you want to lose weight, you’re going to have to adjust your diet and start eating less.

By consuming fewer calories every day, you will put yourself on the path to steady, consistent weight loss.

So why did we say that cardio is totally unnecessary?

Because it is! You can get to your 500 calorie deficit by diet alone - Option B - and that’s a perfectly good option for many people.

In fact, many of our personal training clients have seen staggering fat loss results through diet alone.

But just because cardio isn’t necessary doesn’t mean that it can’t behelpful.

Adding cardio to your exercise routine can absolutely help the weight loss process move FASTER, and allows you to get away with slightly less strict dieting…

...but it doesn’t change the fact that your diet still needs to be in check.

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