by Richard Tardif
If I said you could train in less time with three times the effect of traditional cardio and strength benefits as a result would you believe me? Probably not! That’s probably because, like me, traditional cardio (steppers, stationary bikes, treadmills and elliptical) have long been the guiding mantra to fat loss.
Today metabolic stacking, altering, adding or stacking medium to high intensity strength training with short-burst interval training can really stoke your metabolic fire and is revered by many trainers. This will get your attention. You will burn more calories after you leave the gym, or dojo or wherever you train. Oh yeah, there are drawbacks! They. Are. Hard. To. Do. That’s the point.
“Intense strength exercises are nearly impossible to perform while out of breath but at a lower threshold the two can be combined,” says Zackary Finley, Master Instructor and owner of the Dorval based Mouvnation.
“Circuit training works well this way by alternating strength and interval cardio stations to provide a full body complete workout.” Metabolic Stacking is a term attributed to and popularized by Mike Whitfield, the creator of the Workout Finishers program, or what is often referred to as ‘character building” finishers, though the first known Ironman athletes in Southern California were known for using stacking and finishers in the 1970s.
“The benefits to this approach are huge for beginners and intermediate members,” Finley said. 
“Interval cardio bursts are fun, very satisfying psychologically and create depleted oxygen levels that keep the body burning fat after each session. The workouts are short and thereby more time convenient, and the combination of cardio and strength more closely mimics life and sports than common gym training where each is done separately.”
It involves combing three different elements together in an aim to improve fat loss.
First, density training is where you perform more exercise in the same or less amount of time than you would usually. Whitfield describes it as sacrificing time in your rest periods in order to complete more exercise in a given time frame.
Second, active recovery, not suited for beginners, is where you’re still putting some sort of physical stress on your body in your ‘rest’ periods. The hip raise, which all of my clients learn, is where I instruct people to hold for one second at the top thrust and squeeze, and then lower.
Third, strategic rest periods use the correct work to rest period ratio in your workouts, and four, high volume using unique set and rep schemes. You can change the way you perform a repetitions. Adding straps around the outer thighs increases resistance, for one example, to hip raises.
Quickly, in one study researchers used a circuit training protocol of 12 sets in 31 minutes followed by a measurement of an EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption), or calories burned, after exercise. The findings indicate this form of metabolic resistance training increased post-workout metabolism anywhere from 20 to 38 hours. That’s one heck of a conclusion. This bears consideration.
A similar study adding metabolic resistance training and stacking three times a week over a three week period to a reduced calorie intake shed up to 44 percent more fat, while maintaining muscle mass compared to those who dieted alone. “The benefits to this approach are huge for beginners and intermediate members,” Finley said.
“Interval cardio bursts are fun, very satisfying psychologically and create depleted oxygen levels that keep the body burning fat after the session. The workouts are short and thereby more time convenient, and the combination of cardio and strength more closely mimics life and sports than common gym training where each is done separately.”MS seems to be heavily beating on traditional cardio.
It’s my turn to say, “Cardio sucks”.
Before we push on, let’s examine some of those criticisms for traditional cardio. I have problems with the traditional cardio as a sure-fire method to fat loss, as do many people today. I never lost fat on those machines. I am not anti steady-state cardio for enjoyment once in a while, or for beginning rehab or even to diversify your pace of training, but I am when it comes to it being considered a panacea to fat loss and its potential for injury.
First, traditional cardio is great as an entry-level activity for beginners. It requires very little knowledge or skill. There is an illusion you are having an effective workout; elevated heart rate, beads of sweat (which is not an indicator of fat loss) and you even have feedback, albeit from a fixed machine, of the calories you may be burning. These calorie-counters are notoriously inaccurate creating a false impression that you are burning more calories.
Second, you won’t build much strength, power, or muscle doing the same thing day in, and day out. You won’t burn any significant amount of fat. This goes against the grain that cardio, and more and more cardio is the ticket to faster fat loss.
Third, what troubles me more about traditional steady state cardio is the amount of time performing the same fixed movements. The more load on one area of the body increases the risk of injury, and inevitably halts training. When I used to do cardio on machines I would change machines after ten minutes to avoid being fixed to one machine. Today I do not train on machines.
Fourth, the body becomes more efficient with steady state cardio, which means over time it burns less of those calories performing the same activity. Steady state cardio has been discussed as having a “glass ceiling” on how intense it can be. You would need to go faster, or longer, until the body becomes efficient at this new level. This increases the risk of injury. I hear it all the time. “My legs are always sore.” When asked how often one does machine cardio I get the ‘everyday” response, and usually ‘everyday’ is done on the same machine.
Fifth, heavy amounts of steady-state cardio training has been known to devour muscle mass. Muscles help you burn calories throughout the day. Thirty-minute sessions, six days a week may be working against you. You are not working the muscles.
You are better off implementing some serious changes with your diet. Do some muscle work thorough lifting or bodyweight workouts.
Expect the cardio in HIIT to be pushed
With HIIT you can increase the intensity of work periods in various ways like adding more speed or resistance, or you can cut back the amount of rest breaks. High intensity short bursts with limited rest between sets seem to maximize cardiovascular performance and build muscle. You are moving from cardio (aerobic) to strength (anaerobic), cardio to strength and so on, with some finishers to push you beyond your expectations of your own limits.
“Expect the cardio to be pushed,” advises Finley. “Expect yourself to get stronger and to rapidly lose body fat. Expect a variety of exercises that are functional and will challenge you in new ways during each session. This keeps the body guessing.”
How about that energy?
When 33-year old Emilie Bourque began early morning training all she wanted was more energy throughout the workday. Being spring we took to outdoor training. A Marketing Director for a technology firm, and a mother of two she thought she would be lunging, squatting and running track with some lifting. She also was recovering from a knee injury related to three to five times a week of running. She even ran a few 21k races and plenty of 10k races.
Well, I left Emilie breathless, but in the living, the first morning. By three in the afternoon I asked her by text about her energy level. It was high. And she knew why.
“In one word? Efficiency,” she said. “I love starting a day with that kind of training. It’s fun and I feel energized all day. Usually, I have a down turn of energy by mid afternoon. It’s harder to work and to concentrate. Now, when I have the morning training, I have more energy all day and my mind is active.”
“I definitely approach training differently,” she admits. “I know it’s possible to make short, but intensive training sessions for results. Also, that way, I am able to work a lot of muscle at the same time instead of focusing on only one area.”
The result is increased work capacity, and enhanced local muscular endurance.
Another result is how the mind works during HIIT. There is no counting repetitions or sets. This sets you in a completely different frame of mind. You focus on technique, form and execution. During the short breaks you focus on your breathing. When you feel you cannot do anymore but you have ten seconds remaining, your mind is on focus to motivate yourself.
Oh yeah, there are drawbacks! They. Are. Hard. To. Do. That’s the point.
Because they are hard to do trainers cannot bring a new client to them right away. With Emilie, with a history of weight lifting and various cardio experiences over the years, she was somewhat primed. I met her at her level. For some clients laying hip raises were out of the question, but a band attached to a wall and wrapped around the hips in a standing position, this movement can be performed. With time, clients get the idea, adapt and then progress to the floor.
“HIIT is not the only option and not suitable in certain scenarios but in terms of bang for your buck it is a great approach and gives a balance of all the things you are looking for with beginners or intermediates to accomplish,” said Finley.
Richard Tardif is a personal fitness trainer, health & fitness author, speaker and an award-winning journalist. Richard’s first book Stop the Denial: A Case for Embracing the Truth About Fitness, challenges, surprises, and inspires you to embrace a fitness lifestyle that will work in achieving your individual goals.
