How much cardio to lose weight is the question I’m asked the most as a personal trainer. Today I want to analyze an impressive body transformation I found on the internet that will show just how much cardio you need to lose weight.

Leon, on the picture below got 6-pack abs in just 6 weeks – many people will not even get these results in 6 months. Getting a 6-pack in 6 weeks is not easy and demands discipline and dedication and Leon clearly worked his ass off during this period. But was it mandatory to devote so much training time. I would say no – read on to learn why.

Link to Leons homepage from where I got the numbers used below.

How much cardio to lose weight? Important question and an answer that may surprise you

How much cardio to lose weight analyzed

Leon performed 8 hours of cardiovascular activity per week to get a 6-pack – was it necessary or was it a complete waste of time?

Let’s do the math:

• The fat loss period ran for 39 days.
• Leon lost 6.6 kilos of fat during this period. This is a total of (6.6 kilos x 7000 calories) = 46200 calories.
• His diet averaged 1736 calories a day during the fat loss phase.
• Leons BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) were 2863 calories per day. This number represents light daily activity with 3 strength training sessions a week. This way we can clearly see what 8 hours of cardio on top of this accomplish. See picture below. source
• The average deficit of calories per day was (2863 calories (BMR) – 1736 (average daily calories)) = 1127 calories.
• This is a total of (39 days x 1127 calories) = 43953 calories.
• We take the total calories from lost body fat and subtract the total deficit. This gives us (46200 – 43953) = 2247 calories.
• 2247 is the total calories burned from 40 total hours of cardio vascular activity – not even a pound of body fat for all that invested time and effort.
• It also tells us that if the calories eaten were lowered just 60 calories more per day (2247/39) he could have skipped all the extra activity, saved a bunch of training time and reached the same results.

Leons Basic Metabolic Rate

How much cardio to lose weight – the good news

This is actually good news for you. You don’t have to devote your entire life to training if you want to get really fit and lose body fat. Time is the most prominent excuse I hear from people who want to get in shape. This case study shows that diet is most important when you want to lose fat – not cardio and many hours devoted to training.

Support the diet with 2-3 strength training sessions a week and you can get tremendous result. If you can’t find 2-3 hours a week to exercise you don’t want it bad enough. 2-3 hours invested in yourself….. In my world it’s the best investment you can make and there is absolutely no excuse to not get it done.

How much cardio to lose weight – summary

As I have pointed out many times on my blog and in my Body Transformation Blueprint cardiovacular training lose big time when fat loss is the objective. Stay away from the giant cardio sections, aerobic classes and fitness centers promoting this nonsense and join a serious gym where they know how to get people in shape. You will regret it if you don’t!

Join Fortius Fitness Fitness below If you want a blueprint to a successful body transformation and learn precisely how much cardio to lose weight Is needed to get results. It’s free.

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