The Cardio-Free Diet – Can It Help with Weight Loss?

If you're addicted to the treadmill or elliptical machine, but still haven't been able to peel off those extra pounds, maybe it's time to quit your usual fitness circuit completely. That's what fitness expert Jim Karas suggest in his book The Cardio-Free Diet. Instead of increasing your metabolism with a heart-pumping aerobic routine, Karas encourages dieters to stick with resistance training and weightlifting instead. His theory is that too much cardio only puts more stress on the heart and cardiovascular system, and actually limits the body's ability to burn fat.

Can The Cardio-Free Dietreally help you lose weight? Here's what you to know before jumping off that treadmill for good:
The Premises of The Cardio-Free Diet

When most people start to think about losing weight, they head to the treadmill, elliptical machine or stationary bike to ‘burn calories' quickly. However, many bodybuilders and athletes turn to the weight benches when they want to lose fat fast and get in shape. The Cardio-Free Diet is designed with this key principle, and encourages dieters to try non-traditional forms of exercises to boost their metabolism and increase the rate of fat burning.
The Downside of Cardio

Karas outlines the key reasons why people should refrain from excessive cardio routines; these include:

• Severe injuries to core muscle groups and joints

• Risk of performing exercises with poor posture

• Spending hours ‘working out' with little or no results

• A noticeable increase in appetite that often leads to overeating

• Frustration when not seeing the right results

• Risk of losing muscle with too much aerobic activity, thereby lowering the resting metabolic rate

If Karas's theory is correct, most people will benefit from limiting cardio routines to very brief sessions a few times per week and increasing the amount of weight bearing and resistance exercises. The goal of The Cardio-Free Diet is to increase lean muscle mass so that fat and calorie-burning takes effect 24 hours per day. Increasing the resting calorie-burning rate is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off for the long-term.
How to Get Started with The Cardio-Free Diet

Since you will need to incorporate more strength training routines into your fitness routine, eliminating most of your usual cardio circuits is the first step in getting started. Performing different types of resistance exercises and moving through the motions of a weight bearing routine can help increase strength and stamina, and also trigger muscle building. Over time, the body's metabolism will steadily increase and make it much easier for you to lose weight. Exercises may include:

• Free-weight lifting

• Bench presses

• Leg lifts

• Barbell lifts and squats

• Abdominal crunches with a machine

• Lateral pulldowns

Bottom Line: The Cardio-Free Diet may be a stretch for many fitness enthusiasts and athletes who have been sticking with their aerobics routines for years. However, the principles are followed by several fitness experts and professional bodybuilders, especially those who have been able to lose body fat in a very short period of time. Hitting the weights more often and eating a healthy diet may help you lose excess weight and keep it off for the long-term; cardio activities can be included into your fitness activities to keep your heart in great shape, but these types of exercises will likely have a minimal impact on your physique.