How Cardio Was Keeping Me Fat: A CrossFit Champion's Perspective
How Cardio Was Keeping Me Fat: A CrossFit Champion's Perspective
Do you feel like you're doing everything right but still can't shed that extra belly fat? In this blog post, I'm going to show you how cardio may be the reason for your plateau and what to do instead. My name is Jason Grubb, a three-time CrossFit Games champion who started as an overweight 38-year-old with no athletic background.
Eat Real Food
The first step to shedding fat is to eat real food. Avoid processed food and prepare your meals with whole foods. As a rule of thumb, you want to eat about your body weight in grams of protein, especially if you're doing any kind of training. Eat enough carbohydrates in the form of fruits and starchy vegetables like potatoes and healthy fats to support your lifestyle. And remember, if it tastes sweet and it's not a fruit, spit it out.
Train Three to Five Days a Week
Train three to five days a week. Do short, fast workouts, medium-length workouts, and long workouts. Keep your body guessing what you're going to throw at it so that you're never bored and your body is in a constant state of surprise with every workout. Start with bodyweight workouts to lay a foundation of fitness and mobility. Then, you'll be ready for minimal equipment workouts with dumbbells or kettlebells. Finally, you'll be ready for full CrossFit workouts.
Hydrate
Hydrating appropriately isn't just good for you, it burns calories. Drinking an extra 16 ounces of water a day results in an extra 23 calories getting burned. Multiply that by 365 days, which is 17,000 extra calories burned. That's over 4.4 pounds of fat burning because of an extra 16 ounces of water every day.
Go the F to Sleep
Men who sleep only five to six hours a night have the same testosterone levels as men 10 years older than them. You're literally a decade older in your body when you only sleep five to six hours a night. And when you're hungry or snacky in the afternoon or late at night, it's often because you're exhausted and your brain often confuses tiredness with a sense of hunger.
Chill Out
Every time you're stressed, your body releases adrenaline and cortisol. All of that is done to give you the energy you would need to escape from a dangerous predator or a risky situation. You might find that snacking or reaching for that second serving provide some temporary relief, but in reality, over the long term, that's tacking on extra fat.
So, instead of trying to do more cardio to burn that extra fat, let's eat real food, train three to five days a week, hydrate like a champ, go the F to sleep, and reduce stress. And if you need help on the nutrition or fitness side of things, don't hesitate to reach out. I'd love to work with you. See you next time!
