Steps Vs Cardio for Fat Loss + My First Show
Happy Monday!
Today at a glance:
Quick breakdown of a fat loss question I got this week concerning steps vs cardio for a fat loss plan + a personal life update.
One of the most confusing topics in fitness is cardio and fat loss.
Do you need to do cardio?
When people think fat loss, one of the first images that pops into mind is someone sweating away on a treadmill.
But then it’s becoming more and more for coaches/influencers to proclaim that you don’t need to do any cardio for fat loss.
One of my clients wants to lose weight for May, and asked me for some advice.
One of his questions was whether he should prioritize cardio sessions or a step count in his fat loss plan.
These aren’t mutually exclusive as (obviously) cardio adds steps.
But the answer to what you should focus on is STEPS.
Steps are a proxy for your overall movement.
You’ll rack up steps going for walks or doing cardio…
But you’ll also rack up steps cleaning your house, doing meal prep, or doing anything that involves activity.
To lose fat, the 2 levers you have are your caloric intake and your overall steps.
You should choose a step goal to hit that is manageable but significant enough to move the needle.
How you get those steps depends on your preferences and your lifestyle
If you’re extremely time-poor and work a sedentary job, cardio is a good solution.
You can go for a light jog on a treadmill or a different machine and rack up ~8000 steps in 30 minutes.
If you work an active job, say as a server, it’s a completely different ball game as your daily activities will involve a high step count, so you would not need to add any additional cardio to increase your steps.
Bottom Line:
Your daily step average is the most important thing to focus on for fat loss.
This should be high, at least 10k and ideally 12-13k.
Look at your schedule and come up with the best approach for how you can attain that.
When can you fit in daily walks?
Does it make sense to add in 2-4 cardio sessions per week?
How can you creatively add more movement throughout your day?
You may find that in your circumstance, adding some cardio sessions is the most effective way to hit your step goal.
But “cardio” (as in using a cardio machine at the gym) isn’t the #1 focus.
It’s all about that daily step count.
For fat loss, cardio is a tool that can help you achieve it.
I first had the idea to do a natural Men’s Physique show back in late 2021.
But with all the COVID-related gym closures, consistent training (and the availability of the show itself) seemed dubious.
Instead, I got very lean and did my first fitness photo shoot in 2022.
Then, last year, I signed up for a show and failed to see it through.
I haven’t told many people this.
The show was in September, and I would have had to diet down right through summer. I guess I didn’t want it badly enough last year, and at some point, I threw in the towel and decided it wasn’t the right time.
This has been quietly eating at me, but I mostly put it out of my mind.
I wasn’t planning on doing a show this year; this year, I was going to mainly focus on building strength.
Then, last week, I got an email that my WNBF (Natural Bodybuilding Federation) membership that I’d had to get to register for the show in 2023 was expiring.
The frustration came flooding back.
I’ve thought about doing this for about 3 years now and haven’t made it happen…
I checked the available shows this year.
The one in Vancouver (where I live) was a bit too close (I’d only have 8.5 weeks of prep time).
But the one in Kelowna, a smaller Canadian city about a 4-hour drive from Vancouver, was exactly 12 weeks away.
12 weeks is a solid enough prep time, especially since I’m not that out of shape at the moment.
I took the day to mull it over, and then I pulled the trigger.
Quitting is not an option this time.
This is going to be my first athletic event since beginning training about 5.5 years ago (it’s about time).
While this is my first show, it’s not my first rodeo getting incredibly lean (IE, the photoshoot I did in 2022).
I made some mistakes that time, and I’m determined to pull off a well-executed prep this time.
So, coming to this letter will be a lot of content on well-structured fat loss, training, nutrition, and documentation of the process in general.
If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on X, where I’ll be documenting my diet and training in more detail.
I’m planning on providing lots of value relating to training, nutrition, recovery, and sleep over the next few weeks.
As always, my goal is to make this letter worth your valuable attention.
I appreciate your reading!
Cheers,
Colin