Conventional wisdom says the best way to build your fitness is to lace up your runners,  find your ‘Cardio Zone’  and stay there for 45-60 min several times per week.

But increasing evidence is piling up suggesting this is – in fact – not the best way to get lean, strong and fit and can actually be downright dangerous.

In part 1 of this blog I went pretty deep into the nuts and bolts of how the body responds to exercise and the broad effects of buying into the cardio myth.

In this post I want to get specific and look at some key by-products of chronic cardio and how that may be holding you back from reaching your health and fitness goals.

Let’s say you wanted to lose weight and improve your overall fitness, what would be your first step?

My guess is it would involve dusting off your old runners, hitting the treadmill (or stationary bike, stair-master etc) for 45-60min 3-5x/wk.  After all, keeping your heart rate in the ‘fat burning zone’ is a sure-bet to quick weight loss and strong ‘cardio’… right?

What if I told you that spending hours pounding the pavement each week isn’t the best strategy to get lean, strong and fit?

In fact, it can be downright dangerous.

Let’s be clear:  Health does NOT come from a bottle.

No matter how compelling the advertising or convincing the stories, there are no magic pills or super potions that magically make you healthy.

In a perfect world, the best source for all your nutrient requirements is from real food.  Whether its macro-nutrients (protein, fat, carbs) or micro-nutrients (vitamins & minerals) you are always going to be better off satisfying those requirements with real food.

But…

Squatting is one of the most fundamental movements we have as humans. In the final video of this 4 part video series Coach Rick – resident mobility specialist at Crossfit 613 – takes you through another series of simple squat tips.