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When most people decide to lose weight, the first thought is usually: I need to do more cardio. Running, cycling, endless hours on the elliptical—because more movement equals more calories burned, right?
Not exactly.
If you’re trying to drop body fat, cardio can help, but there’s a sweet spot. Do too little, and it doesn’t move the needle. Do too much, and your body adapts, making it less effective. Worse, excessive cardio can ramp up your hunger, drain your energy, and even make you more likely to lose muscle instead of fat.
So, how do you use cardio the right way?
Your body is built to survive. When you increase your activity, your metabolism doesn’t just keep burning more and more calories—it adapts. The more cardio you do, the less efficient it becomes for fat loss.
Think about it like this: If you’ve ever started a new workout routine, you probably felt exhausted at first. But after a few weeks, what used to feel brutal becomes easier. That’s because your body has adapted. The same thing happens with cardio. Over time, your body finds ways to conserve energy, making each session burn fewer calories than before.
There’s also the hunger factor. After a long run or an intense cardio session, many people feel starving and end up eating more than they realize—sometimes wiping out the calorie burn completely.
Fat loss is mostly about controlling your calorie intake. If your diet isn’t in check, no amount of cardio will fix it.
The mistake many people make is thinking they can outwork a bad diet. They’ll do an extra 30 minutes on the treadmill and then eat whatever they want, assuming it cancels out. But the reality is, it’s much easier to not eat 300 extra calories than to burn them off through exercise.
This doesn’t mean cardio is useless. It has major benefits for heart health, endurance, and general fitness. But when it comes to losing fat, it’s not the primary driver—your diet is.
So how much cardio should you do? It depends on your goals, but here’s a solid starting point:
If you’re already strength training, getting in daily movement, and keeping your diet in check, then cardio can be a useful tool to push fat loss a little further. But it’s not the foundation.
If your plan is “run more and eat less,” you’re setting yourself up for frustration. Instead, focus on these three things:
Fat loss doesn’t have to mean hours of cardio every week. If you’re in the Newark, Delaware, area and want a plan that actually works, book a No-Sweat Intro with a Hardbat Athletics coach. We’ll help you set up a smart, sustainable plan so you can get lean without burning yourself out.
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