Because almost all of the exercise science studies performed in the 70's through
the early 90's were done on distance running.
From there we got the messages that:
i) To lose fat, you had to do long, slow endurance training. Clearly, we know this
is false. Nutrition is the most important aspect of fat loss.
ii) That we should eat a high-carbohydrate diet. This message, while generally true
for endurance athletes, was broadly applied to fat loss. So we were subjected to
that hideous low-fat, high-carb phase in the 90's where we were urged to eat Snackwell
low-fat cookies with no regard to the sugar and calorie content.
iii) Beginners should get out on high-volume, walk-run programs. Now while it is
important to get people out and exercising, high-volume activities for underprepared
beginner muscles are going to cause injury fast. And that's what happened to most
people that tried to take up running.
iv) Too many cardio enthusiasts had the wrong mentality of, "If I go for a
5 mile run, I can have some juice and cookies as a reward". Needless to say,
that didn't help anyone lose fat.
The end result?
This high-cardio, high-carb approach to fitness and fat loss left many men and women
with thunder thighs, saddle bags, and chronic running injuries.
Fast-forward to this decade, and the mainstream media is finally starting to see
the benefits of strength training and interval training for both fat loss and the
cardiovascular system.
Not too mention people are finally getting their nutrition right. And it's so simple:
- lots of fruits and vegetables (rarely does anyone get enough)
- lean protein
- healthy fats
- fiber-rich low-glycemic carbohydrates
Dr. Chris Mohr gives dozens of options for each in the TT Fat Loss Nutrition Guidelines.
So eat right, train right, and be safe.
Sincerely,
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training
P.S. Okay, so you don't want to give up running?
At least train your body correctly with Turbulence Training. It trains the muscles
that running neglects, and promises to put more power into your hill running.