New Rules of Lifting - Part 2

Here is where this book really converges especially nicely with The Cardio-Free Diet. Chapter 7 is titled "The Aerobics Myth" and he basically agrees with Mr. Karas that aerobics are not really necessary. He doesn't seem to agree that it is especially detrimental, but definitely concurs that it is not needed. He also mentions that endurance training is not needed to burn fat which is, of course, precisely the point that Mr. Karas makes so well and why I am really glad I got his book. Strength training, again, fits the bill perfectly. I am feeling extremely confident at this point that removing aerobics as a centerpiece of my weight loss efforts is not only something I can do, but should do.

I think what was so profound in understanding this philosophy is that your body cannot do both endurance and strength without choosing one over the other and it will choose endurance. And that is not the ideal. Strength gives so many benefits and Schuler explains this much better than I could, but he brings up a term called the "interference effect" in which muscle growth will be compromised by allowing endurance training to interfere. So, there you have it. Not only will it risk injury and make you hungry and exhausted, cardio/endurance actually makes your strength training less effective. Mr Karas, Mr. Schuler...thank you so much for making this so clear and simple and...logical.

The rest of the book is devoted to the specifics of the lifting program and to healthy eating. Very much worth the read. My advice. Get The Cardio Free Diet and The New Rules of Lifting. That's all you need to know all you need. I feel so enlightened now. And I also feel a little bad for getting so suckered into thinking that I need to be a long-distance runner to be healthy. I hate cardio, but I suffer through it...or have suffered through it in the past...because I thought I needed it. Now, I can feel at peace with the idea of doing the strength training with maybe some pilates when I have lost more weight to tighten the flab. I can't say I will never do any cardio like my Leslie Sansone tapes because I enjoy them. But they will not be my focus any longer.

I thought the idea of not doing cardio was nuts. Not anymore. I guess sometimes it's the realization that not being mainstream is not the same as being crazy is when you realize that, as with most things in life, sometimes the road less traveled is the wiser path.