Myths That Keep Gay Men From Reaching Their Ideal Body: Cardio Myth 1
Introduction
Most gay men turn to the treadmill when they want to get more toned or defined. Cardio seems like the most logical choice:
It's active and feels like you are doing something
It makes you sweat
Machines and wearable devices show calories burned
It comes up in almost all the fat loss plans on social media
The truth is cardio is just a tool. Just as using a saw to assemble furniture, the right tool for the wrong job won't get you the results you want.
If the goal is to build a lean, muscular physique that turns heads and makes you feel confident then it's time to break free from two of the biggest cardio myths keeping gay men stuck.
MYTH 1
Fat Burned During Cardio Is What I Need To Focus On
At first, this myth makes sense. It doesn't take long on social media for you to hear of the "fat-burning zone" and crank up the treadmill incline to maximize the fat burned in that session.
Here's how this actually works:
Your body uses both carbs and fat for energy throughout the day
Low-intensive cardio burns a higher percentage of fat during the session
High-intensity cardio burns more carbs
Based on this, wouldn't that mean that low-intensity cardio is better for fat loss? Not really. Here's why: after your workout is done, your body balances this out. If you burned mostly fat during the cardio session, your body will switch to burning more carbs later in the day and vice versa for fat.
Bottom-line is that the fuel source you burn during the workout isn't what drives fat loss. What matters most is energy balance. Calories in and calories out are what matter when maintaining muscle mass. This is why obsessing about the "fat-burning zone" is a waste of time.
MYTH 2
You Should Use Cardio To Offset What You Eat In A Day
This is so common when people are looking to lose fat or weight. You grab a donut in the break room, then think you will burn it off on the stair-master later in the day. Here's the problem with that thinking:
A latte or donut can take hours to burn off with cardio
Trying to burn off food with cardio leads to frustration, exhaustion, and an unsustainable habit
Just doing cardio in a calorie deficit (when you eat less than your body burns in a day) suppresses your metabolism
Here's why cardio alone when you're in a caloric deficit creates a big issue:
Muscle Loss - without resistance training, your body breaks down muscle along with fat. Less muscle means a slower metabolism since muscle takes more energy to maintain
Metabolic Adaptation - with less food coming in and no resistance training, your body adapts over time to burn fewer calories when it's at rest. This is called adaptive thermogenesis, and it makes fat loss slower over time.
Hormonal Disruption - in an extreme deficit without resistance training, hormones like testosterone, thyroid hormones, and leptin drop. This makes it harder to lose fat and easier to gain it back later.
Cardio shouldn't be your "punishment" for eating foods you knew you shouldn't have eaten to begin with or your main fat-loss strategy. If you treat it this way, you'll lose muscle, lower your metabolism, and regain the pounds you lose more easily.
A Better Way Forward
Cardio has its place. It's fantastic for:
Heart health
Sexual performance
Endurance
Recovery
But if the goal is to achieve the strong, lean, toned body that makes you feel confident, you want to focus on
Prioritizing strength training to preserve and potentially build muscle while in a caloric deficit
Use cardio strategically, not as a punishment, to support your overall activity levels and cardiovascular fitness
Focus on energy balance of calories in and out, primarily only accounting for food intake, not the fat you think you burned in the session
Support your metabolism by eating enough protein, lifting weights, and keeping your non-exercise activity high (walking and moving throughout the day)
When you do this, you will stop spinning your wheels will the cardio myths and build a sustainable body that looks good, feels strong, and is energized.
Want To Learn More?
If you would like to learn more about this for free I made the Shredded, Not Scrawny guide and a free training video to assist you: https://b.link/cardio1
Built For You
If you would like a more specific plan built to account for you, your life, your obstacles, and your goal, buy a training program. On your onboarding call, we will see you came from this post and take you down a different process to build something specific to you.
To get a program click here: https://b.link/startcardio1
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Myths That Keep Gay Men From Reaching Their Ideal Body: Cardio Myth 2
