Yes , cardio is great for your cardiovascular health , but we also know it can contribute toward your metabolic rate when used strategically . Today , on QuickWits , I'm going to share one unique strategy you might not have thought of before to ramp up and supercharge your metabolism when it comes to using cardio . Welcome to the Wits and Weights podcast . I'm your host , phillip Pape , and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger , optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition . We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement , metabolism , muscle and mindset , with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry , so you can look and feel your absolute best . Let's dive right in . Welcome to another QuickWits , where we uncover the secrets to smarter training . Today , we're diving into a very intriguing concept the idea that doing cardio you are not proficient at is a smart way to incorporate it strategically and increase your metabolic rate . Let's break this down a little bit . I heard about this technique from Brian Borestein , who was on the podcast recently . He was saying that sometimes we tend to use the same cardio over and over . I'm not just talking about walking . I'm talking about more medium intense forms of cardio . Maybe it's biking , maybe it's swimming , maybe it's pushing a prowler . Whatever your form of cardio tends to be , he said , your body adapts to that and it adapts to it in the form of specificity , meaning when you keep doing something over and over again , your body becomes more conservative and efficient . When we're trying to use cardio strategically to add a little bit of extra calorie burn to our metabolic rate , which can be helpful at maintenance , helpful in fat loss especially , his suggestion was just do something that you were totally new at , you haven't done it in a while You're clumsy at , and your body will basically say whoa , what is this ? I'm trying to figure it all out . It's like newbie gains on cardio , where your body will just ramp up its calorie burn because you're trying to figure out what this new movement is . We're basically counteracting this wonderful thing our body does , which is adapt . Your body adapts , it gets stronger when you lift weights . Your body adapts , it gets more efficient when you do cardio .
Philip PapeIt's not ideal if your goal is to maximize that metabolic rate , mix it up , incorporate modalities that you are less familiar with or , frankly , that you find challenging things you may not look entirely forward to , but you're still cool doing it and knowing that will actually make your body work quite a bit harder for every input of work you put into it . This unfamiliar territory then requires more energy , and that then boosts your calorie expenditure . It's a mental game like anything else . Right , facing and overcoming challenges in your workout can be a satisfying thing . Look at this as a positive . It might reignite your passion for cardio in some way to look forward to different modalities .
Philip PapeAlways remember that comfort zones are comfortable in all aspects of our fitness because we're not really growing there . Our body has gotten used to that . By stepping into something that challenges us even yes , different forms of cardio sure we're going to build more calories . We're also going to continue to push the needle on that mental toughness and that resilience . All right , until next time , I want you to push your limits , expand that comfort zone and keep exploring new ways to stay fit . Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Wits and Weights . If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their wits or weights , please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode . Until then , stay strong .