07/05/2026
You're training hard. You're showing up. And the scale still isn't moving.
Here's what nobody tells you. Your cardio sessions are working against your fat loss goals, and it's not your fault for not knowing this.
Long cardio sessions spike ghrelin, the hormone screaming at you to eat, and suppress leptin, the one that tells you you're full. So you finish the run feeling proud, then an hour later you're standing in the kitchen wondering why you can't stop eating. That's not weakness.
That's your cardio doing exactly what it's designed to do.
Now personally, I run. I sprint. I use it to build my cardiovascular fitness and my athleticism and I think it's one of the best things you can do for your body. But I run because I want a strong heart, not because I want to burn fat. The heart is one of the most important muscles you have and cardio does an incredible job of keeping it strong. That's what it's there for.
Everything has a purpose. Cardio's purpose is heart health and conditioning. Resistance training's purpose is body composition. When you understand that, you stop expecting cardio to do a job it was never designed for.
If fat loss is the goal, build muscle. Prioritise your lifting. That's what shifts your body from the inside out, long after you leave the gym.
Save this post if it gave you a different way of looking at things. And drop a comment below, do you currently run or do cardio as part of your routine? Would love to know what it looks like for you.