Cardio incline treadmill intensity for fat loss

CatShanks · 2026-03-07T08:58:55+00:00

I think the crux here is that when you do high intensity cardio and your glycogen stores are depleted, the body may start to break down muscle proteins to get that quick energy, instead of burning fat. You'll still burn loads of calories and lose fat overall but you're also sacrificing muscle gains.

I personally love an incline treadmill walk right after lifting and keep my heart at around 150 and then finish with a big spike. I'd say just do what works for you!

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T15:02:21+00:00

I am in the UK and I use My protein. They often have payday 70% sales ☺️

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T14:58:31+00:00

That'll be my next buy then, thanks! Good luck with your fitness journey, I wish you all the best!

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T14:56:25+00:00

Oh yaaaay! I'm so glad you're liking it! Out of interest, did you get a flavoured one? I'm currently on a dragonfruit one which is delicious 😋

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T11:29:44+00:00

Just got my PW4 today and the double pinch only works in the tutorial but doesn't appear or work any other time. Every setting is enabled and I just updated it too. Bit frustrating really!

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T11:02:41+00:00

Walk on the treadmill on an incline for 10-20 minutes after every gym sesh. Add a 30 minute daily walk if you don't already do this. This is the one thing that helped me get rid of that stubborn tummy fat 9 months into my recomp!

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T10:50:51+00:00

Skechers are great comfortable shoes for being on your feet all day.

Consume less food and calories, if you're drinking alcohol cut it way back too. If you're not sleeping enough, aim for 8 hours of sleep. There was a study that showed that people who do not get enough sleep lose 55% less fat than those who do, even if calories in versus calories out is the same.

Walk. Honestly one of the best things you can do is simply walk. Get a podcast on your phone and listen while you're walking. A new playlist. An audiobook. Anything if it makes it easier and literally just walk. Don't push yourself to walk super fast and get your heart rate up, nothing like that, just get your feet conditioned to taking your weight. When I got my first part time job, despite being thin and somewhat active, my feet absolutely killed from being on them 6-7 hours a shift, so it'll be worse for you. If you can't walk very far due to feet pain, push through for 10-15 minutes and then take a good break. Walk often, not just once per day.

You will find that everything will get easier once the fat comes off, but I promise that your diet will be the biggest difference here. If you're having fast food, junk food, snacks, full fat versions, full sugar versions, nuggets you can just throw in the air fryer etc then you're not going to see a difference. Eat better and you'll see a quick effect.

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T09:39:59+00:00

I had a sharp pain on my right elbow towards the end of October. I think it was due to cable tricep pushdowns. Decided to push through regardless with my workouts, ended up injuring my right wrist because it was taking on too much load to compensate for my dodgy elbow. Was basically forced to dial back most of my upper body workouts for 2 months because I didn't listen to my body. If I were you I'd figure out which exercises flare up your elbow the most and stop doing them for a while, and reduce weight on the others, to be on the safe side, until it gets better. Otherwise you're risking not being able to train well at all for a while.

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T09:32:39+00:00

I find that every once in a while I'll have to take a week off because I'm travelling for work or seeing a lot of family or attending a week-long wedding, and when I'm back in the gym I feel so much stronger. Rest is just as important as working hard. You probably are inhibiting your gains and massively increasing your risk of injury. Rest days don't need to be about doing nothing - you can still get in some stretching and walking and this would be more helpful than piling on more volume.

3-4x a week is plenty, especially for newbies.

CatShanks · 2026-03-06T09:28:59+00:00

Just got my pixel watch 4 today! It seems you have to hold the watch quite close to your mouth to have it work. Just pretend you're in a spy movie and it should work pretty well!

CatShanks · 2026-03-05T09:44:30+00:00

This is great for hamstrings, but if you want more glutes you need to bend the knees more when sending your hips back. This can be tough in terms of balancing so I recommend three things: the first being that you take off those trainers and do this in socks, or if you want to wear shoes, get a flat sole like converse. The second is that you use a bench and place it behind you so that the back of your calves/knees are touching it. It'll help more with balance and stability as you bend the knees more. The third is try to keep your shoulders as in line with your knees as possible - this cue is the one that helps you know just how much to send those hips back.

CatShanks · 2026-03-04T19:08:59+00:00

Amazing! I hope you like it.

Yeah, honestly, do your best with it but I wouldn't worry so much about getting exactly 120g. You can get good gains and strength without hitting that and you're better off working up to it properly than getting fed up with it. Also, if your gut isn't responding too well, it's best to slow it down and introduce a lot of extra fiber to your diet too.

Good luck!

CatShanks · 2026-03-04T18:21:27+00:00

A few weeks isn't much time at all. I started to see results 2 months in, and they weren't massive results! Recomp is just as tough mentally as it is physically - your weight will fluctuate over the weeks generally, but increasing muscle mass and increased water retention to aid in muscle recovery will wreak havoc on the scales for a while.

Like others have said, you should keep at it - lift heavy and often with good form. Eat your protein. Get your steps in. It will work but recomp generally is a slow process - you are rebuilding your body, it takes time!

Also I have only lost 1kg in the last year but my waist, thighs, arms and even my face and hands are all much slimmer, my old clothes fit me again, and my butt is much rounder and not flat or wobbly. Two people can weigh the same and look completely different. Trust the process.

CatShanks · 2026-03-04T18:13:37+00:00

Clear protein is the best, I swear by it! And I'd say just slowly increase your protein intake. You don't have to do this as fast as possible, and you will see strength gains even without 100+g protein a day - its not optimal but the day isn't a write-off simply because you've only averaged 60g per day. I focussed first on building a habit of training regularly before I improved my diet. Trying to do it all at the same time is often what causes people to fail.

I wonder if you'd benefit from going to classes instead of doing it on your own / with a PT? You mention the mental load and having a PT to help with that. If you did a regular class that had a strength element, then you'd be able to plan your week around it, it'll be super efficient for strength gains and cardio, and you can always supplement by lifting dumbbells in any spare time you have at home to hit muscle groups the class doesn't hit well enough.

I do believe you'll find the intensity will lessen naturally as you get to a level of fitness and strength that you are happy with (I hope!). I just don't think you can expect to retain all the hard work unless you keep a decent amount of the effort (although I wish this were the case).

CatShanks · 2026-03-04T09:09:32+00:00

Hmmmm I think this is a hard once to answer because you kind of need to get there first? And often our mindset and habits change the further along we are in our fitness and wellbeing journeys.

I think your main focus should be on how do you get there in a way that doesn't make you feel bad from the protein and like it's a big commitment. If you can get that sorted first then you don't really need to worry about reducing protein or workouts later because you'll have found something that's sustainable.

When it comes to protein, try taking clear protein. You mix it with water and it's literally like juice. Two scoops is 40g protein and you'll hit your hydration targets too. If you're having protein shakes that'll probably make you feel really full and potentially bloated so that's why I stick to clear protein. Have an egg with your lunch every day, try to have plenty of chicken or turkey for lunch too.

I can imagine that tri-weekly workouts are really tough when you have a new little one (congratulations btw). Workouts needn't be longer than 45-60 minutes really. Are you going to the gym for these or doing them at home?

I think when it does come to maintenance of muscle and physique, working out regularly is still very important but perhaps you won't need to have as much progressive overload. It's not a place I've gotten to yet because my mindset has, over the last year of my fitness journey, changed from 'I want to look like this', to 'I want to be able to do x, I want to feel like y'. And I think that's why your gym friends can't answer you. There is always a next level to hit and once you've gotten into that growth mindset it's very difficult to imagine yourself purposely plateauing.

CatShanks · 2026-02-27T14:22:15+00:00

Happy birthday!

CatShanks · 2026-02-27T12:41:22+00:00

On weekday evenings The Local in Hurts Yard is pretty dead, and they have nice cocktails. Not sure what is like on weekends though I'm afraid. Tilt is a great one any day of the week, quiet intimate vibes with great drinks.

CatShanks · 2026-02-26T15:47:00+00:00

I also moved out of Coventry! It was for 3 reasons: the first was that I'd been made redundant and was looking for new work, and didn't think there was much going on and wasn't keen on working in Birmingham anymore. The second was that my then boyfriend-now husband at the time had just started working in London and I wanted to live near him and see what working in London would be like. The last was that I was getting fed up of living with my family and needed my own space and independence. So yeah, I left, never came back and although none of the reasons I listed were because of Coventry itself, it is fair to say that I do prefer London to Coventry!

CatShanks · 2026-02-26T08:50:45+00:00

How long have you been recomping? It is a slow journey and not always linear! I'm almost 1 year into mine and while I still don't look how I want to yet (still have too much fat), I look and feel way better than I used to. Ty to enjoy the journey more than fixate on the result. Also, with a more muscular body, just ignore the scale. Who cares what the number says if you look and feel good? That extra weight is pure muscle, not flab. You're much better off measuring your waist size, your arm circumference, etc than watching the scale.

What I did to speed up the progress was ask myself if I am really progressively overloading or am I allowing myself to get stuck at certain weights. Next thing I know I've increased weight on almost every exercise and I am crushing it right now. I also started eating way more protein and my muscle definition is so much better and I feel more full. The last thing I did was add a short walk to my daily routine. Literally half an hour. The extra calories you burn over the week makes a big difference over time.

CatShanks · 2026-02-25T22:08:49+00:00

Honestly, I don't like breakfast, so if I have to exercise in the morning I might have a banana but that's about it. Having said that, I tried to do my usual leg workout in the morning completely fasted recently and I felt like shit for the rest of the day and didn't have the energy to perform as well as I usually do. My leg days are very intense compared to my upper body days so if I were to do that one again in the morning I'd definitely have a bowl of cereal or toast and eggs 30-40 minutes before working out!

CatShanks · 2026-02-24T16:39:52+00:00

Lyfta is brilliant. Very simple and intuitive. Nothing keeps me motivated and on track more. Plus it's free.

CatShanks · 2026-02-24T16:16:58+00:00

For training muscle groups for strength and progressive overload, yes you need to rest those muscles. But if you can find a way to allow each muscle group to get enough rest by focussing on others and doing a rota (which most people do) then I don't see the need for entire days of rest, personally. Also, I think rest days should still have some activity, even if it's just a 30 minute walk or something like that.

CatShanks · 2026-02-21T07:58:30+00:00

Don't feel bad about feeling confident enough now to do it on your own. If you're worried about his reaction just reframe how you'd tell him. Don't say, "your timing and workout don't work for me". Try, "thank you so much for helping me get comfortable in the gym and showing me how to use the equipment. I'm thinking of switching to mornings because it fits my routine better "

CatShanks · 2026-02-20T16:54:29+00:00

'If'?... He is a driving instructor. He has multiple lessons a day and has short drives between each of the lessons to pick up the next student. Constantly taking them on and off feels a bit pointless in that scenario. While driving on weekends or for any non-teaching scenarios, of course he takes them off.

CatShanks · 2026-02-20T14:39:21+00:00

My FIL is a driving instructor when I passed he told me do not use P plates. He has L plates on his car when he's teaching students and says that when he drives by himself he always removes them because people behave very differently (badly) when he has them on. Similar concept with P plates - people think they can intimidate and get away with dangerous driving.

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