Not all cardio is created equal when it comes to sustainable fat loss. According to fitness trainer Chadoy Leon, the “best” cardio isn’t the one that leaves you gasping after a single session; it’s the one you can repeat daily for a year without dreading it, without wrecking your recovery, and without triggering a hunger surge that wipes out your calorie deficit. In a recent Instagram post, Leon breaks down popular cardio methods from worst to best for long‑term fat loss, explaining why the obvious choice—running—often works against you, and why something as simple as walking can quietly outperform everything else.
6th (Worst): RunningRunning may be the default cardio for many, but Leon flags it as the least effective for sustained fat loss. It tends to crank up appetite so the calories you burn are quickly replaced at dinner, it hammers your joints over time, and excessive mileage can start eating into muscle. “The cardio everyone defaults to is actually the one working against them the most,” he notes.