Cortisol Is Not Your Enemy – Stop Blaming Cardio for Your Fat Loss Plateau
Your hormones aren't the problem. Your plan might be.
Straight to the Point
Let’s kill the myth right now: Cortisol is not the reason you’re stuck, and cardio is not the enemy of muscle or fat loss.
Cortisol is a natural hormone released by your adrenal glands. It spikes during stress, workouts, fasting, or sleep deprivation. That doesn’t make it bad—it’s your body trying to help you adapt and survive.
The real issue? Chronically high cortisol levels. That’s when fat loss slows down. And guess what usually causes that?
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Poor sleep
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Constant stress
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Overtraining
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Extremely low-calorie diets
Is Cardio Making It Worse?
Not if you’re doing it right.
Yes, cardio raises cortisol temporarily, especially high-intensity sessions. But research (including studies from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism) shows that cortisol naturally drops back down afterward—especially if you’re eating enough and recovering well.
So no—cardio doesn’t stall weight loss or “lock in belly fat.”
Done smart, it actually helps your hormones, energy, and recovery.
What’s Actually Stalling Your Progress?
Here’s the truth:
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Undereating for too long
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Overtraining without proper rest
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Mental burnout and chronic stress
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Lack of sleep
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Ignoring resistance training
These are the real reasons for plateaus, not the cardio or cortisol alone.
Does Cardio Burn Muscle?
Only if you’re starving yourself and skipping weights.
When you fuel your body properly and keep lifting, moderate cardio won’t touch your muscle mass—it’ll actually help you recover better and lean out faster.
Coach Hamzeh Kafawin’s Note:
Look—I’ve coached hundreds of clients who thought they were “stuck” because of cortisol. What fixed it wasn’t cutting cardio. It was fixing sleep, stress, calories, and training structure.
Blaming hormones is the easy way out.
Take responsibility. Learn your body. Train smarter—not less.
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