The Best Cardio Routine for Fat Loss 🏃🏽‍♂️

12 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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1:12

In this video, Eric Roberts outlines his "8-3-2" cardio protocol designed to maximize fat loss while preserving muscle. The protocol consists of three core components: (1) walk at least 8,000 steps each day, which accounts for roughly 15% of total daily calorie expenditure; (2) add three low‑intensity cardio sessions per week, each lasting 20–30 minutes, performed after weight‑training sessions or on rest days (never before lifting, to avoid compromising muscle growth); and (3) maintain a calorie deficit, with a link provided for viewers to calculate their target intake. Roberts emphasizes that low‑intensity cardio burns calories without elevating stress hormones, appetite, or hunger, leading to faster, sustainable fat‑loss progress.

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The right amount of cardio to burn fat is something I call the 8-3-2 protocol. Every day, you're gonna walk at least 8,000 steps. Your daily steps take up 15% of your total calorie burn, so it's critical that you hit this. Next, you're gonna do an extra 3 days a week of cardio, either after you lift weights or on rest days, Don't do it before you lift weights because then you'll decrease how much muscle you could build. And for each of these extra cardio workouts, you're going to do it for 20 to 30 minutes. And here's the key: this should be low-intensity cardio where you're not getting your heart rate elevated because low-intensity cardio burns calories without increasing your stress, appetite, and hunger. Do this combined with a calorie deficit and you'll see faster progress than you ever have before. If you need to know how many calories you should be eating for your calorie deficit, click the link in my bio.