subject: You will not burn more fats if you work out in the Fat Burn Zone! [print this page] You will not burn more fats if you work out in the Fat Burn Zone!
To all the gym rats out there, you are probably very familiar with the fat burn zoneon your favorite piece of cardio machine. Usually if you step onto any piece of cardio equipment in the gym, you can select any of the pre-programmed workouts in the menu of the machines and you can normally choose programs like manual, interval, cross training and fat burnjust to name a few.
Now, I guess it just sounds logical for anybody to choose the fat burn program if this person is intending to make the most out of his workout, i.e. to lose weight. What many people may be unaware is that working out in the fat burn zone is actually not effective if you need to lose weight.
Why is this so? You may ask.The reason lies in the intensity level while working out in the fat burn zone. When we talk about intensity level, there are generally 3 types of intensity levels namely high intensity, medium intensity and low intensity. Fat Burning zone falls under low intensity level of cardio exercise.
When we talk about effective weight loss, the ideal scenario would be to reduce your total calories intake and increase your calories expenditure. The key here is total amount of calories expended. Therefore, low intensity exercise means that you are working out on a heart rate zone of between 40% to 50% of your maximum heart rate (MHR) and maximum heart rate measures your heart beat for as fast as it can go. It varies from person to person. If you know what your MHR is, you can then determine which intensity you should gear for so that you will reduce the chances of over-training or not putting in enough effort to see the best results. Generally, the guide to determine your MHR is 220 minus your age.
Although exercising in your fat burn zoneor low intensity zone utilizes a higher percentage from the fat store as fuel in our bodies, it is important to take note that what matters most is the total amount of calories blasted! Many people had the mistaken notion that choosing to exercise in the fat burn zone will help them lose weight faster. They had overlooked the fact that exercising at higher intensities will enable them to burn a greater number of overall calories which is what you should be focusing on if you are trying to lose weight.
For a start, people who need to lose weight can try working out on high intensity levels and you should experience weight loss (provided you keep to a healthy diet as well; you do not want to negate your hard work and efforts in the gym and undo everything by feasting on post work-out meals). It is good to alternate between high, medium and low intensities so that your body will get the challenge it needs in order to lose weightand keep fit. For people who may have medical history, it is best to seek clearance from your doctor before embarking on any fitness program.
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