How to Burn More Fat
Posted on March 27th, 2007 by garyPosted in Exercise
You may be working out for hours each week and be eating right without seeing any weight loss. It may be that you have not trained your body to burn fat efficiently. It may also be that your body has already adapted to your new program and therefore you are burning fewer calories than you did a few months ago. A stalled weight loss can be frustrating but you can loose those stubborn pounds.
To better serve your weight-loss goals, try strategic heart-rate training. This is a personalized form of cardiovascular training that establishes optimal exercise intensities or zones. These zones are based on your metabolism, heart rate, current levels of fitness and health or fitness goals. Working out within your zones encourages your body to become stronger and more efficient.
Heart-rate based interval training may provide the metabolic boost you need. It can lead to improved athletic performance and make your body use stored fat and sugar for energy. You will end up easily burning more fat.
No matter what kind of cardio you do- walking, swimming or running- you can use your heart rate to personalize your weight loss program. The goal is to train at the right intensity for the right amount of time. A heart-rate monitor is needed.
First you need to determine your anaerobic threshold (AT). This is the heart rate at which your body transitions from burning primary fat to using primarily carbohydrates (sugars) for energy. When your body begins to burn sugar, lactic acid begins to accumulate in the bloodstream faster than you can use it. This intensity produces a high rate of caloric burn and significant fitness gains but it is difficult to maintain for long.
By constantly switching your intensity levels up and down (interval training), your heart rate keeps reaching, crossing and then drops below your AT. This results in dramatic fat-burning results. You can calculate your AT by taking a Metabolic Assessment Profile at your health club.
The heart-rate training zones are based on your individual AT and form the backbone of your weight-loss program.
Zone 1: To begin and end your workout- use this warm-up and active recovery zone. It can also be used when you are fatigued, sore or over-trained. Here your heart-rate is 60 to 70 percent of your AT and you generally burn more fat calories than carbohydrates.
Zone 2: This is the aerobic development zone where you build aerobic base and efficiency which improves your endurance and overall conditioning. Your heart rate is 70-90 percent your AT and you are still burning more calories from fat than carbohydrates.
Zone 3: Just below or at your AT- 90-100 percent is the aerobic endurance zone. This is where your body begins the use an equal amount of fat and carbs as a fuel source and creates a higher caloric burn rate. This hard zone challenges your cardiovascular system and results in improved endurance and cardio efficiency.
Zone 4: In this zone, your body primarily uses carbs for energy. The anaerobic endurance zone 100-110 percent of AT, raises your tolerance to lactic acid which trains the body to reuse it as an energy source.
Zone 5: This is the most difficult zone. This is where you put all your effort and intensity for short intervals that challenge your body to reach its full athletic potential. Carbs are the sole fuel source. This level of exertion is difficult to maintain for more than a few minutes.
If you want to loose weight, you can apply heart-rate training to your program by initially spending a significant portion of your workout in zones 2 and 3. This helps you develop a solid aerobic base and concentrates your effort which allows you to exercise harder and longer while burning fat.
Once you have developed an aerobic base, you will begin to exercise at intensities which are closer to your AT. You will then burn more calories and teach your body to shift from the aerobic to anaerobic energy systems which builds your metabolic rate and encourages your body to burn fat at increasing levels of intensity. You will know when you have built a solid aerobic base when you can spend time doing cardio without the high fatigue level you first felt when you started the program.
Most people who try a heart-rate training program, exercising three to four times a week in the appropriate zones, for the first time see changes as soon as 3-4 weeks. Consistency and variety is the key. Working in different zones helps boost your overall fitness level, increasing the range in which your body burns fat.
The heart becomes more efficient at working above its resting heart rate. It becomes easier to work out harder for longer. You begin to burn more calories in less time. Your resting heart rate decreases which mean your heart can pump the same amount of blood with fewer beats. Your cardiac output and efficiency improve.
Running every day at the same pace is great for general health. This type of repetitive workout will lead to a fitness and weight loss plateau. Heart rate-training will help you avoid this plateau by training you to work out at appropriate levels and constantly varying levels of challenge.
Tags: exercise, fitness, health
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