Best Fat Burning Exercises?

wideturn

I go to the gym about 6x a week but I'm not sure the stuff I do is necessarily burning fat. What are some of the best fat burning exercises one can do? I want to burn the fat in my tummy, but I am aware I can't target fat burning, so I just want an intense fat burning exercise.
I have access to a pool, free weights, machines, a bike, elliptical machines, and a track.

kandell

Swimming is great cardio because you use ALL of you muscles. Running/ellipticals are also great. Bikes aren't quite as effective. For fat loss, you'll want to do cardio. But make sure you're also getting in some strength training to tone and develop your muscles. More muscle mass will raise your metabolism, which will also burn fat.

TeaBea

I go to the gym about 6x a week but I'm not sure the stuff I do is necessarily burning fat. What are some of the best fat burning exercises one can do? I want to burn the fat in my tummy, but I am aware I can't target fat burning, so I just want an intense fat burning exercise.
I have access to a pool, free weights, machines, a bike, elliptical machines, and a track.

Calorie deficit will help you reduce weight.....you're right you can't choose where the weight will come from. Calorie deficit can come from less food and/or exercise. Exercise doesn't burn just fat (for fuel) ....it can burn muscle too. Eating too little will encourage your body to use muscle mass as fuel.

Cardio burns calories, helps increase stamina, and helps your heart.

Strength training burns fewer calories....however, this helps you retain lean muscle mass while on a diet. Strength training is about the "shape" of your body.

wideturn

I usually do anywhere from 30min to 1.5hr of cardio 5-6x a week and I do strength training for 10-45min 5x a week. I need to start swimming again cause I'll be life guarding this year (part of why I'd like to be in shape!)

When I run I do intervals since I can't run for a long time. And I bike for no less than an hour since that's supposed to equal a half hour of jogging.

dieselbyte

Swimming is great cardio because you use ALL of you muscles. Running/ellipticals are also great. Bikes aren't quite as effective. For fat loss, you'll want to do cardio. But make sure you're also getting in some strength training to tone and develop your muscles. More muscle mass will raise your metabolism, which will also burn fat.

Cardio isn't necessary for fat loss. Fat loss occurs from a sufficient caloric deficit, however created. In fact, excessive cardio will limit muscle growth and can cause metabolic adaptation - not building muscle and not burning significant fat can result in a "skinny-fat" look. Strength training doesn't "tone" muscle. Strength training and progressive overload recruit more muscle fibers, thereby increasing the size and strength of a muscle. The "tone" look comes from losing overall body fat and revealing muscularity.

You cannot target fat loss. Your goal should be to maintain a caloric deficit, which can be done by a) eating less b) moving more c) a combination of the two. The easiest way to proceed is to eat less and move more, since you cannot accurately track how many calories you are burning from a training session. Keep in mind, when in a caloric deficit, you must give your body adeauate reason to maintain muscle mass, so you should focus on incorporating a balanced diet with sufficient protein, as well as a weight training program for optimal results (muscle requires more energy to maintain, and your body wants to survive - it doesn't care if you look good on the beach). Use cardio as a tool to increase your caloric deficit (as well as overall cardiovascular health)

janinehema90

Swimming is great cardio because you use ALL of you muscles. Running/ellipticals are also great. Bikes aren't quite as effective. For fat loss, you'll want to do cardio. But make sure you're also getting in some strength training to tone and develop your muscles. More muscle mass will raise your metabolism, which will also burn fat.

Cardio isn't necessary for fat loss. Fat loss occurs from a sufficient caloric deficit, however created. In fact, excessive cardio will limit muscle growth and can cause metabolic adaptation - not building muscle and not burning significant fat can result in a "skinny-fat" look. Strength training doesn't "tone" muscle. Strength training and progressive overload recruit more muscle fibers, thereby increasing the size and strength of a muscle. The "tone" look comes from losing overall body fat and revealing muscularity.

You cannot target fat loss. Your goal should be to maintain a caloric deficit, which can be done by a) eating less b) moving more c) a combination of the two. The easiest way to proceed is to eat less and move more, since you cannot accurately track how many calories you are burning from a training session. Keep in mind, when in a caloric deficit, you must give your body adeauate reason to maintain muscle mass, so you should focus on incorporating a balanced diet with sufficient protein, as well as a weight training program for optimal results (muscle requires more energy to maintain, and your body wants to survive - it doesn't care if you look good on the beach). Use cardio as a tool to increase your caloric deficit (as well as overall cardiovascular health)

Great post, I second this, I didn't see the results I wanted until I starting lifting heavy and cleaning up my diet, getting more protein, and maintaining a caloric deficit. Cardio helps with the deficit, thus you'll loose scale weight, I just wasn't satisfied with the fat to muscle loss ratio I experienced while only doing cardio. Just my opinion