No change in fitness.

BeckiCharlotte13x
BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys.

I used to play a hell of a lot of basketball and was pretty fit. Running for an hour and a half wasn't an issue at all. I had some troubles with my knees and used that as an excuse to be lazy basically for years. Naughty, I know.

Recently, after loosing about 15 pounds, decided that my fitness levels were absolutely disgraceful so got myself signed up to the gym. I go to the gym usually 3 or 4 times a week and have been doing so for the last 3 months. I'm still loosing weight, slowly but surely. Anything from 1 - 3 lbs a week which i'm happy with, the problem is that my fitness levels don't seem to be improving much. I do interval training, started off with 1 minute run and then 1 minute walk. After a week I could do 2 minutes run and 1 minute walk but I just CANT get past 2 minutes after a good 4 weeks!

I use a heart rate monitor with a chest strap and during the running intervals, my heart rates between 170-195. I know theres a fat burning zone, around 165 for me but when I was keeping my heart rate in that zone I stopped loosing weight?

ANY ideas welcome!

Replies

  • BeckiCharlotte13x
    BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
    Bump... please ;)
  • loubidy
    loubidy Posts: 440 Member
    Weightloss is calories out > calories in the higher your heartrate the more calories you burn. As far as I'm concerned the fat burn is a gimmick
  • BeckiCharlotte13x
    BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
    Weightloss is calories out > calories in the higher your heartrate the more calories you burn. As far as I'm concerned the fat burn is a gimmick

    That was kind of my understanding too. When my hesrt rate hit 200, I got a bit concerned though. Normal or a bit high?
  • rogerOb1
    rogerOb1 Posts: 318 Member
    Yeah, I dont think you need to worry about the fat burning zone - I think that goes double when youre trying to imcrease your fitness.

    If you cant jog for 2 minutes you probably need to slow down and build back up to a basic fitness level.

    Personally, the quickest way Ive found to improve my fitness is a short intense interval session. e.g. 6 minutes on a treadmill with a decent incline. 30 seconds walk, 30 seconds sprint.
  • BeckiCharlotte13x
    BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
    Yeah, I dont think you need to worry about the fat burning zone - I think that goes double when youre trying to imcrease your fitness.

    If you cant jog for 2 minutes you probably need to slow down and build back up to a basic fitness level.

    Personally, the quickest way Ive found to improve my fitness is a short intense interval session. e.g. 6 minutes on a treadmill with a decent incline. 30 seconds walk, 30 seconds sprint.

    I'll give that a shot tomorrow! Thank you. It's so embarrassing and needs to change.
  • spicegeek
    spicegeek Posts: 325 Member
    slow down
  • sheltol
    sheltol Posts: 120 Member
    The fat burning zone is an old school method. It is useful but mainly for endurance athletes who need to condition their body to use fat stores for energy. For the typical person trying to lose weight HIIT is the way to go.

    I wouldn't worry too much about the HR hitting 200. Not saying you can't (especially if you have a medical condition) however it's extremely difficult to maintain a high heart rate that's dangerous without you giving out first. Your heart rate monitor may be off a bit. Unless you are getting light headed and dizzy etc go as hard as you can go!
  • BeckiCharlotte13x
    BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
    The fat burning zone is an old school method. It is useful but mainly for endurance athletes who need to condition their body to use fat stores for energy. For the typical person trying to lose weight HIIT is the way to go.

    I wouldn't worry too much about the HR hitting 200. Not saying you can't (especially if you have a medical condition) however it's extremely difficult to maintain a high heart rate that's dangerous without you giving out first. Your heart rate monitor may be off a bit. Unless you are getting light headed and dizzy etc go as hard as you can go!

    Thanks for that. Just the kind of feedback I'm after :)
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    The fat burning zone is an old school method. It is useful but mainly for endurance athletes who need to condition their body to use fat stores for energy. For the typical person trying to lose weight HIIT is the way to go.

    In the absence of a solid aerobic base highest intensity work isn't actually going to drive significant benefit. Whilst lots of people on here unthinkingly recommend it on the basis of the magical qualities there are far greater gains to be made by just getting to a simple 25 to 30 minute moderate intensity session.

    As far as running is concerned the 2 minute threshold sounds more psychological than physiological, although it may suggest running too fast, so slow the pace down. Personally I find dreadmills incredibly demotivating, so far better to get outside to run.

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