How does this make sense...?

Follow_me

I use this Life Fitness treadmill at the gym. I use the built in comuter to control my work out. I selct the "Heart Rate" workout and then it asks if I want the "Cardio" or the "Fat Burn" workout. I normally select the "Cardio" workout and answer a few questions about weight, age and desired pace, which is 4 mph. Once the workout starts, the angle of elevation is periodically adjusted so my heart rate is at 80% of max. I do this for 45 mins and normally burn around 500 cals as calculated by the treadmill.

Today, I selected the "Fat Burn" option. I went through the same questions and then the treadmill controlled the angle so my heart rate was at 65% of max for the 45 mins. At the end of the work out, I burned 370 cals as calculated by the treadmill.

How does this make sense? When the "Cardio" option is selected, I work way harder, sweat a lot more and burn a lot more cals. How is this not burning more fat than the "Fat Burn" option?

Thanks.

jmt08c

The treadmill is making calculations based on your HR. The "fat burn" option will keep your HR between 130-150, while the "cardio" option will keep it higher, maybe between 165-180.

So for cardio you stay at a higher HR for the same amount of time which will burn more calories. Simple math is all. But I wouldn't trust what a machine tells me, anyway.

daydreams_of_pretty

The cardio version of your workout improves your fitness level and burns more calories, while the fat burning version focuses on maintaining your heart rate at the desired level for burning fat. If your heart rate rises too high during a workout, you are not burning stored fat for energy. It still improves your health and fitness and helps you meet your calorie goals for the day, but the workout itself does not burn fat. Which workout you select will depend on your individual goals and needs.

azwen

From what I have read, the percentage of calories from fat burned is higher when you're in the "fat burn" zone, but you will obviously burn more calories in the higher zone. Although a smaller percentage of calories burned come from fat in the higher zone, since you burn more calories overall, you end up burning slightly more fat calories in the cardio zone.

DopeItUp

From what I have read, the percentage of calories from fat burned is higher when you're in the "fat burn" zone, but you will obviously burn more calories in the higher zone. Although a smaller percentage of calories burned come from fat in the higher zone, since you burn more calories overall, you end up burning slightly more fat calories in the cardio zone.

Yes, exactly. I wouldn't sweat it too much either way. Going harder is going to burn more calories and improve fitness greater, this is pretty much true of any type of exercise. Some people seem to use the "fat burning zone" as an excuse to mail in their workout instead of pushing themselves.

Dichotomy1976

Cardio workout improves you ability to do cardio exercises, while fat burn focusses on burning fat based on your current cardio ability. So fat burn will give you about 60% of the energy used to run/walk as fat being burnt. With cardio that percentage will be lower and more of your glucose stores will be used up to keep you going. Either way you will be burning both fat and glucose, but I find cardio exercise is far more beneficial in the long term as it improves your ability to do more intense exercise and therefore burn more calories (over time what used to be cardio exercise to you will become fat burn exercise and your new cardio levels will end up burning far more fat than if you'd stuck to just doing fat burn).

VeryKatie

You're "burning more fat" NOT more calories. In other words, the fat burning program's goal is to have the calories you burn come from fat and not much else. Cardio will draw energy from other sources. If you're looking for more calorie burn, stick with the cardio option.

Oscarinmiami

don't do fat burning...that is the easy way out, and isn't as effective.

bostonwolf

I use this Life Fitness treadmill at the gym. I use the built in comuter to control my work out. I selct the "Heart Rate" workout and then it asks if I want the "Cardio" or the "Fat Burn" workout. I normally select the "Cardio" workout and answer a few questions about weight, age and desired pace, which is 4 mph. Once the workout starts, the angle of elevation is periodically adjusted so my heart rate is at 80% of max. I do this for 45 mins and normally burn around 500 cals as calculated by the treadmill.

Today, I selected the "Fat Burn" option. I went through the same questions and then the treadmill controlled the angle so my heart rate was at 65% of max for the 45 mins. At the end of the work out, I burned 370 cals as calculated by the treadmill.

How does this make sense? When the "Cardio" option is selected, I work way harder, sweat a lot more and burn a lot more cals. How is this not burning more fat than the "Fat Burn" option?

Thanks.

My understanding is that fat burning tends to happen more efficiently at a lower heart rate and that is what the fat-burn option reflects.

Cardio is just straight out working harder and burning more overall calories, so you burn more total fat but a lower percentage of the total.

Generally speaking just stick to cardio and work as hard as you can.

Follow_me

Thanks for all your inputs. My good friend Nicole sent me this link. It has some good info too.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/421074-cardio-vs-fat-burn-on-a-treadmill