Lower Intensity burns more fat?

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amaried621
amaried621 Posts: 260 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it true that exercising at a lower intensity will burn more fat? I heard that somewhere and then on the elliptical machine it says that going at 65% intensity is for fat burning and then 85% is for cardio. Does anyone know about this for sure? I am trying to burn more fat and want to do it the most effective way possible.

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  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
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    Yes it is true, but you have to do it for much longer as well! You can't exercise low intensity for 30 mins a day and expect anything to happen. It takes about 30 mins for the fat burning to kick in (before that you are burning muscle and liver glycogen), so you should be aiming for an hour plus of exercise if you want to lose weight at low intensity. Realistically, more like several hours.
  • Egger29
    Egger29 Posts: 14,741 Member
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    Lower intensity burns used a higher %age of your energy from Fat stores, however lower total calories.
    Higher intensity used a lower %age of of your energy from Fat, but more total calories.

    In general, the higher intensity is going to give you a better burn, even though the %age coming from fat is lower.
  • ajricketts
    ajricketts Posts: 32
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    Is it true that exercising at a lower intensity will burn more fat? I heard that somewhere and then on the elliptical machine it says that going at 65% intensity is for fat burning and then 85% is for cardio. Does anyone know about this for sure? I am trying to burn more fat and want to do it the most effective way possible.

    Actually, high intensity for short bursts will burn more fat in the long run by boosting your metabolism. You would be better off running high intensity intervals for 30 mins compared to slow, low intensity cardio for an hour.
  • Pretty_n_Pink
    Pretty_n_Pink Posts: 28
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    I started working with a trainer doing weight lifting 3 days a week. He told me that if I want to burn the stored fat in my body I need to do the ellipitcal or treadmill for at least 40 minutes a day and keep my heart rate in the fat burning zone.
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    I started working with a trainer doing weight lifting 3 days a week. He told me that if I want to burn the stored fat in my body I need to do the ellipitcal or treadmill for at least 40 minutes a day and keep my heart rate in the fat burning zone.

    True. At lower intensities, your body's main source of fuel is fat. This is good. You may not sweat as much, and it may not "feel" like you're getting that burn, but you are losing fat. Strength training will also aid in fat-burning by building more lean body mass. More muscle will consume more fat, so combining aerobic exercise in the fat burning zone with strength training will help your body consume fat relatively quickly. I always recommend 30-45 minutes of aerobic exercise, too. I haven't heard about a minimum of 30 minutes, though. I'd need to check that out.

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