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justle
justle Posts: 275 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
what happens if my heart rate goes out of the "fat burning zone" ?

I got a polar watch for Christmas but I've noticed it when using the treadmills at the gym that my heart rate will often go over 160.

well tonight i went out for a jog (i jog/walk/jog/walk) and my heart rate varied from 138-165 i spent 12 mins in fat burning zone and 14 mins in fitness zone.

Is this ok to do? will i still burn calories efficiently in the fitness zone?

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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you are jogging, you are burning calories.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,610 Member
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    what happens if my heart rate goes out of the "fat burning zone" ?

    I got a polar watch for Christmas but I've noticed it when using the treadmills at the gym that my heart rate will often go over 160.

    well tonight i went out for a jog (i jog/walk/jog/walk) and my heart rate varied from 138-165 i spent 12 mins in fat burning zone and 14 mins in fitness zone.

    Is this ok to do? will i still burn calories efficiently in the fitness zone?
    The "fat burning zone" is just a nice way to say you're still burning calories. You burn fat all the time (especially at sleep and rest). Don't worry about it. It's about total calorie burn rather than what zone you are in. Expend excess energy and your body will take care of itself.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    Can anybody explain why they have come up with "zones"??? My basic understanding is higher heart rate=higher calorie burn.....but beyond that I basically ignore the concept of "zones"

    Anyone?
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    Can anybody explain why they have come up with "zones"??? My basic understanding is higher heart rate=higher calorie burn.....but beyond that I basically ignore the concept of "zones"

    Anyone?
    With the fat burning zone, the idea is that you're burning a higher percentage of fat at mild cardio heart rates, thing is though, by burning calories at a higher heart rate (referred to as fitness zone on a Polar HRM), you are burning a lesser percentage of fat, but the net loss of fat is higher in the fitness zone because you're burning more calories in total, so the percentage is offset with the higher burn.

    For some reading on the subject: http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/The-Myth-of-the-Fat-burning-Zone.htm
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    The zones have to do with the percentage of calories that are burned coming from fat or carbohydrates. During longer, lower intensity exercise, there's a higher % of the calories burned from fat then from carbs. During shorter, higher intensity exercise, there's a higher % of the calories burned from carbs then from fat. So, when you go over your "fat burning zone", you're just burning more calories from carbs then from fat. But you're burning more calories at a higher intensity so it can equate to a higher fat burn overall because a smaller % from a larger number can be more then a higher % from a small number. And when you go up and down with your heart rate while working out, you are actually training the heart to workout at the higher heart rate, which strengthens the heart muscle, so as long as you aren't going to or over your max HR, I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy your workouts.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    The zones have to do with the percentage of calories that are burned coming from fat or carbohydrates. During longer, lower intensity exercise, there's a higher % of the calories burned from fat then from carbs. During shorter, higher intensity exercise, there's a higher % of the calories burned from carbs then from fat. So, when you go over your "fat burning zone", you're just burning more calories from carbs then from fat. But you're burning more calories at a higher intensity so it can equate to a higher fat burn overall because a smaller % from a larger number can be more then a higher % from a small number. And when you go up and down with your heart rate while working out, you are actually training the heart to workout at the higher heart rate, which strengthens the heart muscle, so as long as you aren't going to or over your max HR, I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy your workouts.

    I tried to read and make sense of this, but then I got to the last sentence......." I wouldn't worry about it. "

    And I decided that is correct!

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