heart rate question

rockerbabyy

so i met with a trainer today at my gym (free assessment/orientation kinda thing) and he said my max heart rate should be 193, and fat burning zone is 115-135, and the cardio zone is 154.4. said i should do the fat burning zone for at least 40 minutes. theory being that in the first 20-30 minutes is when carbs and sugar are burned, and anything after that is fat burned. and that only people (normally athletes) with really strong hearts can sustain 154 for long enough to get through the carbs/sugar to the fat burning stage...
i didnt say anything that the time, but the last couple times ive done cardio, its been for 60 minutes and my average is 155ish - most of the workout im actually around 160-165.. so am i just in really good shape for a fat girl, or what? should i really keep my heart rate lower/does it really matter which zone im in since im going for 40-60 minutes?

rockerbabyy

anyone?

Azdak

so i met with a trainer today at my gym (free assessment/orientation kinda thing) and he said my max heart rate should be 193, and fat burning zone is 115-135, and the cardio zone is 154.4. said i should do the fat burning zone for at least 40 minutes. theory being that in the first 20-30 minutes is when carbs and sugar are burned, and anything after that is fat burned. and that only people (normally athletes) with really strong hearts can sustain 154 for long enough to get through the carbs/sugar to the fat burning stage...
i didnt say anything that the time, but the last couple times ive done cardio, its been for 60 minutes and my average is 155ish - most of the workout im actually around 160-165.. so am i just in really good shape for a fat girl, or what? should i really keep my heart rate lower/does it really matter which zone im in since im going for 40-60 minutes?

Your "trainer" must have gotten his certification from a cereal box. I can't believe there are still people out there saying this crap--it's been debunked for something like 25 years.

1. Your "max heart rate" was ESTIMATED at 193. Your actual max heart rate could be as high as 210 or more and still be "normal". An estimated max heart rate should just be used as a general road map until you actually start exercising and can compare your feelings of perceived exertion with your exercise heart rate.

2. There is no "fat burning zone". There are intensity levels at which the body burns a higher percentage of fat for fuel (the highest percentage being at rest). However, the percentage of fat burned during a workout or the total amount of fat burned during a workout HAS NO EFFECT ON STORED BODY FAT. In other words there is NO advantage whatsoever in trying to "burn more fat" during a workout.

2A. The same holds true for "working for a certain duration so that your body switches from burning carbs to burning fat". That indeed might happen, but it is of zero significance when it comes to reducing body fat. Your goals during exercise are to: train for fitness, maximize overall calorie expenditure, and conserve lean muscle mass. That is achieved through a balanced program that includes cardio exercise of different intensities and duration, and resistance training.

3. Since you maximum heart number was calculated (and probably too low for you), that means the other "zone" heart rates (which were based on the inaccurate maximum heart rate) are incorrect also. Not to mention the fact that your "trainer" used the least accurate method (just taking % of max HR) of calculating exercise heart rate zones (the "heart rate reserve" method is much more accurate, although still is only a rough estimate).

That fact that you can sustain an exercise heart rate in the 160s for 60 minutes is proof that, for you at least, an exercise heart rate in the 160s represents a moderate pace (sorry, you are not a super athlete--not yet at least!).

rockerbabyy

thanks azdak i really wondered, so i tried to stay at the 60-70% range he had calculated for me when i went last night, and i just couldnt do it. i was moving so slowly on the elliptical that it kept thinking i had stopped! lol
so i said screw it and just did my normal pace, did the intervals setting (average level was 7 i think) and went for it.
i have been doing weight lifting the past two weeks- mostly with my bench and bar/dumbbells at home, and really like it so much more than cardio lol