what does it mean to be exercising above the fat borning zon

oregonlady

it has taken me 8 years to loose 95lbs now. :happy:
i only have about 10-15 lbs more to lose!!:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
for the last 6 years, i've been working out at a gym almost EVERY weekday!:bigsmile:
doing cardio on the stair master, i try to work myself really hard, cause i like to get sweaty.:noway: :noway:
according to the machine readings, my heart rate is often well above the "fat burning zone":indifferent: :indifferent: :indifferent: :indifferent:

my question to you is::huh: :huh: :huh:
what does this mean?
can/should i count my stair climbing as strengh training?:huh:
could i have been losing more weight if i had stayed in the "fat burning zone"?:huh:
is there any reason i should not push myself to go as hard as i want on the stair master?:huh:

monica1515

First of all, congrats on your amazing accomplishments! You've worked hard and done it the right way. That's amazing and rare!!

This is the same thing as "heart rate training." It's pretty amazing actually. I did an internship last summer before graduating with my exercise science degree and I really got to SEE & understand what exactly it meant and apply it to my own goals.

To give you an idea of what I did to find out my own personal heart rate zones... I had to run on a tredmill with a mask over my mouth, while the administer of the test put the tredmill on all different intensities. The mask/machine was able to measure how efficient my body was at burning fat at different heart rates (I could get into much more of a description but it can be confusing).

To answer your questions: During cardio, lower heart rates burn more fat. When your heart rate gets above the fat burning zone, you are burning sugar/glucose and not burning much fat. Yes, you will burn more fat if you stay in the fat burning zone. High intesity cardio burns sugar & muscle.

I play indoor soccer with my college team and am always in the upper heart rate zones, i know that amazing feeling you get ... I always wear my heart rate monitor when I play and my heart rate gets into the 180's-190's (this is not abnormal for young athletes)

My recommendation: give yourself "recovery" workouts where you spend a day working in lower heart rate zones.
Also, Incoorporate both high intensity and low intensity training. Intervals are fantastic too! Make sure if you do intervals you make sure you get your heart rate down before you go back up. I never workout without a heart rate monitor.

Jes21sica

I've heard that the "fat burning zone" burns a higher percentage of fat, but the cardio zone burns more calories and therefore more fat overall.

ccdo

i go over the fat burning zone heart rate and ive burned off quite alot of fat by doin this so some say yes u burn more fat if u stay in the zone others might think the oppisite for me though i like to go above it cause it does acutally burn more fat off and more caloires espeically durin high intensity cardio then i incooperate low intenstiy too and work from there :flowerforyou:

raleigh

right- what Jess just said is true.

you burn fat in the fat burning zone. you burn carbs and such in the zone above that, but since the higher zone creates more of a deficit because its more overall calories, your calorie deficit will cause your body to use fat too.

also, the "zones" in those chart pictures on cardio machines aren't very accurate for many people. if you want to get an accurate measure of where your body burns what and how much HR you should be aiming for for different goals, go to a sports physiologist.

SHBoss1673

Jes is correct, the "Fat Burning Zone" is lower intensity. the "Cardio Zone" is higher intensity. In lower intensity cardio you burn a higher percentage of fat, but because the total calories goes up very high when you get into the higher heart rates, the total calories from fat burned in the Cardio Zone is higher.

That doesn't mean you're anaerobic though (I.E. count it as weight training), you work out anaerobically when you work out hard enough that you have to slow down or stop quickly (within a minute usually), this is a different kind of work out, still a great one (some would say better for those that can do it, I'm of that camp). If you're interested in anaerobic workouts google HIIT training and/or Tabata protocol.
And no, there's no reason you can't push as hard as you feel comfortable doing. Assuming no risk of CAD and/or medical conditions.

Hope this helps.

oregonlady

:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: thank you wise mfp friends!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

p.s. i do pilates or weight training (on the light side) most every day before i do the cardio, which is usually the stair master.
(i like stair master most cause it works me hard yet i'm not trying to go my fastest and i'm not bouncing around, so i can read while i go.)

jbuffan218

To my topics

oregonlady

To my topics

i do not understand.:ohwell: :ohwell: :ohwell:

SHBoss1673

She wanted it in her personal topics board so she posted, some people do that so it's easier to find.

monica1515

You burn carbs, protiens, and fats in all heart rate zones. In high/intense heart rate zones you body uses type 2 A & B fast twitch muscles, which only last in increments of 5-15 seconds, using glucose & sugar, not fat to fuel itself.

Different exercise intensities tax the body's energy systems in different ways.

Exercising at 60% of maximum heart rate predominantly tax the aerobic system in most people. If exercise duration is long enough, the major source of fuel will be fat. This type of intensity is often favoured by people who want to lose weight and are generally de-conditioned.

A heart rate training zone of 70-80% maximum will still predominantly tax the aerobic system in fitter individuals but the main source of fuel will be carbohydrate, or more specifically, glycogen.

mmnichol

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