What is the difference between cardio and fat burn on HRM

amymrls

Sorry this question may seem stupid but I have been working out with my HRM for about a year and still don't know the difference between Cardio and Fat burn on my HRM I usually have about 40 min of Cardio and 20 Min of HRM but really have no idea what it means.

Can anyone explain this please?

amymrls

no one?

amymrls

=P

Wickedone1973

I'm no expert, so take this with a grain of Mrs. Dash. The fat burning zone is the optimum heart rate zone for burning fat. The cardiac/fitness zone is the optimum zone for increasing cardiovascular health, strength and endurace.

I'm sure someone will chime in who is more knowledgable.

danmcgarrigle5

in the "fat burning zone" you burn a higher percentage of fat than in the "cardio zone" however you will burn more calories in the cardio zone. The "fat burning zone" really is a way to train for endurance events, not necessarily burn more fat. If you burn more calories it doesn't really matter where they are from when it comes to weight loss but might have an effect on your energy levels during your workout.

I've been doing a lot of reading on this and other exercise topics (using google) in the last couple months so don't just take my word for it, double check for yourself.


ETA: Here
http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/The-Truth-About-The-Fat-Burning-Zone.htm

amymrls

So if my goal is to burn fat should I be dubbing down my exercise into fat burning mode instead of doing high cardio exercises? I really want to loose my tummy fat. In my mind the high calorie burn would make more sense in burning fat but my HRM says I am burning fat when I am at a much lower heart rate. What do you suggest?

mmapags

No. Zone training is a fairly useless concept for weight loss. I wouldn't wasted any more time on it. Just get in a good workout and eat at a calorie deficit and you'll be fine. To slow down your workout would mean you would burn less calories. How effective would that be for weight loss?

gmallan

The fat burning zone is a bit of a myth. Yes in this zone you burn a greater % of calories from fat BUT in the same time you will burn more total calories working a higher heart rate and this will give you greater weight/fat loss in the long run.

I.e. in the same time at a lower HR you might burn 200 calories with 60% of these being from fat (so 120 from fat) while at a higher intensity you might burn 300 calories with 45% of these being from fat (so 135).

So at a higher intensity in the same time you've burned more total calories and more caloreis from fat and you'll also improve your cardiovascular fitness.

Edited to add that you shouldn't get hung up on burning calories from fat anyway. The other main source that you burn calories from when exercising is carbohydrates. Nothing wrong with burning these off either. Remember it is essentially calories in vs calories out so focus on the total caloire burn for better weight loss

cwolfman13

So if my goal is to burn fat should I be dubbing down my exercise into fat burning mode instead of doing high cardio exercises? I really want to loose my tummy fat. In my mind the high calorie burn would make more sense in burning fat but my HRM says I am burning fat when I am at a much lower heart rate. What do you suggest?

It doesn't matter either way...you work out in the "fat burn zone" (generally just walking or something very mellow) you do burn more calories from fat...but you burn more calories overall in an Aerobic zone and up..some from fat stores and some from carbs. In the end, it all nets out...you do fat burn zone and burn less calories and less carbs...so those carbs you don't burn go right back into your fat stores to replenish that which was just burned. You work out in Aerobic zone and you burn more of your carbs up...less fat calories, but the net effect is the same except you actually burn more everything in Aerobic zone.

I prefer to call the fat burn zone the "recovery" zone. I do it on heavy lift days and do my aerobic cardio on non lifting days. Also, don't exercise to lose weight/burn calories. You can do that with your diet alone with a built in caloric deficit. Exercise for fitness, heart health, endurance, strength...have fitness goals that are separate from you weight loss goals.

Bownzi

I have been using the Fat Burn portion of the one I work on, and for the first several weeks I did not seem to get anywhere... then I combined it with crunches and other abdominal exercises and my mid section is slowly going away.... I hope you continue to reach your goals.... I'm feeling so much better about my self because of the work I have been able to do.