Which one is better?

Dreaj79

More time or more intensity?

When trying to vary my workouts, should I try to go longer or faster?

sean_m

Both work well, faster but the same amount of time burns more calories as does same intensity but longer time. For me I found it easier to build up longer time at the same intensity and then increase intensity for the same time as I did originally. There are some days that you feel like lead and as long as you are already including a rest day anyway it is important to still do a workout at a slow and steady pace.

TropicalKitty

I've heard it's good to vary both. One, it'll keep you entertained. Two, changing up the intensity within the workout helps burn more. I've seen a number of articles saying how good it is for you to vary what you are doing during the workout to get the most of out it. That'll also help you be able to increase the intensity in the long run.

Also, different types of work out do different things. Higher intensity does a cardio workout vs lower intensity for fat burn. (Or at least that's what I've been told.) So it depends on what your goal is.

sean_m

There is a common myth regarding fat burn at lower levels of intensity, that is to say the fat burning "zone" is limited to a lower level of workout. This is untrue. You will start to burn fat at a lower level of cardio intensity BUT (!!!) if you can worked harder, at a higher intensity, for the same amount of time you will burn more fat AND increase the cardio benefit. Also, any exercise must last for a minimum of 20 mins to have any real cardio benefit but you can burn fat even during short workouts (like walking to school to collect the children - which I do 2 days / week and it only lasts 7-8 mins each way).

The main point is ensuring that you are getting exercise regularly, whether this is walking, running, cycling, swimming and keeping going with it and the weight will come off.