Heart rate numbers???

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hardymommy123
hardymommy123 Posts: 32 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I had a fitness test done at my gym awhile back. I was told that 137-147 is my "fat burning zone", 147-160 is my "cardio goal zone", and anything over 160 is just burning sugars or whatever.

So here is my question.....what about BELOW 137?? Some days I just want to walk, but then my heartrate is 110-125. Am I wasting my time? My heart rate monitor says I am burning calories, but what is the benefit of doing it if I don't reach "fat burning zone"?

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  • hardymommy123
    hardymommy123 Posts: 32 Member
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    ?
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
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    I thought that the whole "fat burning zone" and "cardio zone" thing was a myth? I've read lots of articles on this over the past few years.....
  • Kazzabob
    Kazzabob Posts: 11 Member
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    Any movement is good so I wouldn't worry too much.

    K
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
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    This is a good thread on heart rate http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/835450-question-about-target-heart-rate?hl=Karvonen#posts-12551115
  • Dementedllama
    Dementedllama Posts: 177 Member
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    As long as you're in a calorie deficit and burning calories it makes no difference.
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
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    As long as you're in a calorie deficit and burning calories it makes no difference.

    That is just not true

    Some exercise is better than none, but every intensity has its place and has different effects on your fitness and weight loss
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I had a fitness test done at my gym awhile back. I was told that 137-147 is my "fat burning zone", 147-160 is my "cardio goal zone", and anything over 160 is just burning sugars or whatever.

    So here is my question.....what about BELOW 137?? Some days I just want to walk, but then my heartrate is 110-125. Am I wasting my time? My heart rate monitor says I am burning calories, but what is the benefit of doing it if I don't reach "fat burning zone"?

    There's an "optimal" fat burning zone but don't worry about that.

    Let's say you're the cookie monster eating cookies. If you eat them slowly one at a time you're doing an optimal job of eating cookies. All of the cookie product is going into your mouth and none is being wasted. However if you eat cookies as fast as you can you're eating more cookies even though you're not eating them in an optimal matter. Which method removes more cookies?

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    The most optimal and best workout pace is one that you'll do day after day. Do your workout the way you like it and don't worry about specific zones. You only need to worry about that if you're an Olympian trying to tweak out another fraction of a second off your times. Normal people like us need to do something we can do as a lifestyle.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Some exercise is better than none, but every intensity has its place and has different effects on your fitness and weight loss

    That's very true but I think for most people here who are trying to lose 10 - 50 pounds they really just need to focus on doing what exercise they can to help. Once you're in better shape and actually working on a fitness goal other than "losing weight" you can start paying more attention to zones. I'm very heart rate zone conscious when I do cardio but I don't put that off on people here. It's just not going to be a factor for most of them at this time.
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
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    Am I wasting my time? My heart rate monitor says I am burning calories, but what is the benefit of doing it if I don't reach "fat burning zone"?

    No, you are not wasting your time. Class these days as "active recovery days". They are good for helping your body recover from more intense workouts and you will still be burning calories, of which the primary source will be fats.

    What you won't be doing is burning as many calories, and therefore you will be burning less fat (for teh same duration of exercise)

    Still better than nothing and as I say, useful as a recovery day. Or do twice as long at the lower rate if you can. See how many calories that burns according to your HRM if you are trying to hit a set deficit using exercise each day.
  • hardymommy123
    hardymommy123 Posts: 32 Member
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    Thanks everyone!!! All great advice.

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