Long duration of exericse or it's still about calories?

mmargarette
mmargarette Posts: 89 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Excuse my typo for the title ^ exercise*

Just curious if working out longer (e.g.: 30mins) has better fat burn compared to a shorter one (e.g.: 15mins). Or is it still about staying within your calorie deficit?

I've been doing kettlebell workouts minimum of 15 mins. I was thinking maybe I need to step it up and do a longer work out to have better, faster results (not that I'm trying to rush)

My stats: 5'2, 19yo, 120lbs
Goal: lose 5-10lbs in 2-3months

Replies

  • azrielda
    azrielda Posts: 13 Member
    More often it's about intensity over duration. A shorter more intense workout can be harder/burn more calories than a longer workout. A good example is hill sprints, they take less time but are far more physically tiring than a jog. If you are not feeling that tired after your workout it may be that the workout is not that intense, so maybe making it longer or changing the difficulty of the exercises will help.
  • meankeen
    meankeen Posts: 49 Member
    Your goal is to lose weight, which means you need to eat a calorie deficit. Losing weight is all about your diet. However, you can complement it with cardiovascular exercises (jumping ropes, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.).

    Besides cardio and your most important element of losing weight: calorie deficit, you can also choose to build muscle. Not only to look better and feel healthier, but also bigger muscles burn more calories, so this is you definitely want if you'd like to maintain your weight.

    Now, about your question whether to workout longer or not, it is all very relative. If you can elevate your heartrate to about 80% of your max for 15 minutes, I definitely recommend doing that. Absolutely savage your body within 15 minutes is hard though, but if you can do it, definitely go for it. Remember: the more intensity = the more calories burned.

    If you're working out for 30 minutes, it probably isn't as intense as the 15 minutes one, which means you burn less calories in more time. Also you don't get something called "the after burn". After burn is a term people use for the day after your high intensity workout. It basically means your body is still in "shock" and is still burning calories from the day after.

    My answer for working out and losing weight:

    Eat a calorie deficit (TRACK EVERYTHING YOU EAT)
    Only drink water
    Mix your protein powder with 100mg greek yoghurt before bed
    Cardio 20-30 minutes a day (high/moderate HR, NO pauses!)
    Lift 1 hour a day
  • mmargarette
    mmargarette Posts: 89 Member
    Your goal is to lose weight, which means you need to eat a calorie deficit. Losing weight is all about your diet. However, you can complement it with cardiovascular exercises (jumping ropes, treadmill, stationary bike, etc.).

    Besides cardio and your most important element of losing weight: calorie deficit, you can also choose to build muscle. Not only to look better and feel healthier, but also bigger muscles burn more calories, so this is you definitely want if you'd like to maintain your weight.

    Now, about your question whether to workout longer or not, it is all very relative. If you can elevate your heartrate to about 80% of your max for 15 minutes, I definitely recommend doing that. Absolutely savage your body within 15 minutes is hard though, but if you can do it, definitely go for it. Remember: the more intensity = the more calories burned.

    If you're working out for 30 minutes, it probably isn't as intense as the 15 minutes one, which means you burn less calories in more time. Also you don't get something called "the after burn". After burn is a term people use for the day after your high intensity workout. It basically means your body is still in "shock" and is still burning calories from the day after.

    My answer for working out and losing weight:

    Eat a calorie deficit (TRACK EVERYTHING YOU EAT)
    Only drink water
    Mix your protein powder with 100mg greek yoghurt before bed
    Cardio 20-30 minutes a day (high/moderate HR, NO pauses!)
    Lift 1 hour a day

    since i do kettlebell workouts, does that count as both cardio and lifting? although i know lifting is technically those big weights but all i've got now is a kettlebell and dumbbells

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