Workout intensity for fat loss...

I am very interested in what the resident experts have to say on this. Heart rate and "fat burn" confuse me, too.

I'm not sure but I do know when I'm in the supposed fat burning zone I feel like it's too easy. Hmmmmm...anyone know about this?

I just got in trouble over this same stuff by my personal trainer. I was burning off carbs, not fat, because I was working TOO hard. My HR was in the 150-160 range. SO now... I have slowed it down and work at the pace she has set for me. She wants me in the 130-135 range. I pay her for her expertise so I might as well take the advice she gives!

If you are maintaing a sustained high heart rate then yes its not the most effective fat burning method however with that said HIIT is the most effective as it raises the metabolic rate over the longest period post workout. So switch a HIIT program and give that a run. I would also recommend looking into metabolic resistance training as its a fantasic fat loss program its more or less cardio with weights thrown in, it will not only maintain muscle mass but build on it and increase metabolic rate post workout making it a 1-2 punch that just can not be beat for results.

But if you're in a class at the gym, how are you supposed to keep your HR "in the zone" without looking exceptionally lazy??! I like to do step and other fast paced classes but i generally keep it quite low due to being really heavy and therefore being at more of a risk to twist my knees etc, but i always work over my zone and am generally only ever in the zone for about 10 minutes out of an hour's class!

I hate the machines so dont want to go there if at all possible.

But if you're in a class at the gym, how are you supposed to keep your HR "in the zone" without looking exceptionally lazy??! I like to do step and other fast paced classes but i generally keep it quite low due to being really heavy and therefore being at more of a risk to twist my knees etc, but i always work over my zone and am generally only ever in the zone for about 10 minutes out of an hour's class!

I hate the machines so dont want to go there if at all possible.

I am like this as well.

I do know the 'fat burning zone' on machine was developed by equipment manufacturers as a marketing tool to sell more machines. If you stay in your training zone (which you can find online or by using a HRM) you will burn the max calories without getting to winded. This way you can go longer instead of doing high intensity and finishing quickly. At the end of the day it is still calories in versus calories out. At a lower heart rate you will burn less calorie, but you can go longer so the end result is a higher calorie burn. Sweating buckets just means you are doing something you body is not used too, this is a good thing. Muscle confusion is important no matter what machines you work out on.

At the end of the day it is still calories in versus calories out.

I could not disagree more, it goes far beyond in vs out, not all calories are created equal such as person who gets their cals from good nutritious foods will burn more fat than one who eats junk. Fat loss is geared as much towards triggering correct hormonal/metabolic response as it is towards calories burnt/consumed.

take my advice HIIT for the win, I have tried many workout routines with the same diet and HIIT gets you results in the shorter time frame, metabolic resistance training is hands down the best way to get in shape and your hr is going to be way up there for that.

In the gym yesterday, I spoke to the fitness instructer whilst on the treadmill, and we got talking. He asked what my goals were, and I said, primarily to burn off fat, and shape up with weights. He said that my workout was too high in intensity for the best fat removal. (I am a 48 year old bloke, so my max heart rate is 172) I was exercising between 130 & 150 BPM, but he said I should be working to a max of 70% of MHR for the most effective fat burn. Today I did two half-hour stints on the treadmill keeping my HR around 120 (70%) by tweaking the incline and speed. I swear I sweated buckets! More than when I run at 150 BPM...

I've heard the same from many trainers.

There have been studies done that indicate you burn a slightly higher % of fat calories during steady-state, low-impact cardio exercises vs high-intensity, high-impact cardio exercises. But you would most certainly be expending more fat and total calories over the same duration during HIIT exercises.

If you want loads of info on workout intensity for fat loss, I can't think of a better source than Lyle McDonald. But be forewarned, there's a ton of info/data if you keep reading article after article ;-)
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/steady-state-versus-intervals-and-epoc-practical-application.html

As to your current workout, I too would tweak it to where you get up to 40-60 mins in the "fat burning zone" instead of just 30.

Me personally, I switch it up by going steady-state cardio in the 60% MHR for 3 weeks on say treadmill, then 1 week HIIT (e.g. Boot Camp, CrossFit, P90X, whatever), then 3 weeks elliptical then 1 week HIIT, then 3 weeks swimming and so on. This is on top of high-weight resistance training 4x a week but do rest my body generally on weekends. The point is to have my body/muscles always adjusting for different stress factors so as to continually build upon.

A calorie isn't a calorie? all calories are not the same?
I thought 1 calorie was the amount of energy required to raise 1 Litre of water 1 Degree C, I guess you learn somthing new every day. :-)

You can burn more fat at lower intensities. But at higher intensities you will burn more calories overall and still have a higher percentage of fat calories burned overall. It's good to have a combination of both lower intensity longer sessions and high intensity shorter sessions. I personally prefer the higher intensity shorter sessions. (HIIT's are great)

You want to burn off some fat? Heavy weight lifting. You won't bulk up. Diet and cardio cause muscle mass loss along with fat loss. (We can't 'tone' muscles. They won't get harder or tighter. They will only get bigger and/or stronger or weaker and/or smaller). When you lose muscle mass your metabolism slows and you burn less calories through normal daily activity.

Increasing muscle mass will increase your metabolism and you will burn more fat during rest and daily activity AND even while sleeping. (And you will get to eat more calories in the day because of this). Of course you still want to do some cardio too.

Read up on a link in my signature: "An email Response that Might Help Some...". TrainerRobin explains it really, really well.

AT higher HR levels the percentage of FAT burn is MUCH lower.