Heart Rate zones
Ceeceeann
Posts: 25 Member
When losing weight and extracting on example elliptical is it better to keep heart rate in fat burning zone or cardio zone? Or doesn't matter?
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Replies
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Exercising*0
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Or doesn't matter?
For your purposes, it doesn't matter.
There are benefits to performance improvement from zone training, but that would be as part of a focused plan.
Just train at the effort that you can sustain for the duration of your session.
The benefits from "fat burning zone" work are negligible.3 -
Doesn't matter - work at the heart rate that suits your capabilities and progresses you towards your fitness goals.
Your weight loss / fat loss comes from your calorie deficit over a prolonged period of time.3 -
Thanks!0
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In aerobic zones you burn more fat and less carbs, not only fat and no carbs. For maximum effort I would recommend zone 2/3 80-90% of the time and zone 5 10-20% of the time. Doing this Hi-Lo training would be high intensity work (zone 5) to burn your immediately available glucose stores so that when you do your aerobic (zone 2/3) training immediately after you have already eating your body's preferred source of fuel that you would have otherwise needed to burn through before the % of calories burned would lean toward fat loss.
You would see even more benefit from this if doing fasted training (IMF/keto/etc) because your going into a workout already in a state of glucose depletion.
In short - warm up properly, do some high intensity cardio, and then slow it down for a good fat burning session.4 -
In aerobic zones you burn more fat and less carbs, not only fat and no carbs. For maximum effort I would recommend zone 2/3 80-90% of the time and zone 5 10-20% of the time. Doing this Hi-Lo training would be high intensity work (zone 5) to burn your immediately available glucose stores so that when you do your aerobic (zone 2/3) training immediately after you have already eating your body's preferred source of fuel that you would have otherwise needed to burn through before the % of calories burned would lean toward fat loss.
You would see even more benefit from this if doing fasted training (IMF/keto/etc) because your going into a workout already in a state of glucose depletion.
In short - warm up properly, do some high intensity cardio, and then slow it down for a good fat burning session.
Do you know how many calories of glycogen most people have in their body?
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In aerobic zones you burn more fat and less carbs, not only fat and no carbs. For maximum effort I would recommend zone 2/3 80-90% of the time and zone 5 10-20% of the time. Doing this Hi-Lo training would be high intensity work (zone 5) to burn your immediately available glucose stores so that when you do your aerobic (zone 2/3) training immediately after you have already eating your body's preferred source of fuel that you would have otherwise needed to burn through before the % of calories burned would lean toward fat loss.
You would see even more benefit from this if doing fasted training (IMF/keto/etc) because your going into a workout already in a state of glucose depletion.
In short - warm up properly, do some high intensity cardio, and then slow it down for a good fat burning session.
May be meaningful for training for performance in endurance events.
Absolutely meaningless for weight loss.
"Fat burning" during exercise has NO effect on loss of body fat.
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Here's a good explanation: http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/how-to-calculate-your-training-heart-rate-zones
However, I'd have to agree, as long as you do exercise it shouldn't matter all that much unless you have fitness goals in mind. When I started on my weight loss journey my resting heart rate was high, high enough to be a concern. So slowly over the period of a year or more I worked on endurance and strengthening my heart as well as becoming more fit. Now I tend to exercise somewhere in the higher Aerobic zone, and pass on into the Anaerobic zones for HIIT training. My RHR is now around 50 (sometimes lower) and I'm twenty times more fit than I was when I started. I've also spent considerable time trying to increase endurance in order to start running longer distances. So for me, heart rate zones make a difference, but just for losing weight I'd say if you stay above say 110-128 (this all depends on age, current resting heart rate, etc. refer to that article) you're doing just fine. I, personally, push hard enough to hit 142, and do my best to stay there, then with periods of high intensity I push into the mid to upper 150's then go back down to my usual rate of 142. I can easily average 148-150 during my training sessions. But again, I'm trying to keep up endurance this winter so that I can hit the ground running so to speak in the spring.1 -
... you have already eating your body's preferred source of fuel that you would have otherwise needed to burn through before the % of calories burned would lean toward fat loss.
Are you really suggesting that the originator should be doing a minimum of three hours of training per session to make progress?
She's wanting to lose weight, not swim/ run/ cycle long distances
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When losing weight and extracting on example elliptical is it better to keep heart rate in fat burning zone or cardio zone? Or doesn't matter?
When you get right down to it, losing "weight" (fat really, water retention doesn't count and nobody wants to lose muscle) comes from calories. The really awesome thing is that exercise burns calories, it's not just for fun. You burn calories if you're in the fat burning zone, and you burn calories if you're not in the fat burning zone. In fact, you burn more calories at higher intensities.
But it's probably better for most people to do moderate intensity exercise for weight loss, instead of high intensity. The reasons are that you can do it for longer, and you'll burn more calories in 60 minutes than you will in 20. You need less time for recovery because of less intensity. If you're new to exercise, you have less risk of injury, and burnout. In short, it's more sustainable.5 -
NorthCascades wrote: »
It was a loaded question.
I've yet to see runners hitting the wall after 15 minutes and cyclists bonk on the way to the shops but still these ideas circulate.2 -
I wouldn't worry about exercising to the heart rate zone listed on a machine. Most people's true heart rate zones will not match the prescribed zone based on age, gender calculations. Just do what feels right.
Also, women's heart rates tend to be a little higher than men. There was a man above who said 110 to 128 should be fine, but for me, I can hold a conversation running with my heart rate in the low 160s. In a race, my normal average is 178, but I had 1 trail race where my heart rate average was 184. My resting heart rate is 38. I have a female friend who is very fit and runs as well, and she feels like she's going to die when her heart rate is in the 160s.
I'm just trying to point out that what's good for 1 person isn't necessarily good for another. If I stayed in the 110 to 128 range, i wouldn't even work up a sweat. For exercising and losing weight, just do what feels right. I will say that it is better to exercise for longer time with an intensity that will allow you to maintain. If you go so hard, you don't last more than 10 minutes, that won't help.2 -
Spliner1969 wrote: »So for me, heart rate zones make a difference, but just for losing weight I'd say if you stay above say 110-128 (this all depends on age, current resting heart rate, etc. refer to that article) you're doing just fine. I, personally, push hard enough to hit 142, and do my best to stay there, then with periods of high intensity I push into the mid to upper 150's then go back down to my usual rate of 142. I can easily average 148-150 during my training sessions.
This is a good demonstration of how zone training is a bit hit and miss without regular testing to establish the necessary zones.
I'm only a year younger, so those figures should apply to me as well. To me, 150 is still pretty moderate intensity. The last time I did a threshold test I'm not into lactate threshold range until I'm above 175bpm and not really in what I'd call High intensity until about 195bpm.0 -
BeeerRunner wrote: »I wouldn't worry about exercising to the heart rate zone listed on a machine. Most people's true heart rate zones will not match the prescribed zone based on age, gender calculations. Just do what feels right.
Also, women's heart rates tend to be a little higher than men. There was a man above who said 110 to 128 should be fine, but for me, I can hold a conversation running with my heart rate in the low 160s. In a race, my normal average is 178, but I had 1 trail race where my heart rate average was 184. My resting heart rate is 38. I have a female friend who is very fit and runs as well, and she feels like she's going to die when her heart rate is in the 160s.
I'm just trying to point out that what's good for 1 person isn't necessarily good for another. If I stayed in the 110 to 128 range, i wouldn't even work up a sweat. For exercising and losing weight, just do what feels right. I will say that it is better to exercise for longer time with an intensity that will allow you to maintain. If you go so hard, you don't last more than 10 minutes, that won't help.
You're right, it's highly subjective to age and fitness level. My max may be 173 to 178 at my age, but in my teens or early twenties it may have well been 198 or higher. I could not hold a conversation at 160bpm, not well anyway, but again that's just my limit, not anyone else.0 -
When losing weight and extracting on example elliptical is it better to keep heart rate in fat burning zone or cardio zone? Or doesn't matter?
Rather than heart rate, watts, etc..., it narrows down to this...
1. Old lady pace
2. Chatty pace
3. Feel good hard
4. Feel bad hard
5. I am going to die
6. Flat out
Old lady pace and chatty pace help build an aerobic base. Feel good hard is the "sweet spot" of cardio training that gives a lot of bang for the buck. Feel bad hard is your threshold area and is race pace. I am going to die is race pace and it hurts. Flat out is for only very short durations and makes the "I am going to die" pace seem much more friendly.
How long are you on the elliptical machine? How often?
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SingingSingleTracker wrote: »When losing weight and extracting on example elliptical is it better to keep heart rate in fat burning zone or cardio zone? Or doesn't matter?
Rather than heart rate, watts, etc..., it narrows down to this...
1. Old lady pace
2. Chatty pace
3. Feel good hard
4. Feel bad hard
5. I am going to die
6. Flat out
Old lady pace and chatty pace help build an aerobic base. Feel good hard is the "sweet spot" of cardio training that gives a lot of bang for the buck. Feel bad hard is your threshold area and is race pace. I am going to die is race pace and it hurts. Flat out is for only very short durations and makes the "I am going to die" pace seem much more friendly.
How long are you on the elliptical machine? How often?
This!!!0 -
OP, lots of good advice posted above. I love the pacing descriptions posted. When pacing new runners during half marathon training, we stressed the goal of being "conversational" during long runs, i.e., stay mostly at the Chatty Pace. This allows for a nice build up in endurance with minimal risk of injury.0
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Thank you for posting this question, Ceeceeann! I just got a heart rate monitor watch from Santa0
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