Polar FT7 Fat burning Mode vs. Fitness Mode

jujuwoome
jujuwoome Posts: 32
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Just got this HRM about a week ago and I love it. I was looking at my workouts for the past week and found something curious.

Most of the time I work out in the Fitness Mode which according to this quote means I am using more carbs to work out vs. the Fat Burning Zone which is better for weight loss.

"Training at the Fat Burning Zone (at a lower intensity) generally means that fat is the main source of energy during the workout. This is great for those aiming to lose weight. Training at the Fitness Improvement Zone (at a higher intensity) generally means that carbohydrates is the main energy source. Here you are training to strengthen your heart and increase blood circulation, leading to improvement in you cardiovascular fitness."

I noticed I only had one day where I was mostly in the Fat Burning Zone. That was Sunday when I did a two mile hike but did it at a leisurely pace of sorts because I was also taking photographs. The rest of my workouts I worked much harder but it was all "fitness" mode.

Should I not be doing this? Do I have this exercise thing all wrong? I am going to google some articles but anyone have any suggestions?

Replies

  • musicgirl99
    musicgirl99 Posts: 252 Member
    bump I'm curious about this topic and would like to see what others say
  • jenk24
    jenk24 Posts: 4
    bump
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
    I found this article helpful in understanding fat burning versus fitness heart rates...

    http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/a/The-Truth-About-The-Fat-Burning-Zone.htm
  • MandaJean83
    MandaJean83 Posts: 675 Member
    Bump, I wanna know about this too!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    HR zones are a crock of S^&T. Just workout as hard as you can for the duration of your workouts and you will burn the most amount of calories as you can. Yes in the fat burning zone you burn a higher % of fat while working out but less total fat for the same amount of time vs. higher intensity.

    So moral of the story is, push yourself and see results on the scale, in the mirror, and in your performance.
  • shanahtehya
    shanahtehya Posts: 50 Member
    bump... interesting..........good question!
  • bzmom
    bzmom Posts: 1,332 Member
    bump
  • trkinsky
    trkinsky Posts: 63 Member
    I have been using the FT80 and the computerized tracking of my workouts for a couple of months. 90% of my calorie burn is in Zone 3, Maximizing performance. If I try to use Zone 1 or 2, I get easily bored. I agree 100% with Eric (11:28 post)

    The best thing you can do is push yourself and you will notice change. If you aint sweating, you aint trying!
  • jujuwoome
    jujuwoome Posts: 32
    Thanks for the article! That did explain some things and I had found others supporting what you had to say about basically "just work out hard".

    I won't fret over it anymore. :)
  • nikkijoshua
    nikkijoshua Posts: 85 Member
    A higher % of the calories burned during moderate intensity exercise is from fat, but because you burn a higher number of calories overall during a high intensity workout, you still end up burning more fat during a high intensity workout. Not only that, you also burn more fat after you've finished a high intensity workout during the recovery phase. That recovery phase or "afterburn" can go on for hours depending on the intensity of the workout. You don't get that afterburn effect after moderate intensity workouts so you still end up burning alot more fat with high intensity workouts. It's good to do both types of workouts no matter what your goals are. Alternating moderate and high intensity workouts is good to give your body enough time to recover after doing a really high intensity workout.
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