Heart rate & Fat Loss?

[dreamyjeanie]

I don't know if this has been asked before or not.

In order to burn fat efficiently, what percentage of your max heart rate should you be working at? What happens if you work out higher than that percentage, are you sabatoging your workout? I know the machines at the club have different zones on them for "Cardiac conditioning" "Fat burning" etc, but I work out mostly at home so I would like to use my HR monitor to get the best results.

Thanks

Jean

 

[kellymom]

From what I have been taught, and what I have read from different sources that all agreed, there is not ONE special heart rate to always stay at to burn more fat. The most effective exercising uses a variety of heart rates (divided into zones).

There is a heart rate level, called your anaerobic threshold, that marks the point at which your body stops using fat for fuel. When you hit this mark you have a dropped jaw, breathing through mouth, can't talk, and can't go on for more than a few minutes. You should reach this area at the end of a really tough blast in the Imaxes, or the blasts in Kick Max. Doing lots of activity at this level will not help your body burn more fat for fuel. You'll burn lots of calories, but they'll be from sugar. If you're trying to lose fat, only exercise up close to your AT once a week or so. Or so I've been told ;-)

For me personally, my Maximum heart rate is 230 and my AT is 192 (83%). To use more fat for fuel I need to be below that. I shoot for a range of 145-170 for several workouts during the week, one that continually takes me close to or at 192, and one or two that range from 150s-180s. Working out super hard will burn tons of calories and you will certainly lose weight if your diet is good, but you won't be training your body to burn the maximum amount of fat that it could. You have to figure out approximately what your AT is and use that to help you. Your heart rate monitor probably has a test you can perform to try and figure that out.

Sorry I went on so long!

HTH,
Kelly

 

[pink_fortitude]

http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html

Here is a link that explains the different heart zones and how your body uses its resources for energy. Typically, when you exercise the lower your heart rate is, the more fat fuel you are using, and the higher your heart rate is the more glycogen you are using. However you burn more calories the harder your heart works, and burning more calories also means burning more fat. It is good to do both!

HTH
Missy

 

[dreamyjeanie]

Thanks, that sight was very helpful. I had been looking but couldn't find one that explained it like that.

Jean