Fat Burning Zone Vs. Cardio Training Zone

Fat Burning Zone Vs. Cardio Training Zone

So many times I have seen gym members spend countless hours on the treadmill waiting for the fat to melt off their bodies.

The belief is when you are in the “fat burning zone” you maximize your fat loss. To get a clear understanding of whether this belief is true or false, we must first define the “fat burning zone” and the “cardio training zone”.

The fat burning zone is “low intensity cardio,” where your heart rate is between 60 and 70% of your maximum heart rate. This heart rate range is reached by standing up, walking quickly or jogging. Yes, you will burn fat, but only 50% of the total calories you consume come from fat. If you maintain this intensity after 20 minutes, 70-80% of calories now come from fat and only 20-30% come from carbohydrates. But this is the time when most people quit anyway.

The cardio training zone is “High Intensity Cardio” and your heart rate is between 70 and 85% of your maximum heart rate.

The maximum heart rate can be estimated using the following formula:

(220 – Age) = Maximum heart rate

Example: (220-28) = 192 b.pm (beats per minute) is the maximum heart rate.

Fat Burning Zone – Low Intensity Zone 192 x 60% – 70% = 115 – 134 b.pm

Cardio Training Zone – High Intensity Zone 192 x 70% – 85% = 134 – 163 b.pm

Is the “Fat Burning Zone” the Best Way to Lose Fat?

You better sit for this one...the answer is no.

Although the “fat burning zone” uses a higher percentage of fat as fuel; You need to look at the bigger picture, which is calories burned. Below is a table comparing the two training zones.

Low intensity exercise burns 50% fat for fuel, e.g. E.g.: 100 calories x 50% = 50 calories from fat

High intensity training burns 40% fat for fuel, e.g. E.g.: 160 calories x 40% = 64 calories from fat

For example, let's say you burn 100 calories in 20 minutes of low-intensity exercise compared to 160 calories in 10 minutes of high-intensity exercise. You still burned more total fat when you exercise at high intensity.

The conclusion:

For people new to exercise, it is recommended to start in this zone with low intensity (60 – 70% of maximum heart rate). There will be some benefits in the first 2-3 weeks, you may even experience some weight loss initially.

But after this initial phase, we need to gradually increase the intensity of our routine. Remember that this increase is 70 – 85% of the maximum hard rate. Maintaining a higher intensity of exercise over a longer period of time can sometimes be very challenging. In these cases, so-called interval training is a powerful tool. This means we can increase the intensity level for a short period of time (30 seconds - 2 minutes), returning to a baseline intensity level after each interval. For example, a starting intensity equal to 60% of MHR. First interval at a rise to 80% MHR, maintaining this level for 1 minute and returning to 60% MHR for 2-3 minutes. and starting a new cycle

Inspired by Stephanie Green