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gkr747
New Member
| Joined: | 9 May 2008 |
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| Posts: | 17 |
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Posted: 11 May 2008 04:57 pm |
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Hi All,
I am 29, 200 pounds and 5'10". I am working out everyday to loose weight. I am currently working at around 72-80% of Max Heart rate ( I guess this comes under high intensity workout zone ) everyday for 60 mins without break. My BMI is approx 29 and Body fat is 34% ( lot to burn of course :) ).
My primary target to loose weight by 35 pounds from now. Can you please tell me which of these will be ideal and rapid way to loose weight for me and at the same time reduces Body Fat as much as possible?
1. Low intensity continous walk for 1hr ( which burns relatively more fat but fewer overall cals )
2. High Intensity continous brisk walk for 1 hr ( which burns relatively more carbs and fewer fat but more overall cals )
3. High Intensity brisk walk with short cool down periods for 1hr ( I don't know if this workout burns more carbs or fat at the end )
Thank you
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CrimsonAnimus
New Member
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Posted: 11 May 2008 06:06 pm |
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Hi, there!
First of all, 70-79% of your MHR is considered moderate intensity. 80%-89% is considered high intensity. According to your numbers, you fall in the moderate zone.
As far as which exercise you should do, I really can't recommend that you work out in the light intensity zone, which is 60%-69% MHR. You might burn a higher percentage of calories from fat, but your calorie burn will likely be pretty low overall.
Now, if you elect to do HIIT training, which I also don't recommend, then entering this zone is fine. To do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), most people get their heart rate up to about 90%, and then do a brief cool-down period to get their heart rate back in the 50%-60% range. I don't recommend this unless you are really fit. I cycle between 20-25 miles per day, 6 days a week, and I'm still not fit enough to do this. It would take my heart at least 10 minutes to get back in the 50%-60% range, even with minimal effort on my part. Supposedly, though, HIIT keeps your metabolism going for several hours afterwards, and is supposed to be good at burning fat. However, it's also the regimen that Olympic athletes use to train, so use discretion.
I have found that I burn the most fat calories by staying in the moderate zone (70%-79%). As an example, the most vigorous workout I've done to date was on 5/5 - I cycled for 60 minutes, and burned 1178 calories. 25% of them were from fat, totaling 295 fat calories. My average HR was 88% of my MHR. The month before, I did a session for 60 minutes with an average HR of 75% of my MHR. I only burned 885 calories, but 45% of them were fat, totaling 398 fat calories.
I still alternate between moderate days and hard days, though, because they both have their uses. I would recommend you do the same. Doing the same intensity on your workout every day might cause your body to get adjusted to it, and your workout will not be as optimal as it could be. Best of luck.
EDIT: Some people use the RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scale rather than analyzing their heart rate during a workout. In my own experience, the RPE system is both flawed and dangerous. When I started working out, my heart rate averaged about 90%, and I was barely breathless. The same workout would now keep my heart rate in about the 60% range. For beginning exercisers, in particular, you need to acknowledge that your heart rate will most likely get very high very quickly, so you need to take it a bit easy. Further, athletes could probably do my daily workout and barely break a sweat, if at all.
Last edited on 11 May 2008 08:50 pm by CrimsonAnimus
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gkr747
New Member
| Joined: | 9 May 2008 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 17 |
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Posted: 11 May 2008 09:01 pm |
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Thanks for correcting me there and your guidance!...You said you burnt 45% fat calories through moderate workout, now can you tell me how you estimated that 45% was fat or is it just a commonly assumed percentage for moderate intensity workouts?
Also one more thing I would like to ask which is weight loss depends primarily on total amount of calories burnt at the end of a workout and does not depend very much on amount of fat calories burnt right? I am assuming fat calories basically reduces the Body Fat
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CrimsonAnimus
New Member
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Posted: 12 May 2008 03:25 am |
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The 45% number comes from my heart rate monitor, a Polar F-6. It's not an exact science, of course, but neither is calorie burn. It's probably a decent estimate, though.
At higher intensities, your body burns more glycogen, which is your body's primary energy source for exercise. At lower intensities, it burns more fat. However, it burns both regardless of intensity, just in different percentages, as long as your body has glycogen to burn. If it runs out, it will go to fat for energy, but it will also go for muscle, which is bad.
I recommend you alternate between different intensities, so that your body doesn't come to expect the same thing. Moderate is probably the best overall, but if you don't push yourself from time to time, you won't improve as well, and being able to exercise harder as you progress will help to keep you from reaching a plateau.
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