The Truth About the Fat Burning Zone
We've come a long way in the fitness world (yes, I used to wear leg warmers and lift pink dumbbells) but there are still myths out there that persist despite the best efforts of fitness experts everywhere. One of those myths is the one about the fat-burning zone - you know that one, right? It says that working out at a lower intensity will help you burn more fat.
I've written quite a bit about this and was drawn back to the topic when I read an article in the October 2009 issue of the IDEA Fitness Journal. In "The Fat-Burning Zone," Dr. Jason Karp talks about this myth stating that our bodies do rely on fat as fuel when we're working at a lower intensity. As the intensity increases, we use more carbs for fuel.
That sounds a lot like fat-burning but, here's what's important: Just because you use fat doesn't mean you actually burn more fat. In fact, if your goal is to lose fat, higher intensity exercise burns more calories overall. As Dr. Karp puts it, "What matters is the rate of energy expenditure, rather than simply the percentage of energy expenditure derived from fat."
The bottom line? Lower intensity exercise is great for a variety of reasons but, if your goal is to lose fat, incorporating some higher intensity workouts (particularly interval training) will get you closer to your goal.
What do you think about the fat-burning zone? Leave a comment and tell us about it.
More About the Fat-Burning Zone
Source:
Karp, J. "The Fat-Burning Zone." IDEA Fitness Journal, Oct 2009.
I think the discussion is incomplete of rate is incomplete without the addressing the question of length of time. Yes, a higher proportion of burning fat will burn more fat overall if exercising for the same amount of time. The question is, however, do people tend to work out for the same length of time regardless of intensity?
It’s easier to go for a longer amount of time at lower intensities than higher – especially if people are somewhat new to working out. If higher intensity makes people stop much earlier than they otherwise would, they likely wouldn’t burn as much as going at a lower intensity.
Of course, once you are somewhat trained, you should definitely mix in some higher intensity workouts every now and then! It’ll make it more fun, keep your workouts diverse, probably burn more calories, and keep the body and metabolism from getting too used to the same old workout!
wow. I don’t think anything I’ve ever read confused me more than this article and the comment.
I don’t care if you call it burning fat or using fat – can you tell me how to ELIMINATE/GET RID OF the fat cells?
bjs,
Sorry if I added to the confusion.
Go with Paige’s bottom line! Do lower intensity work outs but couple them with going much harder every now and then – particularly High-Intensity Interval work outs (when you’re trained enough to handle them). If you work out most days, you can alternate hard/easier workouts (and have a day of rest somewhere in there).
As for getting rid of the cells that store fat, ahh… that’s another beast altogether!
I plan on working out in the morning once I wake up in the morning. My goal is to lose fat and build muscle. Should I eat prior to my workout?
Morning exercise is great, but the sooner you eat, the easier it is for your body to maintain it’s energy levels all day. Exercise in the morning without eating first and you risk running out of energy before you start digesting that first meal. I find that a small carb snack before exercising in the morning and some protein immediately following morning exercise can leave me feeling energized all day. When I don’t eat before exercise, I feel like I’ve started a marathon doing wind sprints: I run out of gas to finish the race.
It’s about time we get the truth about how to get rid of fat. I’d been working out at a gym for two years, water aerobics, treadmill and didn’t start to lose weight until I increased the intensity of my workouts and sweat until I’m drenched! Overweight people need to be told the truth that walking 30 minutes a day is not going to make then thin. Thank you for busting this myth.
Dr. Jason Karp’s article in the IDEA Fitness Journal was thorough, and made a lot of sense – Waehner’s post is basically a summary of that article. If you want more info refer to the article written by Dr. Karp.
I’m always baffled when people talk about “running out of energy.” For tens of thousands of years our ancestors ate when they had food — which wasn’t necessarily first thing in the morning. Going a day or two without eating doesn’t kill you. Going eight or twelve hours without eating doesn’t mean you can’t run down that antelope or dig up some yams. For many years I never ate breakfast and had no trouble waiting until I was at a convenient stopping point around lunchtime.
Some people feel uncomfortable doing vigorous exercise immediately after eating. It can make them nauseated. When I was doing a regular daily exercise routine I preferred to fix a pot of coffee and drink a cup or two before exercising. The daily routing took about twelve minutes, then shower, shave, get dressed, drive to work, and maybe get a bite to eat or not. On the other hand, in Army basic training our P.T. period was scheduled for immediately after lunch. I don’t think it’s a big difference.
I agree with Roger. I’ve always exercised before breakfast and have never felt a lack of energy.
What’s more, eating right before exercising won’t even give time for food to be digested – so, I can’t imagine how eating a piece of bread or something shortly before exercising would really provide a burst of energy. It’d need to be well before the exercise and then too much more than a piece of bread to contain significant amounts of energy. That would create the problem of a full stomach, which is bothersome to many people and just be counterproductive to those seeking weight-loss (the calories still count!)
I’d say if you were exercising in the morning, last night’s dinner would really cover your energy needs. After all, sleeping on a bed isn’t exactly known for burning all your calorie reserves!