Fat burning cardio zone

We can all agree that losing weight is a difficult task. Contrary to popular belief, maintaining a calorie deficit and practicing physical activity are not the only components of this strategy.

However, if you’re new to the fitness industry, you may never have heard of the concept of the fat-burning cardio zone. Even those who have been training for years may not be aware of this concept, if that helps. It is essential to understand the heart rate of fat burning cardio, because it is very important for weight loss.

Fat burning zone or heart rate will now be discussed in this article. Our goal is to understand what it is, how it affects weight loss and how to measure it. During your workout, pay attention to your heart rate to gauge the intensity of the exercise. We all know that vigorous or intense exercise burns more calories than doing nothing. That said, this awareness is essential. Analyze it carefully!

What is the fat burning cardio zone?

The fat burning cardio zone is a concept that considers two main zones that affect weight loss: the fat burning zone and the cardio zone. For a long time there was debate about which of the two was more effective in losing weight.

The reality is that you can’t answer such a question without first understanding the concepts behind the two. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at both to understand what they entail and their impact on weight loss.

Fat burning zone

Some call it fat burning zone, while others call it fat burning heart rate. This refers to how fast your heart should beat per minute for maximum fat burning results (4). It is a great indicator of the intensity of your physical activity or within an exercise program.

Normally, a person’s heart rate varies between 60 and 100 beats per minute while lying down or sitting. This is known as your resting heart rate (4). When you start exercising, your heart rate also tends to increase.

You will reach your highest heart rate when you perform a high-intensity workout. Don’t forget that high-intensity activities tend to affect you, both physically and emotionally. Knowing this, it is no wonder that such exercises should only be performed for short periods.

Your fat-burning heart rate should fall between these two extremes during physical activity. If you reach the fat burning zone due to increased intensity, your body tends to burn more stored fat than carbohydrates and sugars (4). As a result, most workout fanatics aim for high-intensity exercises to target this area and burn more fat.

Heart rate measurement for fat burning

You can choose to use an online calculator to find out your heart rate if you don’t like doing calculations. If not, it’s best to go ahead and do the calculations yourself! Let’s say you want your heart rate to be between the intense limit of 70% and 85% (3). You can calculate your predicted heart rate using the heart rate reserve (HRR) method. All you have to do is follow these steps (3):

1. Subtract your age by 220 to get your maximum heart rate. Let’s say you are 45 years old. This will mean subtracting 45 from 220 to get a maximum heart rate of 175.
2. Calculate your resting heart rate. You will need to count how many times your heart beats per minute at rest, preferably early in the morning. Remember that it must be between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Let’s say you noticed that your heart rate per minute is 80. Write it down somewhere.
3. Calculate your heart rate by subtracting your resting heart rate from your maximum heart rate. This means subtracting 80 from the answer in step 1, which is 175 (175-80). The answer is 95.
4. Multiply the HRR (the response obtained in step 3) by 70% or 0.7. (0.7×95). The answer is 66.5.
5. Add the answer to this solution to your resting heart rate. The answer to your resting heart rate is in step 2. So, you’ll add 66.5 to 80 to get 146.5.
6. Next, multiply your HRR (the answer you got in step 3) by 85% or 0.85 (0.85 x 95). The answer is 80.75. Add resting heart rate response (solution for step 2) (80.75+80). The answer is 160.75.
7. Write down the solutions obtained in steps 5 and 6. They indicate the average target heart rate zone for an intense training program. This means you should try to push yourself until your heart rate zone is between 146.5 and 160.75 beats per minute.

You can understand whether you reach such a zone only with the help of a tracker that will regularly measure your heart rate (3). See your trainer for help. if you need help getting a reliable and accurate tracker.

Fat burning cardio zone

The cardio zone is also known as the aerobic zone. It refers to the area where the body uses its aerobic metabolic system to obtain energy from fats and glycogen (5). To achieve this system, an individual must perform aerobic activities. You can engage in various aerobic exercises, such as swimming, running, jogging or brisk walking.

Experts recommend spending 150 minutes a week participating in moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking (1). However, if your aerobic exercise is intense, dedicate at least 75 minutes per week (1). Some people think that cardiovascular or aerobic activities are not suitable for weight loss. However, they are.

According to Medical News Today, they help you burn calories which helps you shed pounds. To give you an example of how these activities work, let’s explore the calories a 154-pound person can burn using various aerobic exercises. Notice (1):

These are just estimates to show you that cardio or aerobic activities can help you burn calories and promote weight loss. They do not represent standard limits for the number of calories you can burn if you weigh 154 kilograms.

Don’t forget that other factors come into play, including metabolism, body composition and age. The more muscular you are, the more calories you end up burning even at rest (6). Likewise, if you have a higher metabolism, you will burn more calories than someone with a slower metabolism.

The same concept applies to age. As you age, you will tend to lose muscle mass and your metabolism may also slow down. Your body stores more fat than muscle as you age. Don’t forget that muscles help you burn more calories, which is why older people burn fewer calories than younger people (6).

Is the cardio zone effective for losing weight?

To lose weight, you need to reduce the number of calories you consume or burn more calories than you expend. When you burn more calories than you expend, you eventually lose pounds (2). Hitting the cardio zone will help you burn calories, which means it can boost weight loss if you consume even fewer calories than you burn.

You can burn more calories by increasing the duration of your workout or the intensity of your program. For example, you can choose to extend your exercise program to one hour instead of the usual 30 minutes.

It will be a challenge at first to keep pushing for this amount of time. Take it easy and get used to it. If you can’t reach an hour, try the 45 minute mark. Over time, you will increase the duration of the workout up to an hour. However, don’t forget to consult a professional before making any changes to your training plan.

Cardio vs. Fat burning zone: which is the best for losing weight?

Everyone is looking for an easier solution when it comes to shedding pounds. That said, there’s obviously a battle between the ideal zone you should target when training, between the cardio zone and the fat burning zone. The fact is that every individual has a different weight loss journey.

Some people may have different fitness levels or use multiple medications that may alter their heart rate. Therefore, it is not safe to specify what the ideal zone is for every individual who wants to lose pounds. The best approach is to consult a fitness trainer and doctor for more information on safe weight loss.

conclusion

If you exercise to lose weight you need to understand the concept of the fat burning cardio zone. It focuses on fat burning heart rate and cardio zones.

Both promote weight loss, but in different ways. The fat burning heart rate zone allows the body to burn stored fat more than carbohydrates.

The cardio zone, on the other hand, burns carbohydrates and calories to lose weight. Talk to your trainer to determine the best area to target for effective and safe weight loss.