Introduction:
There are three main components of an effective weight loss program: Proper diet, effective weight training and a complete cardiovascular program. You can find hundreds of books on diets and weight loss plans in any bookstore, there will also be dozens of books on weight training, and a trip to a health club will reveal how each trainer has their own theory on what is "best for you." However, whether your goal is to lose weight or simply get into better shape, few books in the mainstream media provide information about proper cardiovascular training.
This article will address the myths of those “fat burning zones” and help one design a cardiovascular program for their needs.
Objectives:
• Myths about the “Fat burning zone”
• How to increase your metabolism
What is the "fat burning zone?" It's the time when your body is mainly using fat as fuel. This can be determined using a metabolic cart to measure an individual’s respiratory exchange ratio-RER. This is simply the amount carbon dioxide (CO2 ) you expire divided by the oxygen (O2 ) you inhale while you breathe. Your body uses the highest percent of its fuel from fat when the body has a RER of .71. So, you ask, if your body wants to use a high percent of its fuel from fat when you are at .71 RER, why wouldn’t you want to exercise at this level all the time? Because the only time your body can be at .71 RER is at complete rest. This is where the fat burning zone breaks down because you are not burning very many calories. As you increase your activity level, your RER will rise. In what some fitness professionals call your “fat burning zone” would be somewhere between an RER of .80-.90, and you could still be using some fat as a fuel but you are now doing moderate exercise such as a fast walk or light jog. More importantly, you are now also burning a fair amount of calories. ). This is a great zone to start in and to improve one’s blood’s capability to deliver oxygen throughout the body and remove waste. When you exercise regularly, your body increases its output of blood and your blood volume increases – this allows more blood to get to the cells. The result is a greater flow of oxygen to a greater number of cells throughout the body, thus helping the cells work to their capacity and allowing the heart to become stronger. Even though many people know this as the “fat burning zone,” we will refer to it as zone one, more of a "recovery zone" – which it truly is.
The problem with using only one zone is that you will hit a plateau and not be able to increase your fitness level. As a result, your weight will remain the same.
Many people who exercise or do what they think is a high-intensity workout every time they use a piece of fitness equipment or attend an aerobic class. These people are usually at an RER of around 1.0, which we will refer to this as zone two. This is near your anaerobic threshold – when your body can no longer produce enough energy for the muscles with just your oxygen intake. Unlike zone one which is aerobic training, or the presence of oxygen.
The higher the intensity you train and still stay aerobic will result in more calories burned with a high percent of the calories coming from fat. That is why one of the main goals of cardiovascular training is to increase your anaerobic threshold. Anaerobic threshold is also when your body starts to produce the lactic acid you feel in the muscle and your body can no longer remove all of it. The collection of the extra lactic acid is what you feel at the end of your interval or workout.
Exercising at what would be an RER of 1.0 is utilizing nearly all carbohydrates for fuel. These people are burning more calories during exercise. Because this is the most important issue, these people are on the right track. The bottom line in winning the weight loss game is that you have to burn more calories than you consume. But staying in zone two all the time will also cause you to hit a plateau. We see it all the time – people doing six, seven and eight exercise sessions a week without losing any weight. The reason is simple: To improve your fitness level or increase your metabolism, you must overload the body. If you do the same level of exercise during every workout, your body will never recover enough to do an overload workout and will also never do a true "high intensity" workout. A true high intensity workout would be going to a RER of 1.1, or a sub-max VO2 for short sprints. This is called "overloading," and it means taking someone to their peak (zone three) for 30 to 60 seconds before recovering in zone one and going back to zone three.
Studies show that training at high intensity once a week or three times a week both have the same cardiovascular conditioning benefits. If weight loss is your goal, then you might exercise in zone three more often to help burn more calories and raise your metabolism.
The most important benefit of interval training is an increase in the metabolism. The truth about burning fat is not how much you burn when you exercise, but what your body is doing the rest of the day. Studies have shown that interval type exercising raises your metabolism after a workout, and keeps it up longer than any "steady state" workout. Steady state training or exercise refers to any exercise that stays at the same workload for a long period of time such as an easy run or bike ride.
Benefits of True interval training:
1. Burns more calories
2. The possibility of burning more fats calories
3. Increases motivation
4. Increased energy levels
5. Increases endurance
6. Increases metabolism
ReplyDelete5 Ways to Cut Your Workout Time
Do you know the 2 biggest reasons men and women stop exercising?
1) Lack of time
2) Lack of motivation
Let's tackle "Lack of Time" today with 5 ways you can get your
workouts done faster. After all, no one should spend more than 50
minutes in the gym.
Here are 5 ways to cut time from your workouts.
a) Supersets
I use "non-competing" superset. This means, choose two exercises
for different muscle groups - and preferably completely opposite
movements. For example, choose a push and a pull. That way, one
muscle group rests while the other works...and you cut the rest
time you need between sets.
b) Choose a better warm-up strategy
Don't waste 10 minutes walking on the treadmill. Instead, use a
total body circuit of bodyweight exercises as a general warm-up, and
then move directly into specific warm-up sets for your first two
exercises.
c) Pair dumbbell and bodyweight exercises together in your
supersets
This saves you time at home (you don't need to change the dumbbell
weight between exercises) and in the gym (you don't need to fight
for 2 sets of dumbbells).
d) Choose Intervals over slow cardio
The latest research shows more weight loss when people use
intervals, and intervals take half as long to do.
e) Limit the use of isolation exercises
Pick multi-muscle exercises, such as squats, pulls, pushes, and
rows. If you have time, you can squeeze in some dropsets for arms
and shoulders if you want. However, if you only have 3 sessions of
45 minutes per week, isolation exercises must be the first to go.
In addition, don't spend more than 10 minutes per week on direct ab
training. It's not efficient and won't give you rock hard abs
alone.
Get your very own copy of Turbulence Training & the Nutrition Guide here: ===> 5 Ways to Cut Your Workout Time <=====
Workout less, live life more,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
Creator of Turbulence Training
PS - Don't know where to start?
If you are a beginner, start by reading Dr. Mohr's nutrition
guidelines...eating properly will be the biggest factor in your
early success.
Beginners should also start with the Introductory TT workouts to
prepare their muscles for the upcoming intense training.
For others, it's best to start with the Intermediate Level TT
workouts. If those aren't enough of a challenge, you can move onto
the Original TT workout and follow the 16-week advanced program
right through.
If at any time you need a break, try the TT Bodyweight 4-week plan.
And then finish off with the TT Fusion Fat Loss program followed by
the 30-day Maximum Fat Loss program to cap off a full 24 weeks of
Advanced TT fat loss workouts.
After that, choose between the TT for Women or TT for Muscle
programs to help put the finishing touches on your physique. All of
these are included as bonuses with Turbulence Training.
Get started on the road to fat loss with your very own copy of
Turbulence Training, ALL of the bonuses, & the Nutrition Guide here: ===> Fast fat loss workouts... <=====