Most people looking forward to lose weight has probably heard of the magical fat burning zone. To target the so called fat burning zone, it takes one to engage in low intensity cardio training for a prolonged period of time. Hence, the popularity of the treadmills in a commercial gym.
Once the intensity goes too high, it is claimed that we would not be burning fat and our hard work would be in vain. But does it really make sense that harder work would not lead to better result? Absolutely not! We are going to show you how the fat burning zone is a phony and the harder we work (not necessarily longer), actually leads to better result in fat burning!
How Was the Fat Burning Zone Originated?
The basis of fat burning zone is originated from the indirectly proportional relationship between the ratio of using fat as our energy source and the intensity of activity we engage in. In human words? For very low intensity activities, our bodies almost solely rely on fat to fuel themselves. As the intensity increases, the RATIO of our bodies using fat as a source of energy decreases. The thing is, it is only the RATIO of our bodies using fat as a source of energy decreases, rather than the ABSOLUTE VALUE.
Example
For example, let’s say A burned 500 calories in total within a 2 hours jogging session, and B burned 1000 calories in total within an one hour high intensity training session. Since A was engaging in such low intensity training (you got to jog like a snail to burn only 500 calories in 2 hours), his body relied 100% on fat during his session, so he burned 500 calories of fat. On the other hand, B’s body relied on 60% fat during his session, and he burned 600 calories of fat during his one hour session! Point being, although the RATIO of fat used during higher intensity training is lower than lower intensity training, the ABSOLUTE AMOUNT of fat used can still be higher, and often times within a shorter period!
The Afterburn Effect
This is not it, when we engage in low intensity training, we almost immediately stop burning extra calories as soon as we step off the treadmill. However, after engaging in high intensity training, our bodies actually go through excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which means our bodies would keep burning extra calories after the termination of the activity due to the demand of recovery for the intense workout! This is commonly known as the afterburn, which can last for as long as 48 hours after finishing the workout! What is even better is the ratio of using fat as a source of energy can be twice as much comparing to an inactive individual. So you burn more calories, in which those calories are primarily from fat, without being mindful of it. This is the wonder of high intensity training. It is not only the calories we burn during our workouts, but also those we burn after our workouts!
From now on, feel free to train with higher intensity without worrying about the hard work going in vain! The harder we work, the better the result, as simple as that!
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