The 'Fat-Burning Zone': A Fitness Myth Debunked

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"I would go out and run a hard 5 miles with the goal to do it in around 35 minutes."
Thats ridiculous most people can't do that at all. That is Anaerobic. High Intensity is a heart rate of 150-170 for most people. You will lose more fat if you burn more calories. Your diet was probably not correct. You need to maintain a high protein diet as if you were lifting weights if you are working out like that. You would not have then lost muscle mass. You should be lifting weights as well.

of 4:03PM December 17, 2009

I think a lot of people are confusing weightloss and fat burning. There are some people who do not want to lose weight, but they want to become more lean. In that case, the lower intensity is the best.
I'm male, for reference. For the last 10 years, based on my military mentality, I would go out and run a hard 5 miles with the goal to do it in around 35 minutes. I've kept track of all this data. The problem is that I would drop from about 165 to 155 in a matter of weeks. My body fat always stayed at 15% +-.
The downside? I want to be 170 with the same body fat percentage. I was always fatigued an injured; limping around for days from the age of 23 to 33.
2 months ago, I got a Garmin Forerunner with heart-rate monitor. I started going on these really slow long runs, sometimes over an hour long. Result...I'm still the 170 I started out with and my body fat has been reduced. Better news, I'm pain free for the first time in 10 years.
My conclusion: You will lose weight very quickly if you go hard, but, as someone mentioned earlier, what else are you burning besides fat? Fat is the only enemy here. If you can burn almost all fat during a workout, you will be much better off. Do high intensity about 2 days per week to keep you fast and agile.

Conrad Grant of FL 4:06PM December 13, 2009

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ExonolymnFumn of AL 2:04PM April 02, 2009

Thank you for putting this one to rest. I hear this one all the time and I figure it lingers because it sounds so darn appealing - you mean I don't have to work as hard, but i burn *more* fat? Sign me up! Another case of if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Becca of MN 6:30PM March 16, 2009

Not necessarily a good idea for people newer to working out. Higher intensity workouts increase risk of fatigue, injury and longer recovery time. Not to menion increased DOMS. Better to keep your client on a consistent path with more frequent workouts so they don't lose focus and motivation (e.g. "I am too sore and tired to work out!").

Luke of CA 9:10PM March 14, 2009

Not necessarily a good idea for people newer to working out. Higher intensity workouts increase risk of fatigue, injury and longer recovery time. Not to menion increased DOMS. Better to keep your client on a consistent path with more frequent workouts so they don't lose focus and motivation (e.g. "I am too sore and tired to work out!").

Luke of CA 9:10PM March 14, 2009

Okay, we burn more fat at high intensity. At high intensity exactly what else beside fat are we burning for energy? And what are the percentages? protein, creatine, hmmm?

Mark Goldfarb of MD 5:24PM March 14, 2009

Okay, we burn more fat at high intensity. At high intensity exactly what else beside fat are we burning for energy? And what are the percentages? protein, creatine, hmmm?

Mark Goldfarb of MD 5:24PM March 14, 2009

This may be true, but most people don't have the stamina to work out for two to four hours at high intensity. Anyone can go for a moderate-length bicycle ride (35-60 miles) and gain much more overall benefit than they would from a short (30 minute), very high intensity workout. Intervals, hill repeats and tempo workouts are important to strength, speed, endurance and cardiovascular health, but for pure fat burning, it's all about what the individual can sustain.

Be the athlete of FL 10:44PM March 13, 2009