The "fat burn zone" refers to a brief period during exercise when you are working at a moderate intensity, at a pace which is roughly equal to your maximum exertion or a fat burn rate of around five to seven percent. It is this second range, which is often referred to as your "burning zone". When training for fat loss, you should focus on maintaining this rate rather than going faster. Why? Simple - it burns more fat! And, you will be able to do the type of exercises you select for fat loss with ease and in shorter periods of time.
In addition to your fat burn zone, there are also two other smaller zones or afterburner effects you can use to make exercising more effective. The first of these is your plateau effect. You may find yourself going through a plateau in the initial stages of your exercising routine. It's during this time that you start to use up more calories and muscles than you are using. So by keeping your afterburn effect at a moderate level, you are less likely to continue using up calories and muscles even when exercising at higher intensities.
The second afterburn effect is your thermic effect. When you are exercising, your body naturally heats up. At first, this can cause you to feel slightly uncomfortable. But, as you keep exercising at a high intensity, your body will typically heat up and store more calories, resulting in you burning off more fat during your workouts.
So, the key to fat loss is to maintain your fat burning zone during your workouts and build your fat burning capacity gradually. Keep in mind that when you are exercising at high intensity levels, you are burning calories at a much higher rate than at lower intensity levels. This can result in you feeling exhausted quite quickly and you might even get a little hungry during your workout. If you are planning to work out for an extended period of time, plan to eat more often.
For best results, train each muscle group individually and then switch them to the heart rate zone. For instance, when you are working on your chest muscles, do not work your arms. Then, when you switch your exercises to your shoulders, your arms should be rested. In addition to keeping your fat burn zone consistent, you also allow some rest periods between training sessions.
The third fat burn zone is your low intensity zone (or your 'mini zone'), where you can start out with lower intensity levels and gradually work your way up to higher intensity levels. For example, when you are working your upper chest muscles, you should begin at lower intensities and gradually work your way up to higher ones. You should do the same for your lower back muscles.
Your fourth zone is your intermediate zone. In this zone, you should be performing steady state (i.e. intensity) exercises at low to moderate intensity levels. This could include push-ups, pull-ups, dips, squats, rowing, etc. At this point in your training, you have covered all of the muscles that you can perform, so your focus is on endurance exercises at your maximum heart rate.
Finally, your high-intensity fat burning zone. In your high intensity stage, you are pushing your body to its limit with high intensity workouts. At this point in your fat burn zone, you should be performing workouts that push your body's limits, such as short sprints, interval training (like riding a stationary bike at a high pace), or high intensity strength training. You should also be consuming enough amount of calories and maintaining your ideal weight loss level.
No comments:
Post a Comment