Understanding the Fat Burn Zone and How You Can Use it to Lose Weight Faster

The "fat burn zone" refers to a brief period during exercise where you are working at an acceptable intensity, usually below your maximum heart rate (the maximum number of heartbeats per minute when your heart is at its highest potential), or at a low enough intensity to maintain an aerobic or an anaerobic state. Your body's fat burning rate also increases during this time. The zone occurs at the end of your workout, when your heart has returned to its resting rate and is not pumping blood very fast. This is the optimal zone for fat burning.

There are other factors involved in reaching the fat burn zone. For instance, the length of your workouts also makes a difference. The longer you workout, the lower your resting heart rate and the higher your anaerobic threshold (the ability to do more workouts at a higher intensity before your body breaks down). The shorter your workouts, the higher your resting heart rate and the lower your anaerobic threshold.

Now that you know your cardio and anaerobic threshold, you can identify which zones to target during your workouts. Of course, your goals are personal. For example, if you want to lose weight, you will probably benefit from using a lower intensity, low-weight cardio workout. In contrast, if you are looking to build muscle, you will likely benefit from working your upper-body on your exercises. The type of exercises you choose will be influenced by your goals. However, the following fat burn zones are generally recommended.

First, in order to reach the fat burning zone, you need to keep your heart rate within reasonable limits of maximum capacity during your workout. That means you should be resting between exercise sessions for a minimum of six minutes, especially before high-intensity activities such as weightlifting. If you attempt to overtrain your cardiovascular system, you will not get the benefits you desire. Therefore, the best way to go about learning how to train for your ideal fat burn zone is to simply follow what your body tells you. If it needs more energy to perform a particular physical activity, it will ask for more calories or it will adapt by lowering its heart rate. Your goal is to maintain a constant heart rate during your workout so you will be burning fat continuously instead of just losing muscle tissue.

Second, in order to learn how to train for your fat burn zone, you need to understand the relationship between fat accumulation and fat loss. During your workouts, some fat will be lost, but some will also be gained. This is due to the fact that muscle (calories) is more metabolized during intense workouts compared to fat (fat cells). In order to maximize your fat burn, you must learn to distribute your workouts throughout the day. To better understand this, consider a normal workday:

During the morning, you will have plenty of food available to fuel your muscles and keep them hypertrophy (bigger) for the entire day. But, at night, your fat stores will need to be replenished if you want to store on stored calories all night. This is why many people experience a plateau in their fat burn heart rate zone during their workouts. As you continue to follow an intense training program, your muscle stores will become more efficient and you will likely reach your desired fat burning zone.

The final component that helps determine the intensity of your workout is your resting heart rate. Your resting heart rate is different from your peak heart rate. During the period of your workout, your heart beat is mostly in beta, thus, it is under control of the beta wave. Your resting heart rate during the day is primarily in the alpha wave range. Your resting heart rate, which is around eighty to ninety percent of maximum heart beat, is what will dictate how intense your workout is going to be.

In conclusion, you should do a little research and find out exactly how many calories you can burn in each session. Find the fat burning zone that best fits your goals and stick with it. Exercising regularly and consistently will help you achieve your goals. As always, consult your physician before beginning any new fitness or fat burning program. Make sure that the program will not interfere with your current medications or affect your health in any way.