In part one of this series on fat burning exercises we established that the amount of extra calories burned, 
by adding muscle to your body, is not as great as the internet and TV infomercials would have you believe.
The goal of this post is to help you see how the designed of your exercise program can significantly impact your caloric expenditure. And, what you eat and drink before and after you exercise also significantly impacts your fat burning ability.
Now the first place to start is in making a decision about the type of exercise program you’re going to follow.
Aerobic versus Anaerobic Exercise for Fat Burning!
Let’s make this as simple as possible. Fat burning exercises will either be
aerobic in design to strengthen the cardiovascular system
anaerobic in design to strengthen and build muscle tissue
or a combination of both.
Aerobic exercises use oxygen to create energy. The primary fuel source is free fatty acids which yield large amounts of energy.
Anaerobic exercises create energy without the use of oxygen. The primary fuel source is glycogen or blood glucose.
Part of the equation in using fat burning exercises to lose weight is looking at the caloric expenditure created during the exercise portion of your workout. Caloric expenditure is a combination of your weight and the intensity of the exercise. The following chart will give you a brief idea on how many calories can be expended during 30 minutes of exercise based on weight and activity:
|
Activity |
130 lbs |
180 lbs |
|
Bicycling (10 mph or 6 min./mile) |
162 |
225 |
|
Stair Climber Machine |
208 |
288 |
|
Rowing Machine |
234 |
324 |
|
Jogging (5 mph or 12 min./mile) |
240 |
333 |
|
Circuit Training (40 sec. rest ) |
332 |
459 |
|
Skipping Rope |
370 |
513 |
(Note: A more complete table of activities, weights and the corresponding caloric expenditures can be found at www.nutribase.com/exercala.htm )
The first 4 exercises are predominately aerobic in nature. The average caloric expenditure is 211 calories for a person weighing 130 lbs. and 293 calories for a 180 lb. person. The last 2 exercises are predominately anaerobic in nature. The average caloric expenditure for a 130 lb. person is 351 calories and for a 180 lb. person it is 486 calories.
The primary fuel source for the aerobic fat burning exercises is free fatty acids which is good. This helps to reduce fat stores. However, the anaerobic fat burning exercises actually burn 66% more calories during the same period of time so even though blood glucose is the main energy source you are still creating a caloric deficit that the body needs to fill.
The reason for these differences in caloric expenditure is the intensity of the fat burning exercises. The lower the intensity the greater the aerobic component with more free fatty acids used for energy. However, less overall calories are consumed by your body. At higher intensities the body switches to anaerobic respiration and depends predominately on sugars like stored glycogen in the muscle tissues and blood glucose in the bloodstream. The result in a significantly greater number of total calories burned, which is very important to losing fat. These two types of fat burning exercises cause one to wonder if there isn’t a method that can combine the best of both programs.
Enter Circuit Training For Fat Burning!
Circuit training incorporates both aerobic and anaerobic exercises into one effective fat burning program. The basic format that I used in my health club operations was:
5 minute warm up
4 minute cardio program
6 minute circuit training
4 minute cardio program
6 minute circuit training
5 minute cool down
This format allows the person to warm up properly and then enter an aerobic phase through the cardio program. This elevates their heart rate into their appropriate training range or target heart rate. At the end of the 4 minutes they then move to a 6 station weight lifting program. They perform 8 to 12 repetitions per station at the appropriate weight level. The only resting is when you move from one station to the next. This constant movement keeps your heart rate elevated so even though the intensity is causing your muscles to work anaerobically, your cardiovascular system is still working aerobically.
After completing the first circuit you return to the second cardio program. This allows your muscles to recover while continuing to maintain an elevated heart rate for cardiovascular improvement. Once the cardio phase is done you then move to your final circuit of 6 additional weight lifting stations. You follow this by a cool down period to allow your body to return to its resting phase.
This format allows for 20 minutes of aerobic activity for the heart and lungs while still incorporating an anaerobic phase for muscular development. It also allows for multiple variations to keep your program from getting boring. It can be tailored to your specific health needs, work needs and/or athletic needs. Plus, it burns a significant amount of calories with the majority of them coming from free fatty acids.
When doing an apple to apples comparison to a 30 minute workout the caloric expenditure would be approximately 292 calories for the 130 lb. person and 402 calories for the 180 lb. person. This is higher than a traditional aerobic program and just slightly less than an anaerobic program. If I wanted to push the person to a caloric expenditure equal to the anaerobic workout, then I would have the person work at the high end of their target heart rate.
Target Heart Rate For Fat Burning!
In aerobic fat burning exercises you want to elevate your heart rate into the target heart rate zone for your age. This zone is high enough to obtain a cardiovascular benefit but not so high as to move from aerobic respiration to anaerobic respiration. Many fitness instructors will use the Karvonen Formula to figure out your target heart rate. I prefer the following simplified version because it is easier to figure:
(220 – age) x .70 = lower target heart rate
(220 – age) x .90 = upper target heart rate
For a 45 year old adult the numbers would be (220 – 45) x .70 = 123 beats per minute (bpm) for the lower target heart rate and (220 – 45) x .90 = 158 bpm for the upper target heart rate. The target heart rate zone for this 45 year old adult would be 123 to 158 bpm during their cardio program.
When first starting their circuit training program, this 45 year old adult would adjust the intensity of their cardio program to be high enough to elevate their heart rate above 123 bpm but not more than 130 bpm. As their cardiovascular system improves and adapts, they will need to work at a higher intensity to achieve the same heart rate level. This higher intensity burns more calories and continues to strengthen their heart, lungs and cardiovascular system.
The next level would be to increase the target heart rate to 130 to 140 bpm. Once they feel comfortable at this level then they would increase their cardio intensity to 140 to 150 bpm. Finally, they would move into the target heart rate of 150 to 158 bpm to maximize their aerobic capacity. This will allow them to burn the greatest number of calories and the greatest number of free fatty acids during their workout program.
Diet versus Fat Burning Exercises!
There is one more critically important part to this equation of using fat burning exercises for losing weight. It’s your diet before, during and after exercise. Most people are only 250 calories per day away from either stopping their weight gain or seeing a 2 pound fat loss per month. If you’re doing a 30 minute circuit training program and weight 130 lbs. you burned 292 calories.
Congratulations! You just stopped your weight gain or are on your way to seeing a 2 lb. fat loss for the month. If you weigh 180 lbs. you burned 402 calories and will have stopped your weight gain and seen either a 1 to 3 pound fat loss for the month.
Unfortunately, most people sabotage their fat burning exercises and end up seeing no change in their weight. The biggest sabotaging agent is the “Sports Performance Drinks” and here’s why:
|
|
130 lbs. |
180 lbs. |
|
Calories Expended during |
292 calories |
402 calories |
|
Calories Consumed from |
240 calories |
240 calories |
|
Calories Consumed from |
280 calories |
280 calories |
|
Net Result in Caloric |
12 to 52 calories |
122 to 162 calories |
Your so called healthy “Sports Performance Drink” just offset most of caloric gains from your fat burning exercises. Additionally, note the number of grams of sugar. The 58 grams of sugar in Gatoraide is equal to 14 teaspoons of sugar and the 76 grams of sugar in Powerade is equal to 19 teaspoons of sugar. All this sugar becomes blood glucose to fuel your workout, which causes your body to leave its fat stores alone. Net result: Although you will improve your cardiovascular system and strengthen your muscles you will see little to no loss in fat tissue from your fat burning exercises.
Drink pure water instead. (Or add Liquid Chlorophyll to your water.)
You need to hydrate yourself before, during and after you exercise so do it with pure water which has no calories. Plus, water will actually help assist your body in breaking down fat stores to be used as an energy source.
The above scenario also applies to eating before and after you exercise. If you eat prior to working out, then your body is going to get its energy from the food you just consumed rather than from its stored fat. And, if you eat right after you workout then your body is going to stop using your fat stores as an energy source and fall back on the food you just ate.
To maximize the benefits of your fat burning exercises to help you lose body fat try not to eat 2 hours before your workout and 1 hour after your workout. This helps your body adapt itself in breaking down fat stores to fuel the caloric needs of your exercise program.
One Note of Caution: If your workout intensity is too high your body will use your blood glucose as an energy source. This can cause your blood glucose levels to fall too low leaving you light headed or possibly cause you to faint. Keep an 8 or 12 ounce sports drink or juice on hand and consume it after your workout. This will elevate your blood sugar levels back into their normal range to prevent any potential problems.
Conclusions!
For fat burning exercises to truly be effective in helping you loose body fat you need to pay attention to more than just adding muscle to your body. The best exercise routine is a properly designed circuit training program that optimizes aerobic respiration to burn calories from free fatty acids while strengthening your muscles to burn even more calories during and after you finish your workout.
It’s critically important to avoid the mistake that most people make of consuming sugary drinks and food prior, during and after your workout. All this does is offset all or most of your caloric expenditure resulting in no need for the body to burn its fat stores. Drink water instead since it has zero calories, will hydrate you, and will facilitate the breakdown and use of fat stores. Limit your consumption after your workout to just an 8 or 12 ounce natural juice drink to guard against any low blood sugar issues.
By implementing these suggestions you will truly make your fat burning exercises effective in helping you reshape your body, improve your overall health, and slow down the aging process.
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