Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Maximizing Your Fat Loss From An Exercise Program

By Lisa K Anderson

Most of us want to lose weight and get fit. Starting an exercise program or joining a gym always seems like a great first step but if you have ever spent any time at a gym you will notice that not everybody there makes progress on his or her fitness goals. It is not being at the gym that helps you to get fit but it is how hard you work at fitness that makes the difference.

In order to see the results from a new exercise program you are going to have to break a sweat. That means working hard enough so that your heart rate gets into the training zone and stays there for a while. There are some scientific studies that show that if you keep your heart rate at the lower end of the target zone for a longer period of time your body will burn more fat stores than carbohydrates, however if you want to drop fat from your body that is the most difficult way to do it and you probably won't even succeed.

Burning fat as you exercise is important but not nearly as important as just burning calories. For example if you are doing a cardio workout and you keep your heart rate at the lower ranges for 60 minutes you may burn 350 calories but if you do that same 60 minute workout and add in some high intensity interval training or HIIT, you will burn closer to 750 to 1000 calories. So which one will help you lose the most weight?

High intensity interval training is extremely effective for fat loss. The idea is to get your heart rate into the target heart training zone and then for 30 to 60 second intervals work really hard and raise your heart rate to the higher ends of the zone and then let it come back down to the lower ends and repeat a few times. If you do high intensity interval training you can even cut your workout time by half or more and still burn more calories and have more success.

To determine your target heart rate training zone, take 220 and subtract your age, then take that number and multiply it by 60% and 80%. This will give you an estimate of your target-training zone. You will need to keep your heart rate in this zone during your workout for the best results.

If you want to lose weight and drop fat for the long term, you will need to gain muscle. That means that you should pump iron. Muscle is a biologically active tissue. That means that you will burn more calories just in the process of living if you have more muscle on your body. Fat is basically an inactive tissue and it will not help your body to burn any calories at all.

While exercise is important the most crucial aspect to getting results from any fitness program does not happen at the gym. 6-pack abs are built in the kitchen, not at the gym. Incorporating a highly nutritious diet is the most important aspect of any fitness plan. You will never see the best results from an exercise plan unless you consume a good diet.

Maximum fat loss can be achieved by following a few fundamentals. Supercharge your cardio routine by adding in some HIIT, begin a solid weight-training program and improve your diet. If you do all of these basic things you should see some results quite quickly.

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