Fat Burning

Regular exercisers and many athletes would love to loose body fat and improve their overall body composition.We could selectively carry out workouts and make dramatic improvements to our bodies by identifing the exercise intensity which evokes the highest rate of fat oxidation.

Low intensity sessions to burn off fat

There are two key variables which we need to know:
• Fatmax zone - the range of exercise intensities in which the fat oxidation rates remain within 10% of Fatmax
• Fatmax - the exercise intensity at which the highest rate of fat oxidation occurs

Researchers, attempted to pinpoint the exercise intensities at which fat metabolism is maximised in a study of 18 male endurance cyclists, with training background of at least three years. The researchers are from Birmingham University's Human Performance Laboratory. Their work found that the Fatmax Zone is between 68% and 79% MHR.

Alternative research has suggested that when you swim, row, cycle or run at a modest intensity of only 50% VO2max (about 69% MHR), fat provides about 50% of the calories you need to keep going for the first hour or so.If you keep going after that, providing around 70% of the total energy after two hours and 80% or more if your work duration exceeds three hours. If you increase the intensity then the Fat contribution decreases - at 75% VO2max fat provides 33% of the energy.

The important thing to be understood here is that we have to discard only the excess fat from the body and protect other useful cells of the body instead of becoming a victim of malnutrition.