Fun and Fitness: A better way to burn fat
I often get asked a very similar question at the Fitness Centre. It goes a little something like, “Is moderate intensity cardio a better way to burn fat?”
Sure, we all burn fat no matter what type of cardio we are doing, but the way our body goes about it varies in different ways. I'm going to do my best to give a brief and simple explanation of how it actually works.
It is common knowledge that when we perform any sort of exercise, we burn-off calories. The longer the exercise and the more intense it is, the more calories we burn. What most of us don't know is that the arrangement of how we burn carbs or fat can differ. One gram of carbs accounts for four calories. We get our main source of fuel from glucose, which we get from carbohydrate sources. Glucose is our main source of fuel used for physical activity. It provides us with quick and ready to use energy that is needed for the majority of sport activities.
On the other hand we have fat. One gram of fat accounts for nine calories. As you can probably tell, fat provides a high source of energy. The issue with fat however, is that it isn't as readily used for fueling our bodies as glucose is. Now this is where the low intensity fat burning hoopla comes into play. Low intensity aerobic activities dig into our fat stores. Think of it like a furnace in a train. Carbs or glucose can be thought of as the small logs. If you put a small log in the furnace, it will burn fast and get that train going quicker. Now imagine the big logs as fat. A big log will take much longer to burn up and get that train going, but it will work efficiently for a slower speed. Our bodies are just like a train.
Therefore to technically answer the original question, lower intensity cardio/exercise is more effective at targeting the fat burning zone. However, although higher intensity exercise taps more into the carb burning zone, studies have shown that the fat content being burned is not that much lower than lower intensity activity.
In the end, losing weight or leaning up comes down to one thing. You need to have an overall negative caloric balance. Basically you need to be expending more calories than what your body requires per day.
So ask yourself this question. Would you rather exercise at a lower intensity for a longer duration, or would you rather work at a higher intensity for a shorter duration while burning more calories and improving your cardiovascular strength? That would be like working longer hours to make the same amount of money.
We got a no brainer here folks.
Sure, we all burn fat no matter what type of cardio we are doing, but the way our body goes about it varies in different ways. I'm going to do my best to give a brief and simple explanation of how it actually works.
It is common knowledge that when we perform any sort of exercise, we burn-off calories. The longer the exercise and the more intense it is, the more calories we burn. What most of us don't know is that the arrangement of how we burn carbs or fat can differ. One gram of carbs accounts for four calories. We get our main source of fuel from glucose, which we get from carbohydrate sources. Glucose is our main source of fuel used for physical activity. It provides us with quick and ready to use energy that is needed for the majority of sport activities.
On the other hand we have fat. One gram of fat accounts for nine calories. As you can probably tell, fat provides a high source of energy. The issue with fat however, is that it isn't as readily used for fueling our bodies as glucose is. Now this is where the low intensity fat burning hoopla comes into play. Low intensity aerobic activities dig into our fat stores. Think of it like a furnace in a train. Carbs or glucose can be thought of as the small logs. If you put a small log in the furnace, it will burn fast and get that train going quicker. Now imagine the big logs as fat. A big log will take much longer to burn up and get that train going, but it will work efficiently for a slower speed. Our bodies are just like a train.
Therefore to technically answer the original question, lower intensity cardio/exercise is more effective at targeting the fat burning zone. However, although higher intensity exercise taps more into the carb burning zone, studies have shown that the fat content being burned is not that much lower than lower intensity activity.
In the end, losing weight or leaning up comes down to one thing. You need to have an overall negative caloric balance. Basically you need to be expending more calories than what your body requires per day.
So ask yourself this question. Would you rather exercise at a lower intensity for a longer duration, or would you rather work at a higher intensity for a shorter duration while burning more calories and improving your cardiovascular strength? That would be like working longer hours to make the same amount of money.
We got a no brainer here folks.
