“Which workout burns the most fat?”
Higher or lower intensity?
Basically, how hard your heart is working (HR) and in what zone – aerobic or anaerobic, determines your workout intensity.
To answer this question though, I am going to use a recent experiment vs. the long drawn out scientific explanation lol…
For this experiment, you need to know that my max heart rate (=220-your age) is 170.
Here are 2 of my workouts from this week and the stats:
Workout #1 Low to Moderate Intensity
Type: Weights + Cardio
Time: 90 minutes
HR Zone: 115-146
Total Calories Burned: 525
Fat Calories Burned: 184 (35%)
Workout #2 Moderate to High Intensity
Type: Weights + Cardio
Time: 120 minutes
HR Zone: 132-172
Total Calories Burned: 931
Fat Calories Burned: 214 (23%)
The conclusion:
I burned a HIGHER percentage of fat (35%) doing the lower to moderate intensity workout.
I burned a LOWER percentage of fat (23%) doing the moderate to higher intensity workout.
So, the answer is simple right?
You burn the most FAT doing lower to moderate intensity workouts.
Case closed.
But wait a minute…
You need to burn MORE calories period to lose weight (which includes water and fat).
I burned more total CALORIES doing the moderate to higher intensity workout.
And I burned more TOTAL fat calories!
Even if both workouts were for the same amount of time, the higher intensity burns more calories which will result in more total FAT calories being burned in the long run.
This doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for lower intensity workouts. You need it all.
But nutrition, supplementation, and other factors will end up having the BIGGEST effect on your results overall…
This is why you need a progressive program design that adjusts your nutrition macros & training intensities to decrease overall body fat and increase lean muscle mass.
If you want to chat more about designing the RIGHT program for your goals in 2017, hit me up!
I create kick ass training programs that have helped my clients lose 10, 20, or more pounds of fat…fast!
It’s time to find out what’s possible for you 🙂
Contact me now to find out how your training program should be set up for success.
