Cardio To Drop Excess Body-fat ("What the Hell is this Fat Burn Zone?")

If you have ever worked with a personal trainer or jumped on a treadmill yourself, I am sure you have seen or heard about the “fat burn zone.” In layman’s terms, this means that at this particular pace, your body is using dietary fat and stored bodyfat as its primary fuel source. Going above this pace will results in the addition of other sources of energy, which will reduce the burning of fat. The problem with the fat burn zone, is that it’s unique for everyone and sometimes hard to determine.

The best solution to this problem is to ignore the fat burn zone completely. That’s right, I said forget about it! Fat is a slow burning energy source, and who wants to wait for that?! Any certified dietician or knowledgeable athlete will tell you that by expelling more calories than what is taking in during the day, will result in weight lose. Your diet composition will determine what you lose (water, muscle or fat). A safe number would be a negative balance of –500 calories. For example, you would be taking in 2000 calories per day and burning off 2500 calories. Base your eating on how physically active you are. If you’re a soccer player who practices 5 days a week and burns on average 4500 cals per day, take in 4000 cals. Typically, this will allow you to lose 1-2 lbs per week for a physically active person. A non-active person who takes up more physical activity will lose weight at a more rapid pace. Losing more than 2lbs per week is dangerous to an active individual. In fact, if an athlete is losing more than 2lbs per week, the weight loss is water or muscle and not fat. Fat cannot be lost at such a rate.

For physically active individuals, the ideal eating plan would be a 50/30/20 spread. 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fat. You can determine this by carrying a notebook with you for two days and writing down what you eat. Find the totals you are consuming and adjust it accordingly. Most likely you are over-eating protein and under-eating carbohydrates and fat. Remedy this by reducing the portions of your meat and adding additional carbohydrates during the day. To add fat, add more vegetable oil to your diet. Personally, I take two tablespoons of olive oil on a daily basis.

Before you jump up on the treadmill, stair-climber, etc., think about why you are there. You are there to burn excess calories. You can do this by working at a moderate pace at an extended period of time, or kick yourself up to the next level for much less time and leave the gym early. Regardless, both levels accomplish the same goal.