If someone is looking for fat loss, what is the percentage heart rate and duration on any given piece of equipment? Is one piece better than another? Are there dietary and weight training factors that come into play? Thanks.
Read the Cardio Roundtable article in previous issues.
A good start, try 60-70% of maxpulse (220 - age), for fat loss.
If you feel lactic acid the training become more anarob, the body would then use glucose and not fat as energy.
To burn fat the training should be aerob. Oxygen is needed to use glucose and fat as fuel. Therefor don’t train with to high intensity. The lower intensity the more fat and less glucose is uses as fuel. The higher intensity the more glucose and less fat you are burning.
To even burn more fat you can increase your VO2 max. To do that you need to train with high intensity 90-95% of max heart rate - interval training. For example 4 minutes running (90-95% max), 3 minutes 70% of max pulse. With this kind of training you are increasing your VO2max - which then can make you body transport oxygen to muscles more easy.
nevermind, I re-read the last part of mikeynorth’s answer and I now feel slightly stupid.
Thanks, I am sick, and in a way am starting all over again. The interval training is not possible.
I cannot believe I just read such crap on t-mag. This can’t be t-mag. Where’d the real t-mag go?
Hi, Navin!!!
Re fat loss, cardio burns some fat, yes, but I don’t see the calories burned as being the greatest benefit. One hour of walking per day has been found to increase an enzyme called Hormone Sensitive Lipase (HSL). HSL is responsible for mobilizing stored fat and making it available for energy. HSL remains elevated for 12 hours after that one-hour walk or until you spike insulin. In other words, an hour of walking puts you into serious fat burning mode.
Dietarily, if you were to eat P+F meals at a hypocaloric level (i.e., below maintenance) and take in the majority of your carbs PWO, you would be integrating the three factors that will positively influence your body composition (i.e., fat to lean muscle mass ratio).
There are two types of cardio that should be in your arsenal if you are able to do them. One, longer-duration, moderate intensity (65-75% of MHR), and two, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The latter is short, sweet, intense and oh, so effective at burning mega calories. HIIT works both energetic pathways; aerobic and anerobic.
In answer to your questions . . .
-
When it comes to cardio, pick the piece of equipment you enjoy most. No one piece of equipment is better than the other; it’s all about getting your heart rate up. A lot of people rotate equipment. Get yourself a heart rate monitor (about $50).
-
Cardio alone will not help you achieve fat loss. Dialing in your diet is equally if not more important. Read up on nutrition, everything by Berardi for starters, in Previous Issues and by using the Search Engine, both to the left of the screen. Start a food log. So, yes, improving your body composition involves other factors; lifting weights (to preserve muscle mass while dieting), doing cardio and dialing in your diet.
Good luck to you, and if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask!
My reaction exactly, Mook.
To burn more fat, burn more CALORIES.
It doesn’t matter if you burn more fat or glucose when you’re exercising if you don’t replace the calories you burn with dietary calories. The glucose has to come from somewhere… and the food you eat will be shunted to restocking glucose rather than storing extra fat.
That means more INTENSITY and/or duration. Note that the longer duration of cardio you have, the more your body will adapt to the running/biking/whatever and this will halt–and maybe start to reverse–your muscle gains. (Because the muscle fibers will start becoming more slow-twitch, etc.) So duration’s not a great idea. That leaves intensity.
The way to have the highest average INTENSITY for the longest period of time is interval training. (You burn out too fast if you try to maintain too high of a HR. But you can spike it and recover… and this leads to a higher average intensity).
Since Interval Training is currently impossible for you, 60-70% is probably OK. But once you get your wind back, in a week or two, start cranking up the intervals.
Dan “I don’t know Karate, but I know Cr-azy.” McVicker
Sorry, I just reread your post.
Here, I’ll answer the whole thing as best as I can.
If someone is looking for fat loss, what is the percentage heart rate and duration on any given piece of equipment?
Already answered this. Hard and short, so you don’t kill your muscles. Check out the “Running Man” article by Chris Thibaudeau on this site. Do a search to find it.
Is one piece better than another?
In general, exercise where you support your own weight (walking, running, stairclimbing) is better (i.e. burns more calories) than exercise where you are sitting or not supporting your own weight (swimming, biking, etc.)
Are there dietary and weight training factors that come into play?
You bet. Diet is 80% of the fat loss equation, me bucko. Check out the New Diet Manifesto, also on this site. As to weight training? Check out My Big Fat Training Guide (parts one and two) also on this very site. So as not to overwhelm you, I’ll give you some of my favorites for fat loss.
Meltdown 1 and 2 (for a moderate carbohydrate intake or possibly cyclical carb dietary regimen) and Ripped, Rugged, and Dense (especially as you get leaner or you cut the carbs really low.)
I will also pimp my own article, which you can find here:
Thanks.
Dan “Pimpin’ ain’t easy” McVicker
Great article, Dan!!!
Navin, the most important thing re the cardio is to just get moving. I don’t know what your personal/health issues are, but if you’re coming back after a layoff, ease into things. You can always step up the pace later.
Energy and time can be finite commodities. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket, but rather divide them up between 1) diet, 2) cardio, 3) weight-bearing exercise. Dan’s right about diet being about 80% of the game.
Again, good luck, and congrats on your getting back with the program.
Thanks for the help. I am on chemotherapy and also chose to ignore traditional cardio before all of this. I am starting to wonder if the bike is the best piece since this seems to put so much emphasis on the quads. I think Dr. Lowry mentioned this.
TT,
Thanks for the compliment! I have more coming out through them, actually. They want me to write for them monthly. Now I just need to start branching out… it’s going to be like the super-basics for beginners–but the real deal, instead of 3x10 done three times a week.
I agree that you should have different kinds of cardio in your arsenal. For me, I like to walk at least 1/2 hour a day, because it helps recovery and has a bunch of other benefits as well, without being too hard on the body. When I’m getting up to 60-70% intensity, that’s usually at least a light jog (I’m young, so my MHR is high).
Good luck with the Chemo, Navin. Talk to your doctor about cardio prescriptions–I think that intervals are very probably out.
Dan “… is going to bed” McVicker
Hi Navin,
I agree with the other posters about the benefits of intervals, but obviously they not good for every situation, like coming off chemo. I recently found myself injured and severely out of shape, so intervals are not for me right now either, though I’m trying to get to the place where I can do them. You have to walk a fine line between stressing your body enough to cause a favorable adaptation, but not so much that you over-tax to the point of injury or negative adaptation. Be careful!
After I had surgery last winter, I was frustrated by my inability to exercise, at least to exercise at my previous intensity. I started walking because it was all I could do, and was amazed at how beneficial it was. Now I’m walking again to help rehab my back, and I’m amazed at how beneficial it is. Up until 16 months ago, I did a lot of walking because I had to, but didn’t consider it exercise because of the low intensity compared to my gym workouts. Since I started driving to work each day, I’ve faced a number of health/injury issues. Maybe this is not a coincidence! Lonnie Lowery makes a great case for the power of simply moving around a lot (Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION). I know I needed to hear it!