But
how can this possibly be? Everywhere you look,
it's always said that long-duration, low-intensity
training is best for fat loss. All high-intensity
work does is burn carbohydrates, right?
Wrong.
After
reading this article, I guarantee you'll develop
a new respect for high-intensity cardio training
for fat loss.
Low-intensity
exercise is defined as working at a heart rate
of about 60% to 65% of your maximum heart rate
(which is equal to 220 - your age = maximum heart
rate, thus if you are 20 years old, 220 - 20 =
200 max HR). High-intensity exercise is defined
as working at about 75 to 85% or more of your
maximum heart rate.
Using
the previous example for maximum heart rate (max
HR=200), working at 60% of your max HR would be
120 beats per minute and 80% of that would be
160 beats per minute.
There are several reasons low-intensity
exercise is normally recommended for fat loss.
1.
It's easy - In many cases people who are trying
to lose fat don't always feel energetic enough
to do hard training due to the caloric deficit
(a.k.a. diet) that they are on. In these cases,
just sticking to an exercise program can be hard
enough, never mind making the exercise itself
challenging.
2.
It's low risk - A personal trainer generally
can't go wrong by recommending low-intensity exercise
to clients. Even the most out of shape person
can usually do low-intensity cardio training safely.
While this is certainly appropriate advice for
novice trainers, it does not necessarily apply
to the more experienced trainer when it comes
to effective training.
3.
It burns a higher percentage of calories from
fat - this is very true: exercising at a lower
intensity does burn a higher percentage of calories
from fat than high-intensity exercise. But, as
I will explain, this does not necessarily mean
you're going to burn more fat.
Let's crunch some numbers to show you exactly
what I mean when I say high-intensity exercise
burns more fat.
Low-intensity
training burns about 50% fat for energy while
high-intensity training burns about 40% fat for
energy. This is not a huge difference.
Say,
for example, walking for 20 minutes burns 100
calories. Then 50% of 100 calories is 50 fat-calories
burned.
Now
say 10 minutes of interval training at a high
intensity burns 160 calories. Well, 40% of 160
calories is 64 fat-calories burned.
By
doing the high-intensity work, you've just burned
14 more fat calories in half the time. Starting
to sound good? There's more...
---
Low-intensity
exercise only burns calories while you are actually
exercising. That means the moment you stop exercising,
your caloric expenditure goes back down to nearly
baseline levels. Within minutes, you're not burning
many more calories than if you hadn't done anything
at all.
High-intensity
exercise, on the other hand, continues to boost
your metabolism long after you're done (often
up to 24 hours after, depending on the length
and intensity of the training session). This means
you're continuing to burn many more calories all
day long!
---
Low-intensity
exercise does nothing to build or support muscle
mass. Maintaining muscle mass is critical to an
effective fat-loss strategy as muscle burns fat
just sitting there. Want to keep your metabolism
working to burn fat? Do whatever you can to build
or keep your muscle tissue.
High-intensity
exercise has the potential to increase muscle
mass. Compare the body of a top sprinter to a
top marathon runner. The sprinter carries far
more muscle mass. You won't get big bulky muscles
from high intensity training but you will get
shapely and more defined muscles!
---
How
To Do High Intensity Interval Training:
Now
that you've seen how effective high intensity
training can be for fat loss, how is it done?
The
absolute easiest way to start this type of training
is to get on a cardio machine at the gym and select
the interval training program. As you'll see,
you'll start off with a fairly light warm-up cycle,
then quickly jump up to a high intensity level
for a short burst. You will then drop back down
to a low level for a period of time, then back
up to a high level again, repeated several times
and finishing with an appropriate cool-down period.
The
repetition of these intervals is the nuts and
bolts of high intensity interval training. You
can also do it manually by adjusting your intensity
level up and down over short periods of time.
For
example, do 30 seconds at high power then 30 seconds
at low power. Repeat. It's very simple and very
effective.
Another
excellent method for doing high-intensity training
is called aerobic interval training. It is essentially
the same concept as the previously explained interval
training but the work intervals are longer with
the intensity level somewhat lower. A good example
would be running at a pace that you can only keep
up for about 5 minutes then walking for 2 minutes
then running 5 more minutes, walking 2 minutes,
etc.
High-intensity
training can be applied to any form of cardiovascular
exercise. Anything from walking/sprinting to swimming
to bike riding will work perfectly. I would recommend
doing his type of training 2 to 3 times per week
for best results. As always, be sure to consult
with your physician before starting any exercise
program.
---
Remember,
what you get out of exercise is directly proportional
to what you put in. Work at high-intensity training
for awhile and see just how much better your fat-loss
efforts go.
For
more information on cardiovascular training, including
advice on activities you can do, reviews of different
types of cardio machines, other forms of cardio
training, and some well-explained, useful, basic
physiology, visit
our free fitness library now!
You
can also learn more about the nuts and bolts of
interval training in the following articles:
The
Insider Secrets of Interval Training - Learn How
Now!
8
Week Cardio Interval Training Blast! Get Increased
Fat Loss AND Take Your Cardio Fitness To A Whole
New Level
|
