Slow down to burn more fat??

biker jim · Post by **biker jim** » March 1st, 2008, 2:51 pm

I have been reading on some websites that say to lose more fat, you should exercise in your "fat burning zone". Unless I am figuring wrong, when I am in my fat burning zone, I don't feel like I am working very hard. Isn't it about burning more calories? Or am I missing something here? I would like to lose fat as quickly as possible. Does that mean I should slow down and work out more in my "fat burning zone" or work as hard as I can without injury or fatigue to burn the most calories? I am confused here.

Ducatista · Post by **Ducatista** » March 2nd, 2008, 2:25 pm

Fat-burning vs. using glycogen stores aside, I think "Row more to burn more fat" is a more useful guideline. And for your average fitness rower, that means dropping intensity to allow for maximum duration.

PJM · Post by **PJM** » March 2nd, 2008, 2:59 pm

If you feel like you aren't working hard enough you need to stop and re-evaluate what you are doing and the intensity.Longer workouts of a longer duration wull burn more calories..as an aerobic activity.Too fast and short will cause an aneraobic effect.It may burn calories but in a different way.You can go by perceived rate of exertion or heart rate to find your correct zone.Calories burned go by a person's weight..muscle mass and many times by the watts or ergs that are calculating the energy expended.The larger you are the more calories you burn in a given activity.Someone weighing 250 pounds will burn more calories than someone weighing 125 pounds doing the exact same activity.You don't need to burn fat fast..you will deplete your glycogen reserves.Find your heart rate zone..get a heart rate monitor and evaluate your progress.Then be sure to get a body fat test and work with the results of that for the true measure of fat loss.We all rely on the scale and numbers are so relative..don't mean much.Measure and evaluate.You will find many opinions in this subject and it seems like there are many answers.This has just been my opinion and experience with my clients as a Personal Trainer for about 12 years.

Pat
PJM

thomaspinckney · Post by **thomaspinckney** » March 3rd, 2008, 4:57 am

The idea to slow down to burn fat "In your zone" has been re-evaluated by fitness "experts." The new thing is to vary your workouts & do intervals on occasion. Here's a couple of ideas that have worked for me:

Row long distances at a slower aerobic pace: keep it up for at least 45 minutes. It seems that at 30 minutes (at least for me) the fat burning rate is slow. If I add an additional 15+ minutes the weight starts to come off at a 2-3 pound rate per week (that is what is recommended by doctors and dieticians). Lose more weight than that per week and you will be losing more muscle tissue.

Intervals: 30 minutes but a interval pace. Alternate between slow and fast stroke rates.

Theory: If you row for 45 minutes at a slow pace OR row intervals for 30 minutes and burn the SAME amount of calories during those periods, you WILL lose more weight doing intervals because your metabolism will burn more calories at rest.

Eat properly and supplement your workouts with weight training. Larger muscles burn more fat (at rest). Kind of like a large engine in a race car.

Row properly: there are coaches listed on the Concept II website. Look for one in your state and call them. ONE workout with a coach WILL make you a much more efficient (and safer) rower. Whether you pay for it (some will do one workout for nothing just to help you) it is well worth the time spent.