In a previous article, I mentioned that resistance training will increase the amount of calories your body burns throughout the day (even while you sleep). But what else can you do to speed the fat burning process?

Cardiovascular training (such as walking on the treadmill, using a stair machine, etc.) will greatly enhance the rate at which your body burns calories.

Determining Your Target Heart Rate

To effectively burn body fat for fuel, you should keep your heart rate at 50-70% of your estimated maximum heart rate. Working at a faster pace will do more to condition your heart and lungs, but will not use fat for fuel. Work slower than 50% of your max heart rate and you won’t see much in the way of results. I have found that most women get the best results from their cardio sessions by working at or near 70% of max heart rate.

Here’s a simple formula to determine your maximum heart rate, and therefore, your target heart rate for burning away your stubborn body fat…

Take the number 220 and subtract your age. This will give you your estimated maximum heart rate. Then simply multiply that number by 50% to determine the minimum number of times your heart should beat per minute to use stored body fat for fuel. Now, multiply your max heart rate by 70%. This is the maximum number of times your heart should beat per minute before you move out of the fat burning range.

For example, if you are 42 years old, your estimated max heart rate is 178 (220-42= 178).

Now multiply 178 by 50% (178 x .5=89). Your heart should beat at least 89 times per minute to start burning stored body fat for fuel. At the high end your heart should beat no more than 124 times per minute (178 x .7=124.6). Any higher than 124 beats per minute will condition your cardiovascular system, but won’t do much in the way of fat burning.

A more simple way to determine your target heart rate, without having to perform all of the complicated math, is to perform your cardio session at a level 7 on a scale of 1-10. Make sure you are working hard, but not so hard that you are completely out of breath.

Remember, if you’re not accustomed to vigorous exercise, it won’t be hard at all to get into the fat burning zone. Be sure to make your cardio sessions progressively harder as your body becomes accustomed to the workouts. Your trainer can always help you determine your target heart rate if you have any questions. Just ask. We’re always glad to help!

How Much Cardio Do You Really Need

It’s not uncommon to see people spend up to an hour or longer on the treadmill, stationary bike, or stair machine. But is that really necessary, or even more effective, for that matter?…

In actuality, it takes about 20 minutes to start burning body fat from cardio exercise. But luckily, cardio has a cumulative effect. That means doing 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes later in the day still adds up to 20 minutes.

And if you perform your resistance training before your cardio, that also lessens the amount of time it takes to start burning fat for fuel.

So, no you don’t have to spend an hour on the treadmill to see fat burning results. I recommend starting out at 10-15 minutes at a time and working your way up from there by adding 2 minutes to each successive cardio workout. If you can handle more, great! But for most people, it’s not necessary to do more than 30 minutes at a time.

Committed to your success,

Alexander Morentin,
Fullerton Personal Trainer

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