* due to this thread http://weight-loss.fitness.com/weigh...tml#post269327
I posted this.*


The definition of aerobic training is in short movement that increases the need of intake of oxygen. The higher you increase that need for oxygen the harder your body organs (lungs, heart, etc.) are going to work to provide a catch up, if you will, to aid in helping your body function to continue the movement you are doing.

When it comes to style of movement you can do in aerobic training the choices are endless really. You can run, you can dance, you can hop, you can bike, and you can walk. The only thing that stops your options is imagination. As far as how hard, how long, what is best for fat loss, and more, well read on.


You heart rate is the number of “beats” of your heart usually charted within a period of a minute. Resting Heart Rate is the amount of beats you have while at rest. Maximum Heart Rate is the highest amount of beats a person should achieve while engaging in physical activity. Keeping a check of your heart rate during physical activity can be very important when determining your rate of needed exertion in training.
It lets you know if you are working to hard or not hard enough (the latter is usually the case). You can monitor your heart rate by taking your pulse or using electronic monitoring devices easily available to the public.

To find the your resting heart rate-
· Lightly place two fingers on the neck, just to the side of the larynx.
· Once the pulse is identified, count the pulses for 30 seconds and multiply by two.
· Record the 60-second pulse rate and average over three days.

Points to consider-

· The touch should be gentle. Excessive pressure can decrease heart rate and blood pressure.
· Take when calm at the same time every morning.


Resting heart rates can vary. On average, the resting heart rate for a male is 70 beats per minute and 75 beats per minute for a female.

Finding Max Heart Rate using the Miller formula-

MHR=217 - (0.85 × age)

You can make adjustments and subtract and add depending on current health but for the most part this number is going to be close enough.

For example if you are 43 years old then the formula would look like this.

217- (.85 x 43)=MHR
217-36.55=180.45

Maximum Heart Rate is 180.ure 5-7: Carotid Pulse

Heart Rate Zones

Below listed are different training zones measured by heart rates.

Warm up/Recovery Zone:
50% -70% of Max Heart Rate
Aerobic Zone:
70% to 80% of Max Heart Rate
Anaerobic Zone:
80% to 90% of Max Heart Rate

The “Fat Burning Zone”

Oh how I cringe when I hear some fluffy cardio cheese ball talk about the fat burning zone. You might be saying “it has to come from somewhere”. Yes, it does, but the fat burning zone is an illusion and really just a way for people to not have to work out harder. Let me explain why.

I recently explained this to someone using drawing of a turtle, a bunny, some fat cells and scary stick figures. I will not put you through my failed art course, I will however, try to break this down as simply as possible.

When you perform exercise different intensities of heart rates use different fuels. When you are at a state of complete rest you are burning mostly fat as fuel, the more you up your heart rate the more you start to split fuel usage between fat and stored glycogen. The basic idea is that if working at a 50-70% heart rate you are going to be burning mostly fat as a fuel source while still active enough to be burning a large amount of energy at the same time. Sounds like a good idea but here is the problem with that.

First off this is the worst state to be in for protecting your muscle glycogen. What do we want to do during a cut? We want to protect our muscle glycogen. Second remember that losing fat is about an overall energy deficit.

The best of both worlds? The king of fat loss? The king of increasing better overall health? Tired of the rhetorical questions!?

Okay, okay so I am a fan of HIIT. That being said it is perhaps the most misunderstood form of exercise that exists right now, and chances are it is only going to get worse. If you Googled HIIT you will get a massive amount of wrong answers on the subject, more wrong than right most of the time. I am going to provide you with a simple run down and end your confusion on HIIT.

In short it is exercising in intervals of extreme high intensity (85 to 90% of max heart rate) mixed with bouts of low intensity. You alternate these periods for a maximum of mins. The purpose and benefits of HIIT are really just endless

-Increasing your VO2 Max oxygen intake by pushing your aerobic and anaerobic threshold (in short increasing lung capacity and use).
-Lowering resting heart rate.
-Longer increase of metabolism over more extended periods of time.
-Higher levels of energy used in a single training session
-Better protection of muscle tissue over standard aerobic practices.

The list goes on.

A standard HIIT program layout is like this.

· Warm up-Dynamic stretches (lunges, walking kicks, side bends, toe touches)
· Warm up-5 mins walk to brisk walk
10-20 secs-Sprint
1 min walk
· Repeat for a maximum of 15 mins.
· Cool Down-5 mins
· Post Workout Static Stretches

That is it, pretty simple, or is it?

Here is where the confusion comes in. Notice the 10-20 sec sprint aspect. Notice the 85-90% of your Max heart rate. These two aspects are very important to understand. Now don’t get me wrong you can do HIIT in any various styles or methods you want, be it elliptical, cone training, running in place, etc. However when it is time to “sprint” to go all out, that is exactly what it means. When the first interval kicks in you need to go at an ALL OUT SPRINT for 10-20 secs. Unless you are a highly trained athlete you will not (if doing it correctly) be able to do more than this, period. This isn’t running, this is sprinting or better put running for your life as hard as you possibly can. I have seen people fall flat on there face before. You are working at an 85 to 90% of your heart rate. You cannot physically move and go much higher than this. I see a lot of people trying to time themselves or their heart rate during these sprints, it isn’t possible. You can’t do anything else other than pray and run for that 10-20 secs.

After that sprint you will then walk at a very light pace (you really have no choice but to) for 1 min or even a little longer depending on what you need for recovery time when you are beginning this type of training. After 1 min you will then do it again for 10-20 secs.
You will repeat this for a MAXIMUM of 15 mins. Most people however starting out will do this for about 10 tops.

After you are done with your interval sessions you will then cool down your body for 5 mins at a light walking pace.

This is a very extreme workout. Afterwards you may even get sick. This isn’t for beginners, you have to work up to this style of programming, but it is perfectly safe and wonderful for your health if you build up to it in the correct manner.

A way you can build up to HIIT is by doing regular interval training, working at a moderate level of intensity or throwing in a sprint here of there as time goes on. Take your time with it, if you have major health problems talk to you doctor about what it is and if it is right for you.

What is right for me?

Increasing intensity is #1 importance for fat loss AND health. If you are doing cardio while reading a book then close the book and get to work!

Depending on your level of health and experiance will depend on how long and intense your workouts will be, but I assure you that you can work you way up very easy to higher and newer levels.

Remember this, aerobic training, no matter what form is good for you. Start out simple, do what you can, and progress as needed.



Only for as long as you need to!

Losing fat is about a caloric deficit. If you have a good diet and resistance training to go with some aerobic work only do as much as you NEED to do!

You also need at least 1 rest day a week. Period.

Do not guide by some cookie cutter guideline, guide by what gets you the right results.

To give you though a base to work on though...

If you are training for fat loss and have a resistance routine in place and a caloric deficit diet then I recommend some form of aerobic training at least 3 times a week for no less than 20 mins and no more than 60. Ideally HIIT or aggressive interval training ranging from 25-35 mins.

In the next section I am going to give you some various ideas for different cardio workouts.

Home Aerobic Options

You can get the body of your dreams without having a gym membership. While I personally think having one makes things easier, for some going to the gym is the make or break point. Here are you options for home cardio and their pros and cons.


Pros-
*The get the job done, they are the standard in the cardio world.
*Allow you to do a favorite activity while doing a not so favorite activity. The ability to be able to read or watch TV is important for a lot of people.
*Safe and easy to use. In general just punch some buttons and on your way.
*Easy to increase ability. Not getting the same workout anymore, turn it up and notch and are at a whole new level again.
*In the long run will be much cheaper than paying a gym.

Cons-
*Expensive. You can’t go cheap on this kind of equipment. It’s a short run high expense.
*Because you can watch TV, people don’t always focus as they should during their workouts and can cause injury or not obtain full workout desired.
*Take up room in home. If it is a good piece of equipment not matter what they say, it’s going to be big and it’s going to be big in your home.
Suggestions: Buy Used! People are always selling their new years resolution machines. Hop on ebay or look in the local paper to save tons of money. If you go on ebay search by area close to you and do local pick-ups only. Also check out local used sporting goods shops.

Videos-(Home video workouts)

Pros-
*Cheap. For the most part you can get a solid cardio video for under 20 dollars.
*Fun. Its perfect for those easily distracted or those who count down the minute till their workout is over. Having someone working with you, even in a vitural sense makes doing it a lot easier.
*Challenging. Most cardio videos provide a real challenge to the user and makes for a more focused workout.

Cons-
*So many videos to choose from and some are just not worth your money. When you get a cardio video it needs to be just that, cardio. No strength training, no great abs in five days. It should be just you bouncing around at a good energy level for 30-40mins. If it has lifting or “toning” move on to the next one.
*Plateaus. It is easy for your body to adjust to these workouts, so you need to change out your videos at least every 4 weeks.
Suggestions-If you have a netflix type service get your videos that way. It is much cheaper; you can keep the video for 4 weeks and then get another one! And remember get ones with just cardio. No resistance, weights, core ball movements. Just you and movement.

Random objects (jump ropes, trampolines, step ups)

Pros-
*Cheap- Most of these kinds of items are very cheap and easy to find.
*Small-They take up little to no room and make it easy to work with in a small setting.
*Effective-What are two of the highest caloric burning pieces of gear? Jump rope and trampoline.

Cons-
*Not easy for beginners-because they are highly effective exercises it can take awhile to build up to them. Especially jump roping as it takes cardiovascular strength and a degree of coordination.
*Can be boring and drawn out for some and repetitive. If you aren’t enjoying your exercise, then chances are you wont do it.


Pros-
*It’s Free! Can’t get any better than that really.
*Constant challenges being hills, turns, slopes and all kinds of new distances to travel.
*This also includes sports, which can be a lot of fun and take away from the boredom of working out.

Cons-
*Because there are different inclines it can be a little hard for beginners.
*Running outdoors isn’t for everyone and proper stretching is often ignored.
*For some can be boring so bring some music to keep you company.

In the end the choice is up to you, just pick something you enjoy doing. The hardest part of working out is getting in and staying in a routine. If you enjoy what you are doing and if it is easy to fit into your life then the chance for you to stay in it is much higher.

Thank you very much for posting this. It's very helpful for me and I'm sure it will be for a lot of other people too. I can't wait to try out the sprint & walking tomorrow. I'll take it slow though, just incase I'm one of those people who do puke.

Thanks again!

Thanks you were very helpful

Hi, Leigh. Thanks for all the great information. I have a question about rest days. I'm initiating some major lifestyle changes, which include diet and exercise. My short-term goal is to run a 5k on October 13 while my long-term goal is to either get down to 120 or a size 6 and of course maintain that weight. I also have decided to become an athlete now that I'm 30. Anyway, I've made quite a bit of progress with my jogging in the last couple of weeks and I don't really take "rest days." At this point I'm jogging/running 4 days per week and jogging/walking combo 2 days per week and walking briskly one day per week. Can I count that brisk walk day as my rest day? Or should I truly be resting? Or can I swim or ride my bike that day?

Sorry I missed this and hopefully you will pop back in and see it...

In short a brisk walk can be fine as a rest day, we must walk in life. Just go easy and remember the big importance...eating is just as important to recovery and resting is. If you are going to train like an athlete you need to eat like one, even for fat loss.

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I'm thinking I'm not eating enough. I know I'm not eating enough, but I'm eating a lot, I think. I'm eating an entirely vegan diet which largely consists of fresh, raw produce. So I have to eat a lot in order to take in even like 1200-1500 calories. Some days I feel like I never stop eating.

I'm 30 years-old, female, 5'4" and am now down to 196. I think I have a large frame, though I'm not entirely sure. My daily food consumption is as follows:

Breakfast: Smoothie consisting of:
1/2 scoop of protein powder
1 banana
1/3 cup strawberries
1/3 cup peaches
1/4 cup of fat-free soy milk
2 wasa whole grain/fiber wasa crackers (30 calories each)

Snack: 1 large piece of fruit

Lunch: Large salad consisting of:
fresh spinach
1/2 cup of beans i've cooked from scratch (no salt)
1 small cucumber
handful of sprouts
2 wasa whole grain/fiber wasa crackers
1 large piece of fruit

Snack:
1 fuji apple
small handful of raisins
pinch (tablespoon, roughly) of raw, almond slivers
lots of ground cinnamon

Dinner:
small fresh spinach salad with cucumber, sprouts, and tomato
1/4 pound of baked firm tofu (i do it myself)
1/2 cup of beans
1/2 cup of cooked greens like spinach, collards, kale, etc.

Dessert/Snack:
Low calorie muffin made with whole wheat flower, no fat (i use apple sauce) and stevia (fake sugar that is supposed to be better for you than splenda)


Here is my workout schedule:
Monday: AM: Weight train for 25 minutes, cardio using treadmill or stationary bike for 30 minutes.
PM: Swim for 45 minutes straight (1800 meters right now)
Tuesday: AM: Day off
PM: Swim for 45 minutes straight (1800 meters)
Wednesday: AM: Same as Monday
PM: Same as Monday
Thursday: AM: Cardio only, no weight training. Treadmill or stationary bike for 45 minutes.
PM: Same as Monday
Friday: AM: Same as Monday
PM: Same as Monday
Saturday: AM: Outdoor run 3.5 miles. (40 minutes)
PM: Same as Monday
Sunday: AM: Outdoor run 3.5 miles (40 minutes)
PM Same as Monday

Plus I'm getting my bicycle tuned up and hope to be going on some nice rides soon. Basically, I swim every day and run either on the treadmill or outdoors 5 or so days a week. According to fit.day I should be eating a lot more calories but I'm afraid I'll gain back what I've lost.

Also, I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle outside of what I've outlined. I read a lot and see movies and hangout with my boyfriend and our dogs on our deck. I'm a school teacher so I'm either standing a great deal while teaching or sitting a great deal when I hold discussion (2-3 days per week). I'm trying to change or up my physical activity, especially on weekends. During the week though, I feel like I wake up, work out, go to work, swim, deal with my dogs, eat dinner, read a little bit and then get to bed. So I don't really have time to make my life more active during the week, I think.

I also want to see a specialist who can tell me what my true BMR is and what my current body composition is.

Anyway, if you can give me any insight on how much I should be eating based on what I've told you, that would be great.

Sorry this message is so long.

Tamara

When you perform exercise different intensities of heart rates use different fuels. When you are at a state of complete rest you are burning mostly fat as fuel, the more you up your heart rate the more you start to split fuel usage between fat and stored glycogen. The basic idea is that if working at a 50-70% heart rate you are going to be burning mostly fat as a fuel source while still active enough to be burning a large amount of energy at the same time. Sounds like a good idea but here is the problem with that.

First off this is the worst state to be in for protecting your muscle glycogen. What do we want to do during a cut? We want to protect our muscle glycogen. Second remember that losing fat is about an overall energy deficit.

Don't we want to burn stored fat? quoting u above makes me thiink i should sit on my arse all day. Though, if i understand correctly ( and sure i don't) that the stored glycogen in the liver and muscles will basically become fat if not used, correct? So, when we sit on our arse, we burn fat stores but thiis will just be replaced by the excess glycogen, right? Though, if we work out, at let's say the 60 -70% rate, some glycogen and fat stores along w/ some protien (protien my understanding) will be consumed, right? But higher the intesitity, the more of what is burned?

Now, I ask this because, there was a point where my normal runs were between 7 - 7 1/2 min miles. then years later after not exercising any level of where i was and being competiitive w/ myself, i would push myself on the treadmill to avg a 8:35 min mile. didn't start out that "low", started more at 9:30 min/mile then ended the 3 mile run w/ a 7:?30 min mile for the last 4 miins. or so. The thing I noticed is it didn't seem to be helpiing me lose fat.
Started thinking that somewhere i read, certain zones - i was usually in the 85% hr zone, burne different fuel. Thinkiiing, crap, yeh, my heart can take it but not helping my wt issue.
So, please explain these rates and the advantages. At this point want to get rid of fat stores

Another questiion about heart rate? When we work out, we want our heart rat e to increase in order to burn more fat/glycogen, right? Higher heart rate more energy expanded, right?

So, then if person A & person B eat the same amount exercise the same, if person A has a restng heart rate of let's say 55 & person b has a resting heart rate of 75, wont person b automatically burn more energy, hence not gain wt like person A. Just a thought there. Why?
Cuz, I have always worked out and haven't really worked out like I use to, but do know from all the years of aerobic exercise have a resting heart rate of 55. Female and 39 yrs old.

thanks

Thank you for posting this. I also get confused about the "fat burning zone" on the machine when i try to stay within the "fat burning" zone, the intesnity is way to low and I feel like I'm not even getting a workout. Why do so many trainers and all the machines still stick to this theory of the "fat burning" zone?

Maybe it has to do with the assumption that people who want to lose fat are inherently out of shape and are going to pass out on the machines if they work too hard?

Thank you for the information about aerobics and i feel it will be very useful to me

I'm also a big fan of HIIT, however I'm a bigger fan of weight training. I know that steady cardio isn't good for weight lose, but HIIT and weight training defentally are. HIIT targets fat and weight training increases your metabolism. I do also enjoy running Cross Country, but I just enoy it, it's not for weight lose.

If your going to do cardio for weight lose, HIIT is the best way, period.

and not everyone is capable of doing HIIT...

they have to do what is best for them at the time...

They're different animals.

Homie say wha?!

Come again.

HIIT is overblown and more often than not. It has led to a massive abuse of the protocol and a lot of instances which leads to overtraining and injury, not to forget a lack of progress. Not saying HIIT is evil. But it's not the gospel. People using it in addition to strength training and LI cardio really need to understand how stress and recovery impact their individual bodies.

How does HIIT target your fat exactly?

How does weight training increase your metabolism exactly?

I'd be careful with how you use your 'periods.'

Thank you for the first post! It was extremely helpful! My wife conjured me into going to an aerobics class tonight! I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes. Reading that first post excited me a little more