The following is a guest post from Kelly of FaithfulProvisions.com, and is part of the Baby Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle series.
While I was a cycling instructor at the YMCA, I learned one major thing about working out: You don’t have to work out faster or harder to get the most out of your workouts. In fact, I lowered my level of exertion (my heart rate) and actually began to slowly lose weight. I learned that the key to seeing results is training at the right intensity, not the highest.
Why is this?
Your heart rate can help you determine what fuel source your body is using. The body uses sources like fat, carbohydrates and even muscle (proteins /amino acids) to give it fuel. I don’t know about you, but I would prefer for it to use fat! When your body works between 50-80% of its capacity, you are in your target heart rate zones, and depending on where you are in these zones determine the fuel source your body is pulling from.
Do you know that your body uses the highest percentage as fat for its fuel when you are working at a lower intensity? Yes. You can work out at a lighter intensity and get more benefits. The key is the length of time you stay at that intensity. Here is a quick breakdown of what your body uses in each zone.
Light Intensity: 60-70% of Target Heart Rate = Primary Fuel Source is Fat.
Medium Intensity: 70-80% of Target Heart Rate = Primary Fuel Source is Carbohydrates
High Intensity: 80-90% of Target Heart Rate = Primary Fuel Source is Muscle (proteins/amino acids)
Calculate Your Maximum Heart Rate
220 – Your Age = Maximum Heart Rate
For example, a 35 year old’s maximum heart rate is: 220 – 35 = 185
Now you just multiply that number by the intensity range you want to work in to determine your number.
Level 3 Moderate Activity is 185 x 70-80% (.7 or .8) = 129 – 148 is your target range
Source: Polar USA – click image to enlarge
How do I make sure I am in the right intensity zone?
The number one best way to guarantee you are working in the right zone is to find out what your target heart rate numbers are. You can use the formula above to get a general idea or most gyms will provide a fitness stress test to help determine your unique zone. This can vary depending on your health and lifestyle.
My favorite way is to use a heart rate monitor (http://www.consumersearch.com/heart-rate-monitors). They are a great investment, and I usually find ones for as low as $30. You don’t need one with lots of bells and whistles, just get one that gives you your heart rate. I promise it is the best investment you will ever make!
For more information on heart rates checkout the training articles on PolarUSA (http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/training_with_polar/training_articles).
Kelly is a work-at-home mommy who writes about saving money and living generously on her blog called Faithful Provisions (http://faithfulprovisions.com). Before that, she was a cycling instructor at the YMCA.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I have experienced this myself. I actually had a personal trainer for 6 months, worked out 5 days a week, he put me through something akin to boot camp and nearly killed me. And I lost like 3lbs. He couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t losing weight.
As soon as I got rid of him and lowered the pace the weight started melting off. LOL. And it was cheaper ;P
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Enjoying the silence =-.
So for those of us who have 20-30 minutes, is it kind of hopeless? It sounds like you’re saying that it is time invested, rather than effort, that matters.
My husband has been doing Crossfit training for about 8 weeks now and has lost 25 lbs. Most are short workouts with really high intensity.
I think Kelly is saying that no matter how long you work out, get to your target heart rate and stay there. Pushing your heart over or under that target may not be as an efficient work out. Feel free to chime in here Kelly.
Thank you for this reminder. I just ordered a heart rate monitor to help my husband with his weight loss journey.
I totally agree with this. I used to be the cardio queen – in high school/college, I thought I had to be bouncing, moving and sweating nonstop to get a “good” workout. After I injured my knee, I stopped all the bouncy stuff and focused on yoga and strength training. And I was in the best shape of my life despite working out less and with less intensity. I didn’t know all the heart rate stuff at the time, I just knew that what I was doing was working, so I kept at it!
Michelle – You can get a great workout in 20-30 minutes every day, I usually shoot for about 45 at most, and that includes weights 2 days per week.
You will see greater results staying at a mid-level intensity for 20-30 minutes than being anaerobic (very high level intensity) for 45 minutes.
The reason being is that you are using the proper fuel source for your body at the low to mid-level intensity. Which are fats and carbohydrates – not proteins and amino acids, the building blocks of muscle — and the thing you want keep to burn a higher percentage of fats and carbs.
The more muscle you have, the less exertion needed to burn more fat. So you don’t want to burn the prime source that builds the muscle to burn the highest percentage of fat.
Does that make sense?
.-= kelly´s last blog ..What’s for Dinner: Homemade Ham, Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza =-.
I think it’s important to remember that everyone’s body is different. There are many similarities when it comes to working out and staying fit, but in the end everyone’s workout routine is going to need to be personalized and individually successful. Thanks for the article!