What is the best exercise for fat burning and how is it useful for weight loss? The phrase often used by slimmers is fat burning which refers to the ability of the body to oxidise (or burn) fat, and thus to use fat – instead of carbohydrate – as a fuel.
Fat burning is often associated with weight loss, decreases in body fat and increases in lean body mass, all of which can be advantageous for health and fitness. Benefits of a lean body composition are numerous and not just vanity based.
Well-trained athletes have an increased capacity to oxidise fatty acids. This enables them to use fat as a fuel when their carbohydrate stores become limited.
If your goal is weight loss or fat loss, your ability to burn fat is also essential, but your efficiency is not.
Overall if you burn less calories irrespective of energy source, you will find it harder to lose weight. Essentially if fat loss is your goal, you must not only burn fat for fuel, but also take steps to make your body as inefficient as possible – increase your basic metabolic rate and you calorie needs.
Factors Affecting Fat Oxidation
Exercise intensity – One of the most important factors that determines the rate of fat oxidation during exercise is the intensity. Although several studies have described the relationship between exercise intensity and fat oxidation, only recently was this relationship studied over a wide range of intensities.
In absolute terms, carbohydrate oxidation increases proportionally with exercise intensity, whereas the rate of fat oxidation initially increases, but decreases again at higher exercise intensities. So, although it is often claimed that you have to exercise at low intensities to oxidise fat, this is not necessarily true.
In a series of recent studies, we have defined the exercise intensity at which maximal fat oxidation is observed, referred to as fatmax. In a group of trained individuals it was found that exercise at moderate intensity (62-63% of VO2max or 70-75% of HRmax) was the optimal intensity for fat oxidation, whereas it was around 50% of VO2max for less trained individuals.
Other factors affecting fat burning include dietary effects, duration and intensity of exercise, type of exercise, gender differences, nutritional supplements and nutritional intake.
HIIT – High Intensity Interval Training For Weight Loss
High intensity interval training, whether resistance and full-body exercises or other types such as running and cycling at very high intensity intermittently broken up with recovery periods is best for the most effective weight loss .
A phenomena known as EPOC results in excessive calories used after your exercise so that even when you have your feet up and relaxing you are still burning calories.
Since the creation of a calorie deficit is an essential part of losing weight, then this extra EPOC calories consumption is very useful indeed, and will burn extra calories for up to 48 hours.
Next Steps
- Exercise using HIIT interval training
- Increase your metabolism
- Create a calorie deficit and start losing weight – 500kcal deficit daily will result in a 1lb weight loss weekly.
The best way to start your fat burning furnace, kick start your fitness and get into the best shape here. Of course let me know if you need more support.
Nico.