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#2 To burn fat...put your runners on
What is the best fat-burning cardio activity?
There is no simple answer to this question, if there was everyone would be doing it right?
So let’s start by looking at the basic weight maintenance equation: kilojoules in = kilojoules burnt. If you have a higher kilojoules intake than you burn…you will get fat. Conversely, if you burn more kilojoules than you take in…you will lose fat. Simple!
The most common mistake I see when trying to burn fat is people jumping on a cardio machine, selecting the “fat-burning” setting and plodding along for an hour or so. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!!!
Well technically it isn’t “wrong”, or at least that is what cardio machine manufacturers will debate. The “fat burning” setting is generally a lower intensity than “cardio” or “fitness” settings, and this is due to the fact that during exercise a higher percentage of fat is used as the fuel source for lower intensity, and a higher percentage of carbohydrates are used as the fuel source for higher intensity exercise.
What this doesn’t take into account is basal metabolic rate. Basal metabolic rate is how many kilojoules you burn at rest. It is easy to spot someone with a high basal metabolic rate…they can eat a small cow, three packets of Tim Tams…not do any exercise…and never get fat. It is natural to hate these people!
However, you can become one of these people if you train smarter. Higher intensity exercise, will help maintain a higher basal metabolic rate therefore helping you burn more fat…and save more time…than those using the “fat-burning” setting. Hence the popularity of ‘boot camp’ style training. I call this the “Have you ever seen a fat sprinter?” theory.
The other consideration is number of muscle groups used. Very simply, the more muscle groups used the higher the number of kilojoules burned.
Now what you have all been waiting for…the ranking of common cardio exercise types. I have ranked these based on intensity potential (higher weighting) and number of muscle groups used. I have also added a tip for increasing the fat burning potential of each.
| Ranking | Exercise Type | Intensity potential | # Muscle Groups Used | Fat Burning Tip |
| 1 | Running | High | High | Sprinting bursts |
| 2 | Aerobics | High | High | High intensity |
| 3 | Boxing | High | Medium | Add skipping |
| 4 | Cycle | High | Low | Sprinting bursts |
| 5 | Cross Trainer | Medium | High | Forwards & Backwards |
| 6 | Rowing | Medium | High | High intensity bursts |
| 7 | Swimming | Medium | Medium | Try butterfly |
| 8 | Walking | Low | Medium | Outside…no treadmills |
Til next month,
Chris
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Latest page update: made by malonchr
, Nov 5 2008, 3:36 AM EST
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cardio training
fat burning
metabolic rate
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