Aerobic exercise fat burning heart rate

When ordinary healthy adults do aerobic exercise, they should maintain their heart rate in the range of 60%-80% of their maximum heart rate, which is currently generally recognized by the sports community as the most cost-effective range for fat burning. However, this number is only a reference and is never a passing line that must be adhered to. The range that adapts to your own physical condition is the truly effective fat burning heart rate.

I encountered a lot of pitfalls when I first applied for a fitness card in 2017. My personal trainer gave me a general formula of 220-age. When I was 24 years old, my maximum heart rate was 196, and my fat burning range was stuck at 118 to 157. At that time, I was very anxious. Every time I ran, my eyes would be glued to the heart rate display of the bracelet. If it dropped to 118, I would speed up quickly. If it exceeded 157, I would slow down and take two steps. I was afraid that taking one more step would be in vain. As a result, I ran for two months and only lost two pounds in weight. I was so nervous every time I ran that I didn't even bother to look at the stray cats on the roadside. Later, after eating with friends from the sports institute, I found out that I had confused "fat energy supply ratio" and "total fat consumption" - the traditional "golden fat burning zone" of 60%-70% of the maximum heart rate refers to the fat energy supply ratio at this intensity. The proportion of total energy consumption is the highest, reaching about 60%, but if you increase the intensity to 70%-80%, although the proportion of fat energy supply drops to about 45%, the total energy consumption directly increases by almost half, and the actual fat burned is more. Of course, 220-age is just the roughest estimation formula. If you want to be more accurate, you can multiply your age by 208 minus 0.7. If you are not short of money or need to prepare for competitions, go to the hospital for a special cardiopulmonary exercise test. The measured maximum heart rate is the most suitable for you.

I later adjusted my rhythm so that I didn’t have to hit the lower limit. I could chat with the people next to me normally while running, but I couldn’t sing loudly. My basic heart rate was between 140 and 155. I lost 6 pounds in a month and I wasn’t as tired as before. In the past two years, I have contacted many practitioners in different fields, and found that many people do not recommend it to ordinary enthusiasts at all. They find it too troublesome and prone to anxiety. Last time I attended a cross-country running sharing meeting, a coach who has been coaching amateur runners all year round said that as long as you breathe a little faster when exercising, but don’t need to gasp for air, and you will be a little breathless when speaking long sentences, but you can communicate normally, your body will be stuck in the fat-burning zone, which is much more accurate than staring at a bracelet. Especially when running outdoors, you always look down at your watch, and you are prone to stepping on pits and falling. I have been trying it myself for more than half a year. Indeed, the heart rate corresponding to the physical sensation of aerobic jogging is right in the 60%-80% range, not much different.

Of course, not everyone is suitable for this general range. I have a colleague who is born with a high resting heart rate. She usually sits at 85 beats/min. The lower limit of the fat burning range calculated according to the formula is 120. When she first started exercising, her heart rate soared to 130 after walking briskly for 10 minutes. She was breathless and could not speak. If she was stuck in the hard zone, it would easily put a burden on the heart. There are also overweight people, people with high blood pressure or basic heart disease, who are not suitable for high-intensity exercise. It is best to follow the doctor's advice and start with lower-intensity exercise without forcing this so-called standard range. I know a friend who weighs 200 pounds. When he first started losing fat, he walked briskly for 40 minutes every day, and his heart rate just reached 100. He continued to lose 30 pounds in three months, and the effect was not bad at all.

Oh, by the way, there are two rumors that have been circulating for a long time. One is that "you must stay at the fat-burning heart rate for 30 minutes before starting to burn fat" - which is pure nonsense. From the first minute you stand up and walk around, fat has already participated in the energy supply, but the proportion of glycogen energy supply is higher in the first 20 minutes or so. Even if you take 10 minutes a day to go out and walk twice quickly, you are still burning fat. The cumulative effect is not bad at all. There is also a saying that "exercise with a lower fat-burning heart rate is in vain." What's more, if you walk for half an hour after a meal, your heart rate may be only 70 or 80. At this time, the energy supply from fat can account for more than 80%, but the total consumption is less, but it is better to be relaxed. If you can persist every day, it is better than lying down after grinding your teeth and having a stuck heart rate for three days.

To be honest, I have been doing fitness for almost 8 years, and I have seen too many people regard fat-burning heart rate as some kind of golden rule. They make themselves exhausted just to make up the numbers, and they cannot persist for long. This thing is essentially a reference tool, not a passing mark for the exam. If you have a clear goal of losing fat, or need to prepare for a competition, practicing in intervals can indeed improve efficiency, but if you just want to move to sweat after get off work and release the stress of work, no matter what your heart rate is, moving is better than lying down.