Burning fat during exercise: A new study has found that the best heart rate for burning fat differs for each individual and often does not align with the “fat-burning zone” on commercial exercise machines.
Burning fat during exercise
An essential part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is burning fat while exercising. Exercise-induced fat loss can enhance general health by lowering the risk of disease, boosting energy levels, and enhancing physical appearance. The body will break down fat reserves and transform them into energy through regular exercise. The greatest amount of calories are expended when aerobic and anaerobic exercises are combined, making this the most efficient method for weight loss.
Additionally helpful is strength training because it promotes the development of lean muscle mass, which quickens the rate at which fat is burned. Additionally, healthy eating is necessary to support the body’s energy requirements during fat-burning exercise. Eating a well-balanced diet with adequate amounts of protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates will support refueling the body and guarantee that all energy used during exercise is utilized effectively.
The best heart rate for burning fat varies for each person and frequently does not coincide with the “fat-burning zone” on commercial exercise machines, according to a recent study.
According to researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, clinical exercise testing, a diagnostic procedure to measure a person’s physiological response to exercise, may be a better tool to assist people in achieving their intended fat loss goals.
The study, which employed a modeling strategy based on machine learning, was released online in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease. .
“People who want to lose weight or lose fat may be interested in exercising at a level of intensity that allows for the fastest rate of fat burning. According to age, sex, and heart rate, the majority of commercial exercise machines provide a “fat-burning zone” option, according to lead author Hannah Kittrell, an Icahn Mount Sinai doctoral candidate.
However, she continued, “the typical fat-burning zone has not been validated, so people may be working out at intensities that are not in line with their specific weight loss goals.”.
The heart rate and exercise intensity at which the body burns fat at its highest rate during aerobic exercise are referred to as the FATmax.
This intensity may be of interest to those looking to maximize fat loss during workouts because fat is now a significant source of energy.
The heart rate at FATmax, as determined by a clinical exercise test, was compared to predicted heart rates at various percentages of maximal effort within the generally advised “fat-burning zone” as part of the study.
The researchers found that there was poor agreement between measured and predicted heart rates in a sample of 26 people, with a mean difference of 23 beats per minute between the two measures.
This suggests that general guidelines for a “fat-burning zone” might not offer reliable advice.
The next step in the research is to determine whether people who follow a more individualized exercise plan lose more weight and fat while also improving metabolic health markers that indicate health risks like Type-2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.