Any cardio machine has a table that shows the relationship between heart rate and fat burning and especially notes the “fat burning zone.” Here's the bottom line: When you maintain your heart rate in the range of 55-65% of your maximum, you will burn much more fat than during a high-heart rate workout. This makes people think that to lose weight you need to exercise only in this pulse zone and that this is what helps burn fat.
To understand why this is a myth, let's look at how the body uses energy during cardio exercise. The body gets energy from two sources: fat and glycogen stores in the muscles and liver. It is important that at almost any heart rate the body burns both carbohydrates and fats, but the proportion of each source will vary depending on the intensity of the workout.
Fat
When you walk or jog lightly, slowly pedal and can do this for a long time without shortness of breath and a wet T-shirt, the intensity of the workout is low. The main source of fuel for work is fat. It takes longer to convert fat into fuel because it requires a lot of oxygen. But you can work on this energy source for a very long time—for hours—and not feel tired.
Glycogen
If you speed up, pedal or run faster, your heart rate rises, you become short of breath, you start breathing faster and you can no longer talk during exercise. At this point, the body switches to another, faster gear. It switches to fuel that gives energy faster - carbohydrates. We pay for this fast fuel with quick fatigue - you can only run at maximum speed for a very short time.
In total:
- During the lightest activity (very slow walking), almost 100% of your energy comes from fat.
- During the hardest workout (very fast running), almost 100% of your energy comes from carbohydrates.
- Between these two extremes, both fats and carbohydrates are burned in any cardio workout. By accelerating, we begin to burn proportionally less fat and more carbohydrates. By slowing down, we begin to burn more fat again.
What is the problem?
So there is a heart rate at which the highest percentage of calories burned is from fat. This gave rise to the idea of the need to exercise only in the “fat burning zone”.
But just because more fat is used as a percentage, does not mean that a lot of fat is wasted in absolute terms.
Example
- You walk slowly at a speed of 3 km/h and burn 5 kcal/min. You burned 300 calories, almost all of them from fat.
- You run at a speed of 9 km/h and burn 15 kcal/min. You burned 900 calories, but only half of it was fat. In percentage terms, you burned less fat, but in absolute terms - 450 calories, and that's more. Obviously, we burn more calories when we exercise intensely.
Lyle MacDonald writes:
High-intensity cardio may be more effective for weight loss. Under these conditions, you deplete your glycogen stores since carbohydrates are your primary source of fuel. But after training at rest, the body will burn more fat, and the carbohydrates supplied with food will go into glycogen. But in the grand scheme of things, everything you burn during a workout is less important than what you burn throughout the day (i.e., you're in a calorie deficit).
Is Regular Slow Cardio Useless?
Just because the fat-burning zone and rapid weight loss are not related does not mean that cardio is useless.
Firstly, This is a safe way to burn a few extra calories without restricting your food intake too strictly.
Secondly, This is a way to actively recover after strength training (on a separate day). Blood circulation in the body improves, more nutrients enter the muscles and waste products are removed from them faster.
Third, it's about controlling overtraining. If you do a lot of strength training, additional high-intensity cardio (intervals, etc.) is not a good idea for your muscles, joints, or central nervous system.
Fourthly, If you have heart disease and your doctor has told you not to exercise vigorously, tracking your heart rate during exercise is a good way to stay in a heart-safe zone.
Fifthly, fitness dictates the intensity of the workout. If you are overweight or have joint problems, only low-intensity cardio is recommended for you.
conclusions
The fat burning zone technically exists, but that doesn't mean that training will automatically burn more fat in absolute terms.
To lose weight, it is fundamentally important to eat in a calorie deficit. Exercise works great as a complement to your diet. And in the first place - strength training. Cardio is a way to burn an extra few hundred calories without considering its health benefits.
The type of cardio and intensity you choose depends on your health, fitness, strength training program, and what you personally like best.
The existence of a special fat burning zone - the heart rate at which fat is consumed as a source of energy - is one of the most common and oldest myths in the world of fitness.
In magazines, video programs and the Internet, it is constantly praised as the most effective way to combat fat deposits.
Even the vast majority of modern cardio machines come with stickers or charts to determine your heart rate for fat burning.
The idea is that by keeping your heart rate between 55-65% of your maximum, you will miraculously burn more fat than working even at a higher intensity.
Why work hard if you can lose kilos at a more relaxed pace? This is precisely where the appeal of the myth of the magical fat-burning zone lies. The truth is that the existence of such a certain range is a misconception, following which you can, at best, slow down the rate of progress, and at worst, not lose a single kilogram at all.
Relative and absolute fat burning
To understand the nature of the fat-burning zone myth and debunk it, we need to understand how the human body uses energy during exercise. In a simplified version, during any active physical activity, the body receives energy primarily from two places: glycogen stores and fat deposits. Glycogen is a reserve of carbohydrates in the muscles and liver.
The myth of the fat-burning zone arose from the data that during lower-intensity exercise, energy comes more from the breakdown of fat rather than glycogen. Is not that great? You can also lose a lot of fat! This is where it becomes clear that something is wrong with this mythical zone.
When training at 50% of your maximum heart rate, your body gets 60% of its energy from fat and 40% from glycogen. At 75% of the maximum heart rate, this ratio is 35% to 65% (already in favor of glycogen), and as the heart rate increases, fat consumption drops even more.
So why train as hard as you can if you burn so little fat? The answer is simple - it's all about calories. When you exercise intensely, you burn many more calories than when you sit on the couch.
If you compare two classes with moderate and high intensity, each lasting 30 minutes, you can see the following picture:
So, you can see that the calories consumed are twice as much. In addition, more calories obtained from fat are also burned (140 versus 120), although their share in total consumption is smaller.
Calculating heart rate for fat burning in most cases is carried out using the following method: (220 – age in years)/2.
So, for a 30-year-old person with an initial level of physical fitness, this value will be around 90-100 beats per minute ((220-30)/2=95).
However, stronger evidence is needed, because it can be argued that in order to burn 20% more fat you have to increase the intensity of the workout by 50%. Not the best option!
Fat burning zone vs. "post-combustion" effect
After finishing a low-intensity workout, calorie burning decreases sharply. When you exercise very intensely, such as during interval training, a metabolic shift occurs in which calories continue to be burned intensely even after the exercise is completed. This effect is called “post-combustion”.
The post-burn effect will vary greatly depending on the type of training, its intensity, duration, and even how it is measured. A US study led by Dr Christopher Scott at the University of Southern Maine looked at total caloric expenditure over a period of time in low-intensity and high-intensity exercise groups.
Participants of the first group at a moderate pace for 3.5 minutes. Participants in the second were asked to run 3 sprints lasting 15 seconds each at the maximum speed possible for them. What was the difference in calorie expenditure? Quite significant!
Participants in the first group burned 29 calories during the workout versus 4 for runners in the second. But if you take into account the post-burning effect and measure calorie consumption after exercise, the picture changes dramatically.
The cyclists burned a total of 39 calories versus 65 burned by the sprinters. Incredibly, 95% of calories were burned after the workout! Do not forget that when riding an exercise bike, almost 5 times more time was spent (3.5 minutes versus 45 seconds).
Another interesting study found that high-intensity cycling also burns a significant amount of fat. Indeed, during high-intensity physical activity, for example, during cycling, which was studied, glycogen is primarily consumed, but after the end of the workout, fat is consumed.
The myth about the fat burning zone suffers a crushing defeat before the post-burning effect, and the question “at what heart rate is fat burned” still does not find a clear answer.
Of course, moderate-intensity training has its right to exist, but it is not the most effective option for burning fat. The popular method of waking up early and jogging on an empty stomach will not help you lose more fat compared to other more intense methods. For busy people, the best choice is interval training, which allows you to burn more calories and fat in much less time.
With all that said, you shouldn't rely on working out alone to burn fat and gain well-defined muscles.
Exercise helps you maintain muscle, stay fit, speed up your metabolism, and burn some fat, but to effectively burn fat, your calorie intake must match your calorie intake. Nutrition plays a much larger role in this matter, and its adjustment should be given maximum attention.
Pulse is the most important indicator of the functioning of the body. Its frequency plays a big role in training aimed at creating a beautiful, slender figure. To lose weight, you need to be able to accurately calculate heart rate zones for physical activity that correspond to your body condition and age. You need to figure out how to correctly calculate your heart rate for burning fat, because too high or too low a load will not bring the desired result, and you won’t be able to lose extra pounds.
During physical activity, it is very important to periodically measure your pulse, since their power and heart rate are interrelated. Previously, this was done manually, but the manual measurement technique is not always convenient. Therefore, special devices have been developed - heart rate monitors - to help monitor the condition of the heart without stopping the workout.
Different pulsation frequencies during physical activity have different effects on the human body. Depending on the indicators, you can work to reduce weight, train endurance, and increase muscle mass. Cardio exercises are best for getting your heart rate up and increasing your calorie burn. They are conventionally divided into several levels of difficulty from low to high, which are determined by heart rate.
The heart rate ranges necessary for effective training are calculated for each person individually. They depend on age, as well as other characteristics of the body. First you need to calculate the maximum possible heart rate (MPR). There is a special formula for this: 220-(age in years). This means that the pulse during physical activity in a 40-year-old person should not exceed 180 beats.
Below are heart rate zones for training, they are determined as a percentage of MHR:
Using the above formulas, you can easily determine your heart rate zone. Or find a special heart rate calculator for burning fat, which will help calculate individual indicators.
Pulse for effective fat burning
Once the pulse zones have been calculated, the resting heart rate and the maximum possible pulse have been determined, the most suitable type of load can be selected. You can determine your heart rate for fat burning using the following table:
|
Type of load |
Speed km/h |
% of MPP |
Pulse rate (bpm) |
Fat burned in grams |
Kcal expended |
|
| Walking | low | 5 | 60 | 110 | 8 | 175 |
| Easy running (jogging) | average | 7,5 | 75 | 145 | 15 | 400 |
| Run | high | 10 | 90 | 170 | 10 | 170 |
From the table, it can be determined that active fat burning occurs at a heart rate of 65-75% of the MPP. Beginners or those who are not in the best shape cope well with such a load. However, it should be remembered that with an even greater increase in heart rate, calories begin to be burned more slowly and the process of eliminating fat stops.
Heart rate calculation for fat burning
Once individual heart rate zones have been determined, you can begin training. At each range, the heart muscle provides different oxygen access to the muscles and other tissues, and it depends on this whether fat burning will occur or not. If you correctly calculate your heart rate for fat burning, the effectiveness of weight loss exercises will increase significantly. Let's look at what happens to the body in each pulse zone.
There are other methods for calculating heart rate for maximum effective weight loss. One of them is the Martti Karvonen method. A Finnish physiologist has developed special formulas separately for men and women.
Karvonen formula
The standard “220-age” heart rate calculation is a generalized measurement method. Karvonen's method involves including resting heart rate in the formula. It is calculated early in the morning before getting out of bed. So, a more accurate calculation of the pulse zone for men will look like this:
(220-V-ChSSP)*CI+ChSSP, where
B – age;
For a 30-year-old man with a resting heart rate of 65, the pulse to effectively lose excess fat should be: (220-30-65)*0.6+65=140 beats/min. This is the lower limit of the pulse zone. The upper one will reach: (220-30-65)*0.8+65=165 beats/min. 
For women and girls, the formula changes slightly:
(220-V-ChSSP-6)*KI+ChSSP, where
B – age;
HRSP – heart rate at rest;
CI – intensity coefficient (60-80% of MPP)
Thus, for a 30-year-old woman, provided that the resting heart rate is 60, active fat burning will begin to occur at the following heart rate: (220-30-60-6)*0.6+60=134 beats/min. The upper limit is also determined: (220-30-60-6)*0.8+60=159 beats/min.
By calculating at what heart rate fat is burned, you can make your workouts more effective. It is recommended to ensure that the heart rate is in the middle of the pulse zone, that is, at an intensity factor of 70%. In this case, optimal conditions are achieved to accelerate lipolysis.
Calculating heart rate for running
Daily jogging is an effective measure that helps you quickly lose extra pounds. Running is a dynamic type of training and for it the rules described above work exactly the same: if you do not adhere to the specified norm and go beyond the anaerobic limit, fat burning will stop. 
For the average person, the zone for effective fat loss is 110-130 beats/min. If your heart rate reaches 140 beats/min while running, it is recommended to take a walk so that your heart rate decreases slightly. Constantly alternating between jogging and regular walking will allow the body to burn calories much faster.
For beginners, the heart rate quickly reaches the maximum limit and it takes a long time to restore it to the required levels. But don't despair. Over time, with daily training, the duration of periods for restoring heart rate and breathing will shorten and soon such breaks will not be necessary.
Regardless of whether the pulse zone for fat burning is calculated during training or not, by tracking your condition you can approximately determine the necessary boundaries. If breathing does not become interrupted during exercise, a person breathes calmly and can talk, then calories will burn very slowly. Such loads are gentle and, if they lead to the desired result, then only after a long time.
The zone of moderate loads, as already mentioned, is optimal for losing weight. During such training, breathing periodically becomes difficult; you have to switch to lighter exercises to recover. It's almost impossible to have a conversation. Moderate workouts should last at least 40 minutes, this is the only way the extra pounds will begin to leave you. It is worth noting that the regularity of such classes is also important. To lose weight, you should exercise at least 3 times a week. 
- classes on simulators (treadmill, exercise bike);
- jogging;
- bike;
- step aerobics;
- dance aerobics.
Increased loads with heavy sweating and difficulty breathing are more suitable for endurance training, for example, CrossFit. At the same time, fat burning stops, therefore, such physical exercises are not suitable for those who want to lose weight.
It should be added that any load must be agreed with the attending physician. The doctor will conduct an examination, collect anamnesis, prescribe an ECG, measure your pulse and blood pressure, and only after that will tell you about possible training options.
Pulse, or heart rate (HR), is the vibration of arterial walls that occurs when the heart contracts. At rest, healthy adults experience between 60 and 90 such oscillations per minute. For example, if you lead an active lifestyle (walk a lot, exercise regularly), then your heart beats with greater force and lower frequency than that of a person who sits or lies most of the time. Therefore, your resting pulse will be closer to the lower limit, and your heart will wear out more slowly.
Why take your heart rate while exercising?
In order for your body to choose fat reserves as an energy source during training, so that the exercise will benefit you and your heart will not be overloaded, you need to control the intensity of the load. To do this, you need to know your maximum heart rate (HR max) and aerobic heart rate limits.
How to calculate heart rate max and aerobic heart rate limits
1. Heart rate max = 220 minus age.
For example, if you are 30 years old, then heart rate max = 190 beats per minute. During training, your heart rate should not exceed this limit, becausethis is dangerous - your heart is working hard, you are suffocating and experiencing nutritional deficiency. If you feel that your pulse is approaching this mark, stop the activity, take a step and restore your breathing.
2. Aerobic heart rate limits- this is the pulse rate at which a sufficient amount of oxygen enters the body to generate energy from fat.
Aerobic heart rate limits = (220 – age) x 0.6–0.8
Where 0.6 determines the lower limit of the aerobic corridor, and 0.8 determines the upper limit.
- The zone of 60–70% of heart rate max is an effective heart rate for fat burning.
The average is 120–140 beats per minute, depending on age. With this heart rate, it is better to train for at least 40–50 minutes.
- Zone 70–80% of heart rate max – heart rate for aerobic endurance training. On average, about 150–165 beats per minute.
Important: Beyond 80–85% of maximum heart rate, the body leaves the aerobic zone and enters an anaerobic mode (as during strength training), in which it chooses stored carbohydrates as its main source. That is, if you want to lose weight due to the fat component, then stay in the zone of 60–80% of your heart rate max.
All indicators can be calculated , but it is better to consult with a sports doctor at a fitness club and undergo ergometric testing, which will more accurately determine individual performance. The doctor will ask you to pedal and run along the track. The test results will show the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to working muscles using the “transport” system (heart, lungs, blood).
How to check your pulse
The old-fashioned way: Place 3 fingers of your right hand on your left wrist, close to the edge where your thumb is, and count the frequency of the beats for 10 seconds. Then multiply the indicator by 6 - this will be your heart rate per minute.
Modern version: watches with heart rate monitors, such as Polar, Garmin or Apple Watch. This is a convenient (and beautiful) option to be aware of what is happening with your heart and what heart rate zone you are training in.
How to control aerobic exercise
During training, monitor your feelings: if you feel dizzy or your ears are blocked, your heart rate is too high, reduce the intensity of the activity. If you cannot objectively assess the difficulty of the load based on your pulse, use alternative methods. For example, these:
- Effort scale: Subjectively, on a scale of ten, rate how hard it is for you to train (1 – very easy, 10 – extremely difficult). If you train too hard, take a break and recuperate.
- Conversation test: During your workout, talk to someone, such as your neighbor on the treadmill or your trainer. If shortness of breath prevents you from pronouncing words clearly and confuses your thoughts, it’s time to slow down.
Do you want to lose weight and don't know how? Have you tried a lot of diets and decided to go in for sports? Then be sure to pay attention to cardio training. As soon as doctors determined that an increase or decrease in heart rate affects weight loss, the world's sports clubs, fitness centers and professional athletes took note of this development.
Today we will talk about what heart rate burns fat and how to properly organize such a workout. Also important in this matter is what technical assistants you will need.
Heart rate and fat burning: what's the connection?
After exactly 60 seconds, stop and you will get your average heart rate. We would like to say right away that if you get serious about cardio training, you should think about purchasing a wristband that fits on your arm and does the calculations for you. Because during classes it is inconvenient to note the time and independently calculate the pulsation rate, and it will take a lot of time.
Rhythm indicators are divided into several categories. This is the heart rate for burning fat and the heart rate in a calm state.
To calculate the best heart rate for peace of mind, measure it right in the morning, without getting out of bed. The best heart rate for cardio training to burn fat is considered to be 55-70% of your maximum. But you need to know this indicator, it changes with age, and in real life a person’s heart can accelerate to such a speed only if he is a super-trained athlete. Therefore, we will calculate the ideal heart rate for burning fat using the formula that was first proposed by Karvonen.
Choosing an effective formula that will help you calculate your heart rate for exercise
The formula for calculating heart rate for burning fat is simple and clear; subtract your age from the number 220.
So, for example, if you are 30 years old, the norm will be 190 beats per minute, if you are 20 - 200, etc. This calculation is used in many fitness centers, it is universal, there are no discounts for body size.
What heart rate is needed to burn fat?
Workout with heart rate control! Mikhail Prygunov
Treadmill. Fat burning. Pulse rule.
What should your heart rate be during training?
For a more perfect calculation, multiply the resulting figure by 0.65 and 0.84. The first value is the lower limit of heart beats. The second value is the upper limit. Let's look at an example of how to calculate your target heart rate for burning fat:
- Your age is 20 years: 220 frequency - 20 years = 200 beats per minute.
- Lower limit: 200 x 0.65 = beat frequency 130.
- Upper limit: 200 x 0.84 = 168.
During exercise, you should try not to go beyond the obtained values, otherwise the load on the heart will begin, and not fat burning. The resulting numbers are the optimal heart rate for burning fat.
But that’s not all; Karvonen’s formula is still interpreted differently. For example, you can also calculate your heart rate based on gender. Men subtract their age from 220, and women subtract their age + 6. To calculate using a complex formula, subtract your resting heart rate from 220.Such calculations can get confusing, so it’s better to use an online calculator. You need to enter your heart rate value into it and get the result. You can also conduct an individual medical test that will accurately determine your optimal heart rate and fat burning zone.
What are heart rate zones and how to calculate them?
You can often hear the expression “heart rate zone for burning fat.” The heart rate zone is the levels as a percentage of your maximum level, which we obtained from the formulas above. Each zone is 10% lower than the next, and there are 5 of them:
- hearts (55–60%), which is suitable for beginners who have just started training. You should be comfortable, and the loads should be tolerated without stress, the body is preparing for serious loads.
- fitness (60–70%), is considered the best option for moderately complex loads. This fat burning pulse zone will help you lose up to 85% of your fat.
- aerobic (70–80%) – endurance zone, very intense, especially useful when running.
- anaerobic (80–90%), when you reach this zone, you will already have increased endurance and will have an easier tolerance to lactic acid - after exercise, your muscles will practically not ache.
- the red line, in which the percentage value reaches 100. The red zone is considered quite dangerous, especially for people without special physical training. While participating in it, everyone should remember that this is the maximum - your heart simply cannot beat faster.
Very often during training, each heart rate zone is used to burn fat to give the maximum load or reduce it. Carry out such experiments under the supervision of a trainer.
Ideally, you should visit a doctor or sports instructor before starting exercise.
They will help you choose the best cardio workout option, create comprehensive workouts that will involve all parts of the body and use all heart rate zones, and also tell you in more detail how to calculate your heart rate for burning fat.
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