How do i insure that....... ????
Discussion
How do i insure that i am burning fat and not muscle when i am cycling ? I cycle to and from work 3 times a week, which is a total of about 78 miles. It is a fairly easy cycle, no real hills. I am a big guy and want to lose fat, but how do i insure that i am burning fat when cycle and not muscle ? I have started to do interval training on the cycle, will this help at all ?
All help appreciate... BTW i am on a mountain bike with off road tyres, not a racing bike
All help appreciate... BTW i am on a mountain bike with off road tyres, not a racing bike
Ensure
Get a heart rate monitor, (£20 jobby on ebay will do) work out your max heart rate then when excersizing keep your HR between 70-80% of your max.
"The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to run some of your long weekend runs at up to 75%, so getting the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity."
Get a heart rate monitor, (£20 jobby on ebay will do) work out your max heart rate then when excersizing keep your HR between 70-80% of your max.
"The Aerobic Zone - 70% to 80%
Training in this zone will develop your cardiovascular system. The body's ability to transport oxygen to, and carbon dioxide away from, the working muscles can be developed and improved. As you become fitter and stronger from training in this zone it will be possible to run some of your long weekend runs at up to 75%, so getting the benefits of some fat burning and improved aerobic capacity."
okgo said:
I dont know how much I agree with this whole fat burning zone..Burn more cals than you consume and you will burn off excess..
Yeah thats what i thought... keep it simple right !?However as i understand it the body is designed to help you survive your surroundings. Therefore when you are cycling a lot for example it will not burn fat as much because it knows that it needs it for fuel... so gets rid of muscle from other areas that are not used as much because they are heavy and take fuel away. However when you are weight training the body gets used to be needing to be strong so burns the fat... hence why body builders don't do cardio as it burns muscle...
I was just after a way to target the fat and not the muscle... that way i will tone, lose fat and get fitter faster. But the only cardio i can do is cycling, and maybe tennis 2/3 times a week... then football once a week when the season starts again.
Well I would say that bodybuilders are not usually in their best shape out of season, and them cutting down to look ripped I would think is done via a VERY strict diet and training.
I am no expert on it but I would have thought that if you keep your body topped up with muscle aiding protein then you wouldnt burn as much off. I think the only case the body does start using muscle is when your really going for it.
And by the sounds of it you werent
so I would just concertrate on doing what you are doing and sorting your deit out. As you can go to the gym 3 times a week and still not look much different if you eat the wrong things.
And if this fat burning zone is to belived, then all that would do is burn the fat, and not really increase your fittness, which is important I think to be able to go for longer.
And at the end of the day is very important.
I am no expert on it but I would have thought that if you keep your body topped up with muscle aiding protein then you wouldnt burn as much off. I think the only case the body does start using muscle is when your really going for it.
And by the sounds of it you werent
so I would just concertrate on doing what you are doing and sorting your deit out. As you can go to the gym 3 times a week and still not look much different if you eat the wrong things. And if this fat burning zone is to belived, then all that would do is burn the fat, and not really increase your fittness, which is important I think to be able to go for longer.
And at the end of the day is very important.
Edited by okgo on Monday 30th June 11:20
I'm not a fitness expert, but I think that people who believe cardio work burns muscle are slightly misinformed. Your body is constantly breaking down and renewing muscle protein and it's not just during slow burn exercise this happens.
Certainly, if you put enough strain on your muscles like in a weight training programme, your muscles will become bigger in response to the input and load. Conversely, if you do a lot of marathon or triathlon work, you will lose muscle mass (and a lot of fat) as your body doesn't need the powerful muscles required to go relatively slowly over long distances, and you are not specifically training them to be "big". If you did no exercise you will just get fat, and your muscles will wither due to low stimulation.
I reckon as with most things if you want to keep in shape & retain muscle mass, do a mixture of exercise, and get the right sort of food types on board.
I have found that it's the long distance/long duration exercise that helps you lose weight (and I'm talking mostly fat). On a bike or rowing machine I have found that doinbg 45 min (minimum) sessions at a moderate rate really helps you lose the fat. By moderate, I mean enough to get a sweat on and your heart rate going up (130-140 BPM is usually ok for me), but not so much you are completely out of breath.
Mix this in with weight & gym sessions for "shaping" and eat correctly before during and after exercise and you won't have a problem!
Certainly, if you put enough strain on your muscles like in a weight training programme, your muscles will become bigger in response to the input and load. Conversely, if you do a lot of marathon or triathlon work, you will lose muscle mass (and a lot of fat) as your body doesn't need the powerful muscles required to go relatively slowly over long distances, and you are not specifically training them to be "big". If you did no exercise you will just get fat, and your muscles will wither due to low stimulation.
I reckon as with most things if you want to keep in shape & retain muscle mass, do a mixture of exercise, and get the right sort of food types on board.
I have found that it's the long distance/long duration exercise that helps you lose weight (and I'm talking mostly fat). On a bike or rowing machine I have found that doinbg 45 min (minimum) sessions at a moderate rate really helps you lose the fat. By moderate, I mean enough to get a sweat on and your heart rate going up (130-140 BPM is usually ok for me), but not so much you are completely out of breath.
Mix this in with weight & gym sessions for "shaping" and eat correctly before during and after exercise and you won't have a problem!
It's a long one....
To burn fat you need to exercise at low intensity for prelonged periods. Twenty minutes warm up will put you in a good position to start burning fat. Maintaining 60% (maximum) of maximum heart rate will put you right in the fat burning zone and is very sustainable (ie you should not be brething heavily).
Actual calory burn depends on weight etc but FYI a pound of fat is about 3600 calories.
No matter how you do it if you burn 4000 and eat 2000 you will lose weight. However, very high intensity exercise and no food will not promote muscle growth and will not result in the toite physique you no doubt want. You must fuel the fire with the right stuff and a fair amount of it. Muscle burns energy just to exist so the fat loss will come as a secondary effect.
My advice (as someone that lost a chunk of fat through exercise whilst eating HUGE amounts of food) is to concentrate on eating the right stuff (carbs, protein, veg, salad, fruit, good fats) cutting down the wrong stuff (sugar, bad fats) and get out and about as much as you can. Vary it from walks, easy rides and huge beastings: it is more interesting and you can forget about weight loss. The increase in motabolism (caused by muscle mass) and increase in activity related calorie usage will result it fat loss. Oh and do sit ups as cycling does nothing for your abs.
To burn fat you need to exercise at low intensity for prelonged periods. Twenty minutes warm up will put you in a good position to start burning fat. Maintaining 60% (maximum) of maximum heart rate will put you right in the fat burning zone and is very sustainable (ie you should not be brething heavily).
Actual calory burn depends on weight etc but FYI a pound of fat is about 3600 calories.
No matter how you do it if you burn 4000 and eat 2000 you will lose weight. However, very high intensity exercise and no food will not promote muscle growth and will not result in the toite physique you no doubt want. You must fuel the fire with the right stuff and a fair amount of it. Muscle burns energy just to exist so the fat loss will come as a secondary effect.
My advice (as someone that lost a chunk of fat through exercise whilst eating HUGE amounts of food) is to concentrate on eating the right stuff (carbs, protein, veg, salad, fruit, good fats) cutting down the wrong stuff (sugar, bad fats) and get out and about as much as you can. Vary it from walks, easy rides and huge beastings: it is more interesting and you can forget about weight loss. The increase in motabolism (caused by muscle mass) and increase in activity related calorie usage will result it fat loss. Oh and do sit ups as cycling does nothing for your abs.
Sir Jonny said:
It's a long one....
To burn fat you need to exercise at low intensity for prelonged periods. Twenty minutes warm up will put you in a good position to start burning fat. Maintaining 60% (maximum) of maximum heart rate will put you right in the fat burning zone and is very sustainable (ie you should not be brething heavily).
Actual calory burn depends on weight etc but FYI a pound of fat is about 3600 calories.
No matter how you do it if you burn 4000 and eat 2000 you will lose weight. However, very high intensity exercise and no food will not promote muscle growth and will not result in the toite physique you no doubt want. You must fuel the fire with the right stuff and a fair amount of it. Muscle burns energy just to exist so the fat loss will come as a secondary effect.
My advice (as someone that lost a chunk of fat through exercise whilst eating HUGE amounts of food) is to concentrate on eating the right stuff (carbs, protein, veg, salad, fruit, good fats) cutting down the wrong stuff (sugar, bad fats) and get out and about as much as you can. Vary it from walks, easy rides and huge beastings: it is more interesting and you can forget about weight loss. The increase in motabolism (caused by muscle mass) and increase in activity related calorie usage will result it fat loss. Oh and do sit ups as cycling does nothing for your abs.
Cycling does nothing for your abs?To burn fat you need to exercise at low intensity for prelonged periods. Twenty minutes warm up will put you in a good position to start burning fat. Maintaining 60% (maximum) of maximum heart rate will put you right in the fat burning zone and is very sustainable (ie you should not be brething heavily).
Actual calory burn depends on weight etc but FYI a pound of fat is about 3600 calories.
No matter how you do it if you burn 4000 and eat 2000 you will lose weight. However, very high intensity exercise and no food will not promote muscle growth and will not result in the toite physique you no doubt want. You must fuel the fire with the right stuff and a fair amount of it. Muscle burns energy just to exist so the fat loss will come as a secondary effect.
My advice (as someone that lost a chunk of fat through exercise whilst eating HUGE amounts of food) is to concentrate on eating the right stuff (carbs, protein, veg, salad, fruit, good fats) cutting down the wrong stuff (sugar, bad fats) and get out and about as much as you can. Vary it from walks, easy rides and huge beastings: it is more interesting and you can forget about weight loss. The increase in motabolism (caused by muscle mass) and increase in activity related calorie usage will result it fat loss. Oh and do sit ups as cycling does nothing for your abs.
Abs are nothing anyway, its losing the fat around them which makes them visable, not by doing anything else.
fergus said:
you also need to work hard to increase your resting metabolic rate (RMR).
Theories suggesting different intensities burn fat rather than muscle and vice versa have provided to be flawed. Joe Friel (elite tri coach) has several books which explain why this often doesn't work.
Thanks, have not heard that before so will try to find out more next time I have an oportunity.Theories suggesting different intensities burn fat rather than muscle and vice versa have provided to be flawed. Joe Friel (elite tri coach) has several books which explain why this often doesn't work.
I was also under the impression that your RMR was related to muscle mass and general fitness. The fitter you are the more you burn. Although I suppose that the same could be said about extreme salad dodgers, they must have to eat so much just to maintain their huge (25+ stone) size even when just sat down (they must also eat above this to keep on growing). Food for thought so to speak.
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