Best weight loss exercise vs age
Discussion
I’m getting in shape at the moment as I’ve put on a bit of timber over the last few years.
In my 20s and 30s when I wanted to lose weight I just swam loads at a steady heart rate and lost about 2lbs a week easily.
In my 40s (with the same diet or eating less than above) doing steady HR exercise seemed less effective so I’ve been doing a bit of reading which seems to indicate that firstly it’s harder when you get older but that intervals are better for weight loss when you’re mid 40s plus due to changes in metabolism, hormones and muscle mass. I even read that steady HR exercise like runs or swimming may actually increase weight due to increasing cortisol levels?
So I’ve been doing much more interval work like HIIT and intervals on treadmill and in the pool which seems to be getting me back up to 2lbs per week weight loss.
Do people who know about this agree with the above? I’m not talking about fitness just weight loss.
In your mid forties onwards if you want to lose weight, are intervals better than steady heart rate exercise? Obviously assuming your diet isn’t making it worse.
Looking at calories burned on strava etc if I do 30 mins HIIT or intervals on a treadmill it’s always less than 30 mins swimming or steady pace running . But is the higher intensity of intervals (especially when you’re older) actually more efficient at losing weight?
In my 20s and 30s when I wanted to lose weight I just swam loads at a steady heart rate and lost about 2lbs a week easily.
In my 40s (with the same diet or eating less than above) doing steady HR exercise seemed less effective so I’ve been doing a bit of reading which seems to indicate that firstly it’s harder when you get older but that intervals are better for weight loss when you’re mid 40s plus due to changes in metabolism, hormones and muscle mass. I even read that steady HR exercise like runs or swimming may actually increase weight due to increasing cortisol levels?
So I’ve been doing much more interval work like HIIT and intervals on treadmill and in the pool which seems to be getting me back up to 2lbs per week weight loss.
Do people who know about this agree with the above? I’m not talking about fitness just weight loss.
In your mid forties onwards if you want to lose weight, are intervals better than steady heart rate exercise? Obviously assuming your diet isn’t making it worse.
Looking at calories burned on strava etc if I do 30 mins HIIT or intervals on a treadmill it’s always less than 30 mins swimming or steady pace running . But is the higher intensity of intervals (especially when you’re older) actually more efficient at losing weight?
ambuletz said:
the idea behind HIIT is it raises metabolism for up to 72hours post exercise, the amount is minimal. where as steady state cadio will burn off most of it during the exercise.
there isnt really much of a way you can measure EPOC from HIIT, where as regular cardio on a exercise bike/treadmill will give you some estimates (i aways assume it overestimates by at least 20%).
But my opinion is not to overcomplicate it, do whichever you enjoy as sticking to a routine and regular calorie deficit is what achieves fat loss. try one, check your results, try another. see what works for you.
Thanks for the info. It’s easy with apps and heart rate and activity trackers etc to get fixated on data.there isnt really much of a way you can measure EPOC from HIIT, where as regular cardio on a exercise bike/treadmill will give you some estimates (i aways assume it overestimates by at least 20%).
But my opinion is not to overcomplicate it, do whichever you enjoy as sticking to a routine and regular calorie deficit is what achieves fat loss. try one, check your results, try another. see what works for you.
I’m enjoying it and doing three runs a week plus some HIIT sessions and something else like boxing or swimming. I’m just mixing it up and doing 6 sessions a week and watching what I eat a bit more.
I’m achieving 2lbs a week loss but it’s definitely much harder than it was when I was trying to lose weight 10 years ago, just by swimming half an hour each day.
Probably unsurprisingly.
Halb said:
rider73 said:
skipping is supposed to be great
supposed to be
tried it
how the flip do you skip
i have no skippage ability
Yeah, I never really got the knack for it either. I can remember my wrestling coach telling me to just do something else whenever I used to warm up.supposed to be
tried it
how the flip do you skip
i have no skippage ability
Quick update since I started the thread. I’ve just been snacking less and cutting out the booze and I’ve lost 30lbs now since mid October. I’ve been doing three runs a week which are basically a slow 13ish k a medium 7k and some treadmill intervals. I’ve been doing HIIT sessions three days a week which are half hour body weight exercises.
Compared to when I was trying to cut back about 10 years ago I could then drop 2lbs a week easily just swimming half an hour 5 days a week while now I’m maybe dropping about 1.5lbs a week at best.
I feel better though from mixing up the training more than just swimming and I’ve enjoyed doing the body weight HIIT like burpees and press-ups etc which I was rubbish at when I started.
So it’s definitely harder when you’re older in your 40s compared to your 30s, just incase anyone wasn’t sure.
Compared to when I was trying to cut back about 10 years ago I could then drop 2lbs a week easily just swimming half an hour 5 days a week while now I’m maybe dropping about 1.5lbs a week at best.
I feel better though from mixing up the training more than just swimming and I’ve enjoyed doing the body weight HIIT like burpees and press-ups etc which I was rubbish at when I started.
So it’s definitely harder when you’re older in your 40s compared to your 30s, just incase anyone wasn’t sure.
mcelliott said:
gregs656 said:
MC Bodge said:
It need not be complex.
It must be complex, otherwise excuses dwindle...MC Bodge said:
El stovey said:
It’s complex enough that only a couple of people have answered my original question which is about intervals vs steady heart rate exercise and the difference when you age.
How much do you need to know?Do both. Don't overdo it.
Everyone knows that if you move more and eat less you’ll lose weight and not to overdo it
That’s not at all what I was asking.
mcelliott said:
StevieBee said:
El stovey said:
Google gives some conflicting information.
That's because there's no one single answer. Much depends on many things. However, my son is a PT and have asked his view on Interval or Steady HR training.The answer is.....whichever one you enjoy the most. Both will achieve fundamentally the same thing but only if you are committed to it and that commitment will only come if you're enjoying what you're doing.
I can’t find it now but I read a reasonably accurate looking article saying that intervals are better for weight loss when you’re mid 40s plus due to changes in metabolism, hormones and muscle mass. I even read that steady HR exercise like runs or swimming may actually increase weight due to increasing cortisol levels?
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff