I’ve been testing out some new stuff in my workouts lately…
And it’s been working really well…
Yesterday, I sent you a step-by-step plan on how to accelerate your results on the nutrition end (click here if you missed it)…
Now it’s time to accelerate your fat burning with your workouts too…
How many of you are familiar with the “Fat Burning Zone”?
How about the “anaerobic threshold”?
My guess is that you’ve come across both of those terms before…
Yet, what about the zone that falls in between the fat burning zone and anaerobic threshold? That green zone there below…
Now before we move any further… You need to understand HOW your body burns energy in your workouts…
Your body uses 2 kinds of energy during your workouts…
Energy from fat stores or energy from glycogen stores (glycogen is stored carbohydrates in your muscles and liver)
Now the “fat burning zone” started becoming a term because at 50% of your max heart rate, your body burns 60% fat and 40% glycogen.
At 75% of your max heart rate, the ratio drops to 35% fat and 65% glycogen…
Then as you continue to increase intensity, the ratio continues to go in that same direction…
So “why would you continue to workout with such intensity if you burn more fat at lower intensities?”
Here’s why: It’s ALL about CALORIES burned, not a ratio.
And as sure you can guess, the higher your workout intensity… The more calories you burn.
(and yes, that includes burned fat too)…
Plus, I bet you are familiar with the term “the afterburn effect”.
“Fat burning zone” cardio has ZERO effect on the afterburn while high intensity workouts can have up to 24-48 hours of fat burning post workout…
In fact, in one study, researchers found that after participants did just three 15-second sprints, they were able to increase their calories burned by 95%!
During the actual exercise, participants burned just 4 calories, yet afterward they were able to burn an extra 61 calories.
Pretty solid if you ask me.
Alright, let’s get back on topic… That green zone in the middle… Why is that zone so important…
As you workout, what I’ve found is that you can stay in that middle zone for longer periods of time, and by doing so you will be able to burn more calories in your workouts.
Below, I’ve drown a line on the graph of what I mean…
As you can see, we touch in the red zone every so often (which is our anaerobic threshold zone), yet the majority of our workout is spent in the green…
The reason for this is because you can only spend so much time in “the red”.
10-30 seconds max before you get too exhausted to push any more.
Studies have shown that in that green zone of intensity, you can burn anywhere from 12-18 calories per minute (and that does not include post workout calories burned).
PLUS, working out in this fashion allows you to keep you workouts shorter (10-30 minutes in length).
And as you know, that’s what it’s all about.
Getting to the gym, getting your work done, and getting out.
So where can you go from here?
In my Superhero Body Program, we do an amazing job of keeping your heart rate elevated and touching your anaerobic threshold every few minutes.
Here’s an example of what I mean (the first three exercises get us into the green zone, then the sprints in place push the threshold!)
Circuit #1
Prisoner Squats: 20 seconds (OR 15-20 reps)
Pushups or Knee Pushups: 20 seconds (OR 15-20 reps)
Split Squat: 20 seconds each side (OR 10-12 reps on each side)
Sprints in Place: Push until you feel you start slowing down (Goal: 15+ seconds)
Rest no more than 90 seconds and repeat 3 times
As you continue to progress in your workouts, simply focus on hitting your threshold for a bit longer or more frequently.
This doesn’t mean you need to workout longer, just with more and more intensity.
So hope that helps.
For a full 12-week workout plan that incorporates these exact principles…
See The Superhero Body (just $15 for the next few days)
Cheers,
Dennis
.
.
.
.
Leave a Reply