Heartrate while exercising?

I am working out at more of a fat burning level to lose weight. 5 days a week for 45 minutes on the elipitcal or treadmill(or 25 minutes of each to equal 50 minutes) after work and sometimes weights 2 or 3 times a week and then another half hour on the bike or elpitical at lunch. My heart rate usually stays in the 130%26#039;s sometimes 140%26#039;s. Is that good for the heart as well or do you need to be going at a cardio level like 160? I sweat alot and get a good work out each time.

I am 33.

Heartrate while exercising?

Fat burning zone is a misconception, almost a myth. You are ALWAYS burning a mix of free fatty acids and glycogen as fuel. At lower heart rates, the percentage of fat used is a bit larger, but at higher heart rates, you burn still more fat, even though the proportion vs. glycogen is lower.

Formulas for max heart rate and %26quot;zones%26quot; are only a very rough approximation. The zones shown on machines are just about worthless. If you%26#039;re going to train by heart rate, you need to get a monitor and figure out your max and threshold for yourself.

The heart rates you listed are all high enough to contribute to cardiovascular fitness. What you consider %26quot;fat burning%26quot; is what endurance athletes call %26quot;base training%26quot;, although at heart rates that low, they go for considerably longer than 45 minutes. If you%26#039;re only going for that short a time, you%26#039;d be better off going hard.

Erika: I keep seeing references to the %26quot;20 minute rule%26quot; posted here. Its nonsense. You are always burning some fat, and it takes a lot longer than that to run through your glycogen stores. More like 2 hours. Running out of glycogen is known to runners and cyclists as %26quot;bonk%26quot;. A very unpleasant situation where your legs go instantly dead and you feel extreme, instant hunger.

Heartrate while exercising?

At 33 years old your heart rate should be between 159 -122 for more than 20 minutes to burn fat. Assuming you are changing up your workout and doing it at least 3 hours a week total. For the first 20 minutes of any cardio workout your body is burning off stored glycogen in the muscles. You don%26#039;t start to burn %26quot;fat%26quot; until after that as a general rule of thumb. To figure out your target heart rate take 220 subtract your age, that is your max heart rate. Multiply that number by .85 and .65 to get your fat burning zone. You should also do some strength training on the days you do not do cardio. I do cardio every other day and on the other days I lift. Hope this helps you.

%26quot;that helps but does it make your heart healthier as well or do you have to be working out at 160 or above for that?

Also does changing up your workout mean using different machines? I do an aerobic exercise 5 days a week and mix in weights 2 or 3 of those 5 days%26quot;

It does make your heart healthier and no you do not want to stay at 160 or above. Go for duration and not speed. It is better to work out for longer periods of time rather than just try to get your heart up to the max level. Also, it sounds like you are on the right track for changing it up. Keep up the good work and be consistent and safe with it. You should see results pretty quickly. Are you eating right as well? If so, like I said you should see some great results soon.