A lot of people make the simple mistake of training out of there zone. We all have a heart rate zone, in general there is a cardio and a fat burn zone. When trying to lose weight most people think the higher you get your heart rate the better. This is not the case at all, in actual fact this will not only burn fat but also burn muscle tissue.

It is best to try and preserve what ever muscle tissue we have and ultimately burn the unwanted excess body fat.

If unwanted body fat is what you want to get rid off then this is how to work out where your heart rate should be.

The formula is like this: 220bpm-your age will give you your h/rate max.

Eg:220
-40age
180bpm h/rate max

Once you have a heart rate max figure which in this case is 180beats per minute, then you have to work out what is your zone, the two zones are cardio of which is 80% of your heart rate max or fat burn which is 65% or your heart rate max. So the sum should look like this

180bpm
-65% fat burn
117bpm		or180bpm
-80% cardio
144bpm

Its not rocket science, it’s easy once you have the tools to do the job. Plan your workouts so each day you know what’s ahead. A sample workout schedule is as follows.

Day 130mins of exercise in your target zone
Day 230mins of exercise in your target zone
Day 330mins resistance training weights
Day 430mins zone training
Day 530mins resistance
Day 630mins resistance
Day 7Off

This is just an example of how to plan your workouts, if weights are not your thing, then replace it with zone training up to 6 days a week with 1 day rest. The basic plan is to do at least 30mins of exercise daily.

Try doing this in your own zone for 1 month and I will promise results.

Heart rate monitors are available from most sporting outlets and some supplement stores, these are the best way to monitor your heart rate during exercise and stop playing guessing games. If you are serious about your results I would strongly recommend you purchase one.

You don’t have to worry too much about your heart rate when doing resistance based exercises (weights) you will notice how ever that your heart rate will be quite high during this because the intensity is very different to zone training. You might think that your heart rate is to low, if that is the sum you have worked out, and then it is important to stay in that zone regardless and remember to stay in your zone for a minimum of 30 mins daily.

When we preserve muscle tissue, we are ultimately going to have a good metabolic rate, this means our body will turn into a fat burning machine.

Antony Romeo
Bodyworks Mandurah