You want weight loss? Is this you? You head off to the gym, grab your workout card and step onto the treadmill. You are advised (by the gym instructor) that you need to work in your ‘aerobic’ zone. The what zone?? The ‘aerobic’ zone – it has a little diagram on the treadmill, something like 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. You are advised (by the same instructor!) that you should spend 30-45 minutes on there, jogging (or running) at a steady pace for the duration. So, what happens during your workout?
Well, firstly you probably get your iPod out and find some music to motivate you. You may have your mobile phone handy so that you can text your friends or look on Facebook while you jog. Some of you may…wait for it, start reading a magazine – GASP, horror, a magazine? You know who you are! Heck, I even saw someone doing a Sudoku puzzle!!! So you start jogging and reach that ‘aerobic’ zone. It feels ok, manageable. You start to get a little bored so you send a couple of texts. 10 minutes later, even more bored. You look on Facebook for a bit. 20 minutes now and you decide to read that article you’ve waited 3 days to read – ‘How to lose weight on a treadmill’! I’m kidding – it’s really ‘I was a man, now I’m a woman but actually, I preferred being a man!’ That article.
Texts sent, Facebook is fantastic and the article was interesting. Now you still have 10 minutes left but at least you are sweating a little and out of breath. Finally, 45 minutes are up and you can step off the treadmill.
So…………what has just happened in the last 45 minutes (apart from the distractions that is)?
You just burned a total of 300 calories. 60% of those calories would come from fats and 40% from glycogen (stored carbohydrates). This means you burned 180 calories from fats and 120 calories from glycogen. That sounds ok doesn’t it, 300 calories? Well yes BUT that is it I’m afraid. You will not burn any more calories once you step off the treadmill (apart from calories burned from doing your usual daily activities). This type of typical gym workout ONLY burns calories at the time of exercising. What you really want is a workout that will burn calories AND body fat AFTER you step off the treadmill.
But how?
OK, I’ll let you into a secret. Short intense workouts are the KEY to burn body fat and for effective weight loss. Forget about those long, boring cardio routines that last for 45 minutes or more. They are just a waste of time if you want to get rid of your body fat. Also, steady state cardio workouts could damage your joints. The constant pounding at the same pace for hours every week. How many ‘joggers’ do you see out on the road who look like they are in real pain? They just don’t look comfortable do they?
So, here is the SHOCKING winner…
To burn fat, all you need is a minimum of 12 minutes and no more than 20-30 minutes per workout performing short intense exertion periods. In running terms (on the treadmill), you would do sprint intervals rather than go jogging. Of course, sprinting would be to your current level of fitness. How many sprinters do you see who look muscular, fit, strong and most importantly, healthy? The answer – ALL of them!
The trick is to trigger an ‘after burn’. This happens when your body burns fat after you stop exercising. It’s all about what you use for energy during exercise. During the first minute or two, your body burns ATP for energy (don’t worry too much about the jargon here). This is your body’s most potent and available source of energy. It’s used for quick bursts of movement but it doesn’t last long (like sprinters).
After a few minutes, your body shifts gears and starts to burn glycogen (stored carbohydrates) in your muscle tissue. This lasts for 15-20 minutes. When you stop exercising during this process, your body will automatically burn fat to replace the carbohydrates you just burned. This ‘after burn’ melts away your stored body fat and can last up to 48 hours after your workout.
You’ll continue to burn fat up to a full day after you finish each session. This is largely due to the boost your metabolism gets from your training. Because your body needs extra calories to repair muscles, replenish energy stores and restore your body to homeostasis, you continue to burn calories (and fat) long after your workout is over.
After a few months, your body stops storing fat because it simply doesn’t need it. This is the opposite of conventional advice (the advice you get in a gym), which tells you to burn fat during exercise. But this only makes matters worse. This tells your body to make and store more fat so you’ll have something to burn during the next workout. This is why so many people get frustrated when they don’t see results after months of spending hours in the gym.
Turning up the intensity after each interval and keeping your workouts short will take the fat off and lead you to effective weight loss.
Also, consider these further benefits of using short-duration intervals:
- Your heart becomes stronger and more efficient so can handle stressful situations much better
- Your heart can pump more blood per beat when maximally challenged
- Reduces the ‘bad’ cholesterol and increases the ‘good’ cholesterol
- Provides an anti-ageing benefit by raising testosterone levels, which fights against memory loss, accumulation of fat, low libido, sexual dysfunction and loss of strength and bone.
If you want to know how to change your training for effective weight loss or how to start on a fat-busting journey, contact me on 07990 583034,
email pauledgar@bodyandmindfitnesscompany.co.uk
or visit www.bodyandmindfitnesscompany.co.uk
In the meantime, try this EFFECTIVE treadmill workout that will burn body fat for up to 48 hours and help you on your weight loss journey. CLICK HERE FOR WORKOUT
Paul Edgar