trying to burn a little extra body fat

which machine?

  • Treadmill

    Votes: 2 11.8%

  • Cycle

    Votes: 2 11.8%

  • Elliptical

    Votes: 2 11.8%

  • Free weights

    Votes: 11 64.7%
  • Total voters
    17
L

lowlife

0
ok, so i am not overweight, i just want to lose some of the flab to gain a little more definition. I am a UPS driver...so i run around all day long carrying boxes and have lost a good amount of weight doing that, but i feel i have plateaued from doing it for about a year and a half and have started going to the gym again to try to stimulate the body a little more.

my question would be, if i'm running around all day at my job anyways, should i use the treadmill, step-machine, cycle machine, Elliptical machine, or free weights to jolt up my system a bit.

i see that the machines say for fat burn to keep the heart rate around 130bpm (age 22, 146lbs)...would that be a pretty good number to stay at?

also...about how long should i be doing each session? i have been doing about 20 minutes now, but that doesn't even really phase me at the moment...thinking of going longer, but didn't know what amount of time would be good
 
If you really want to kick it up try circuit training. I like to use free weights and jump rope in my rest. It keeps you from getting bored and kind of doubles your workout.
 
A UPS driver! I was one of those many moons ago! Yes, they really make you run your can off! If you are at the gym doing a cardio session, and you're not feeling phased at all, that's your body telling you you can do more.
 
dougp25 said:
A UPS driver! I was one of those many moons ago! Yes, they really make you run your can off! If you are at the gym doing a cardio session, and you're not feeling phased at all, that's your body telling you you can do more.
Click to expand...

i guess my next question would be if the 130bpm is a good rule of thumb for me to burn the extra chub, or should i go for the cardio range? (around 165bpm). i'm really new to all this, so i'm not really sure where to start with all of it
 
I think for your age, 150 and lower is the fat burn range. Above that is the cardio range. Are you doing any free weights? I would def recommend them, they will help set your metabolism and shape your body.
 
I'd say get yourself started on a fullbody routine 3 times a week, with compound lifts (deadlift, squat, lunge, dip, pullup, bench, row) and your body will love it.
 
lowlife said:
i guess my next question would be if the 130bpm is a good rule of thumb for me to burn the extra chub, or should i go for the cardio range? (around 165bpm). i'm really new to all this, so i'm not really sure where to start with all of it
Click to expand...

Forget the ' fat burn zone ' and the ' cardio zone '. The key issue when it comes to losing fat is calories ......losing calories.

This is a very simplistic explanation, but in a nuthsell, the harder you exercise the more calories you will lose . By harder exercise, it can mean going longer on a treadmill, going on the treadmill more often per week, going at a higher intensity / heart rate while on the treadmill - or some combo of the three. And under normal conditions, the more calories you lose - all other things being equal - the more fat you will lose ( over a set period of time ).

Within this context, the ' fat burn zone ' and the ' cardio zone ' simply indicates how much ( i.e what % ) of the fuel you're burning is coming from fat. For example, if you run for 20 minutes in the ' fat burn zone ' you might burn 200 calories of which 70% comes from fat. If you run for 20 minutes in the higher heart rate ' cardio burn zone ' you might burn 300 calories of which 50% comes from fat.

The 20 minutes in which you burn 300 calories is the best choice for fat loss because it burns the most calories.
 
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