CARROLLTON - Walk into a gym after work and you’ll no doubt see people huffing and puffing, as they push themselves to the limit. Most of those people aren’t burning much fat.
If you want to lose weight and burn more fat when working out, take a tip from endurance athletes - slow down. It’s that simple. If you’re an overweight couch potato or a mom, who gets in a couple workouts a week, you can benefit from slowing down. It’s all about the mechanics of your body.
Seven-time Ironman, Todd Codish, explains that our bodies have three fuel systems: The ATP-PC phosphagen system, the lactic acid system, and fat or aerobic glycolysis system.
That basically boils down to sugar, carbs, and fat. Your body has more fat, therefore you can sustain an exercise longer, using your fat as a fuel source.
For the average Joe - it means you’re burning off unwanted weight.
“People think they’re not doing any good if you aren’t going hard and fast, but the truth is you’ll burn more fat if you go low and slow.”
Codish uses a fire as an analogy. If you want to build a fire that will last several hours, you’ll use logs not twigs. It’s the same for your body’s fuel source. You want your body to burn fat, which is its biggest fuel source. To target that fuel, you need to train at a lower heart rate. When you exercise at a higher heart rate, your fuel source will switch to carbohydrates or sugar.
There are multiple ways to gauge what you’re burning. The easiest way is by monitoring your heart rate. This can range from simple observations to high-tech monitoring systems. The easiest way to tell - can you talk while you work out? If you are so out of breath that you can’t utter a single word, then you are burning proteins or sugar, not fat. Try to maintain a heart rate under your anaerobic threshold. You can determine that by subtracting your age from 185.
Todd Codish and his wife Kristen operate a triathlete training center, Texas Triple Threat. Their athletes undergo VO2 testing. This type of testing helps athletes train in specific metabolic training zones. It allows endurance athletes to train their bodies to be more efficient.
Kristen Codish suggests that people just starting should begin with a simple program. “Try walking five days a week at a low intensity,” she says. This will allow you to build a base. Eventually, you should be able to jog for brief periods. Kristen says the old saying we all used to live by - no pain, no gain - isn’t true. “It isn’t a no pain, no gain attitude. You shouldn’t be in pain.”
Swimming is also a great way to burn fat. The more muscles you work, the more calories you burn and when you swim, you’re working just about every muscle. It’s also easier on your joints. Todd suggests running in the pool, if running outside is too hard.
So as you head to gym and hop on a treadmill, don’t waste your time trying to run faster than the person next to you. Remember, it’s a slow burn. And who doesn’t want to burn more fat?
E-mail mharris@wfaa.com
