Cardio is the best way to burn fat. Specifically exercising large muscle groups
for long periods of time will burn the most fat. In order to get into this further I want to
touch on a little Biochemistry. If this scares you turn back now before it’s
too late. Don’t say I did not warn you.
There are three types of energy: Carbohydrates (your body
turns this into sugar), fat, and protein.
Muscles burn mostly sugar and fat for energy. Only a small amount (~10%) of protein is used
for energy. It’s mostly used to rebuild
the muscle after training. Exercise actually breaks down the muscle tissue and
sends signals to your brain to send protein to build more and get ready for the
next time you exercise. When you starve
yourself of Carbs your body will turn the protein into carbs and when you eat
an excess of protein your body will turn it into fat. Either way both are very
inefficient processes so you are better off eating a sufficient amount of carbs
and keeping your protein intake under control.
Anyway, to efficiently burn fat you want to burn large
muscle groups for long periods of time. The largest muscle group is your
quadriceps (Thigh muscles). That is why the best cardio involves using your
legs. Running, walking, biking, aerobics, etc. are the best fat burning
exercises. When you first start
exercising your body starts using up the storage of sugar you have. Sugar is quick and easily available and it
does not require oxygen. The human body stores about 2000 calories of sugar in
the muscles and the liver. As you continue to exercise you deplete the energy
that is readily available and start using stored fats and carbs. But it takes a while for the body to get the
message to start breaking down stored fat and using it in the muscles. After about 20 minutes the fatty acids in the
blood increase to maximum level the muscle are burning the most fat. The key is to keep exercising at a steady
pace.
In order to burn fat, the muscles need oxygen. If there is a
lack of oxygen the muscles are forced to burn sugar. When you feel the muscles burning you are
burning sugar. The burn you feel is from the buildup of lactic acid in the
muscle which indicates sugar is being burned not fat. The best way to burn fat is long continuous
exercise of your legs in which you are not out of breath and you don’t feel a
burn. However when you do short intervals
of these, sugar burning exercises you will build muscle and increase strength
and endurance. So as usual both are good and both serve a purpose. But you will
burn the most fat walking or jogging or riding a bike. If you want to progress and get into better
shape you should push yourself a little to increase your fitness and burn more
calories the next time you exercise.
Once again everybody needs to find what works for them.
Avoid injury by starting out slow and don’t worry about starting small. It
takes time and patience to build up strength and endurance. If you start too fast and injure yourself then you won’t be doing anything. Or if you have
nagging injuries talk to your doctor, they can recommend things specifically
for you.
Since I spent some time talking about how we burn sugar and
fat, I want to talk about why no/carb – low carb diets are a bad idea next
time.
