If you’ve ever wanted to target fat loss with your workouts, we’ve got you covered.
While any type of exercise is good for our health, sometimes we want to achieve specific goals like building muscle, improving flexibility or burning fat.
Here, two experts talk about what to focus on if fat loss is your goal with exercise, including heart rate range, resistance training, and the muscle fat connection. Plus, they offer four exercises to help you target fat loss.
Where’s The Fat Burn Sweet Spot?
“The fat burn sweet spot is in zone 1 and zone 2 heart rate range,” explains Kate Meier, certified personal trainer and senior editor at Garage Gym Reviews. “This will vary from person to person but zone 1 is 50-60 per cent of max heart rate and zone 2 is 60-70 per cent. In these zones, fat is the primary fuel source for the body as energy demands increase with heart rate. Above these zones, the body needs energy more rapidly and will primarily use carbs. By tracking heart rate through a device, you will be able to manage your workout intensity to stay in those zones.”
Get a deep dive into heart rate and weight loss in this expert-backed article.
Workouts for Fat Loss
Jesse Feder, a personal trainer and registered dietitian with StrengthWarehouse USA, says cardio typically burns more fat than weightlifting (although weightlifting can help with overall fat burn, more on that below).
“Your body burns the most fat during medium to long, moderate paced cardio,” explains Feder.
He recommends these simple cardio workouts to rev up your fat burn:
Workout 1
Walking
Walking is a simple and accessible way to get your body moving and burn fat. Check out this article to learn how walking could help you lose weight and support your wellness goals, then check out three walking plans designed to get you moving—and help you go farther and faster.
Workout 2
Rowing
Rowing is a full body workout that uses the lower body, core, and upper body with less impact than other cardio routines. Read this article to get to know rowing and the nine areas rowing can help target and tone.
Workout 3
Swimming
Another low impact whole body workout, swimming is an excellent form of exercise, especially in the summertime. It’s one of those sneaky fitness regimes that burn just as many calories as it provides many hours of enjoyment. Click here to read our beginners guide to get started with swimming.
Workout 4
Resistance Training
As mentioned above, weightlifting or strength training (any workouts that build muscle) can also help with fat burn over time. Basically, the more muscle you have, the more fuel, a.k.a. calories, you burn at rest. Don’t know where to start? Check out this beginner's guide to exercising with weights.
What’s The Muscle-fat Connection?
“As we increase muscle mass, our resting metabolic rates increase, which means we increase more calories at rest. So, by strength training and gaining muscle, we can actually increase the amount of calories we burn daily,” Feder says.
Meier adds, “Strength training and building muscle helps to burn fat by increasing the body’s metabolic rate. If two people weigh the same but one has more muscle mass, then the one with more muscle will burn more calories doing the same activities as the muscle will require more fuel.”
Ultimately, the key to long-term success with any health and fitness goal is going to be consistency. The WeightWatchers® program can help you integrate more regular movement into your routine with its science-backed behaviour change approach that arms you with tools and actionable techniques to change your habits and behaviours. The WW program fits into your life and is adaptable to your lifestyle. When a program is easy to follow, you’re more likely to stick with it, which translates directly into being more likely to achieve your goals.
Learn more about the WW approach to food, weight loss, and wellness here.