Most Fat Burning Exercise

Fitness professionals seem unable to agree on the most effect way to burn fat. Some support long-duration steady-state aerobic exercise, and others support high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. When it comes to burning fat, steady-state cardio is most effective. However, HIIT can burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. You will likely have the most success combining steady-state, HIIT and strength training into your exercise routine.

Steady-State Cardio

Long-duration steady-state cardio, performed for between 20 and 60 minutes at a moderate intensity, uses a greater percentage of fat for energy. High-intensity exercise uses a greater percentage of carbohydrates for energy. The peak fat-burning rate in steady-state cardio is between 55 and 72 percent of maximum aerobic power, according to Jack H. Willmore and David L. Costill, authors of "Physiology of Sport and Exercise." Steady-state exercise activities can include brisk walking, cycling, elliptical machine workouts and swimming.

HIIT

Although high-intensity cardio makes your body use a greater percentage of energy from carbohydrates than from fat, it does burn more calories in a session than moderate-intensity cardio. However, high-intensity cardio is harder to perform for a longer duration and can be very taxing on the body. High-intensity interval training involves alternating between periods of high-intensity work and low-intensity recovery periods. Work intervals last 30 to 60 seconds, and recovery intervals 30 to 120 seconds. Intervals are repeated five to 10 times. HIIT can be done by sprinting on a treadmill, bike or elliptical machine. High-intensity cardio stresses both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, so it should not be performed on weight-training days because it affects muscle recovery.

Strength Training

Strength training is essential to build and maintain muscle tissue. Muscle tissue helps elevate your resting metabolism, enabling you to burn more calories from fat while you are at rest. Aim to strength train at least two to three days a week on nonconsecutive days to target every major muscle group. Using compound exercises that target multiple muscle groups, such as squats, deadlifts, pullups and dips. This will help increase the intensity of your workouts, enabling you to burn more fat.

Sample Fat Burning Schedule

Combining all three types of exercise will maximize your fat burning potential. An effective training schedule might be: On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, perform total body strength-training followed by 30 minutes steady-state cardio. On Tuesday and Thursday, perform a 20 to 30 minute HIIT session. On Saturday, do 45 minutes of steady-state cardio such as brisk walking. On Sunday take a much needed rest day.