A common myth in fat burning is to exercise as long and as hard as your body can handle to shed off as many calories as possible. Although this does blast calories, it is not the best way to optimize fat burn. It is possible to hone in on burning mostly fat calories while you work out. The idea is to stay in your "fat burning zone," or between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. Low-intensity exercise allows you to burn 50 percent of your calories from fat, while a high-intensity workout burns 35 percent from fat. Calculating your fat burning zone will allow you to efficiently burn fat.
Step 1
Calculate your maximum heart rate (MHR), an estimate of the highest number of beats your heart can attain during an all-out effort. This formula is based on the newest and most accurate research for calculating MHR: maximum heart rate = 206.9 - (0.67 --- age).
For example, the MHR for a 38-year-old would be 206.9 - (0.67 x 38), or 206.9 - 25.5 = 181.4 beats per minute (BPM).
Step 2
Calculate the low end of your fat burn zone. You ideally want to keep your heart rate between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum to burn mostly fat.
In the example of the 38-year-old, MHR x 60 percent, or 181.4 x 0.6 = 109 BPM.
Step 3
Calculate the high end of your fat burn zone.
In the example of the 38-year-old, MHR x 70 percent, or 181.4 x 0.7 = 127 BPM. This person's fat burn zone is 109 to 127 BPM.
Tips and Warnings
- Your body and heart is designed to be stressed. If you continuously exercise only in the fat burning zone, you will not test your heart and lungs as they should be. Develop a plan including interval training, with high- and low-intensity workouts. Talk with your local gym's personal trainer to develop a personalized plan for you to burn fat more efficiently.
- Note: The formulas used here will provide an estimate for your heart rate. Individual rates can vary as much as 20 BPM.
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