Ever wonder which button to push for your cardiorespiratory workout on your favorite workout machine? Or whether to walk or jog? As February moves in, we are (hopefully) still at the gym: getting (back) into shape, burning off extra bodyfat, getting bikini/swimsuit ready. So, you hop on the cardio machine and push the fat burning button.
Would you be surprised to know that you will actually burn less fat than if you had pushed the interval-training button?
Interval training provides a high-intensity workout, with periods of rest, which requires a greater percentage of carbohydrates as fuel than fat. The body needs carbohydrates when working at moderate to high intensity levels. This fuel source of carbohydrates burns more calories than the fat burning model, the main objective! At the end of the workout, you will have used more carbohydrates as a fuel source, burned more calories, and therefore burned more fat, than if you had pushed the “fat-burning” button and completed a workout of equal duration.
The secret is to work hard and keep moving. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. So, go ahead, make your day.