During my consultation with new clients I hear a lot of them quoting that they work in their fat burning zone when they do their cardio workout.

The fat burning zone is generally recognized as being 60-70% of your MHR (220-your age). So when working out with a heart rate monitor, you generally can programme some target zones, and make it beeps when you're going over it.

Low- to moderate-intensity exercise is fuelled predominantly by fat. Which is where the fat burning zone concept came from origninally.

However, if you exercise within the fat burning zone for let's say 20 minutes, you will burn less calories in total than if you exercise in the aerobic zone (75-85% of MHR).

The body does burn a higher percentage of calories from fat in the fat burning zone or at lower intensities. But, at higher intensities, you burn a greater number of overall calories which is what you should be concerned about when trying to lose weight.

Here's an example. A 130 pound woman who works out for 30 minutes in the fat burning zone will burn 146 calories. About 72 of those calories, or roughly half, will come from fat. That same woman, working out for 30 minutes at a higher intensity, will burn 206 calories. 82 of those calories, or about 40%, will come from fat.

So next time you do work out, try and workout as hard as you can. And if you can't keep high intensity up for a long period of time, don't worry, go for interval training. If you haven't read about my article on interval training, click here <== click here to read the article

If you need help with tailoring the right workout programme for you to reach your weight loss goals, contact me now, Anne Iarchy, Personal Trainer Barnet, on 07880627944 or email me on anne@barnetpersonaltrainer.co.uk