There's so much mis information out there concerning health and fitness its nuts. I've learned the hard way. So here's some information I found useful and you might too.
here's a heart rate cal. Put in you're resting heart rate and you're age and hit calculate. It will tell you what you're heart rate range should be during cardio workouts if you are looking for maxium gains and losses.
http://www.bodyforlife2.com/max_heart_rate.htm
also this huge mith about fat burning zone ect. Here's some posts from my fitness forums that I found hit the nail on the head with really direct info.
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both fat burning zone and cardio will burn fat. the difference is the ratio of fat calories being burned. this means that when you work at lower heart rates you're body will burn less overall calories but within the calories the ratio of fat calories (burning pure fat) to other calories is much higher.
however, if you workout at higher intensities you are burning more calories from everywhere (food energy, etc.) and the ratio of fat calories to other calories is less.
does that mean if you were to do the same exercise at both styles for the same amount of time that working within the fat burning zone will yield better results? absolutely not.
the breakdown looks like this (not actual numbers):
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FAT BURNING ZONE: 30 minutes
fat calories burned: 250
other calories burned: 100
TOTAL: 350 calories
Percentage of calories from fat: 71%
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CARDIO BURNING ZONE: 30 minutes
fat calories burned: 325
other calories burned: 175
TOTAL: 500 calories
Percentage of calories from fat: 65%
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So, are you burning a higher percentage of fat in the fat burning zone? YES. Does this mean you are burning more total fat in the fat burning zone? NO.
You will always burn more fat in the cardio zone. ALWAYS. However, out of total calories expended the ratio of fat calories expended will always be higher in the fat burning zone.
The reason why the fat burning zone was created was for people that could not maintain an exercise at a higher intensity for 30-60 minutes. Many out of shape people find it nearly impossible or very painful.
Think about this... who is in better shape? That jogger that runs 5 miles everyday? Or those people that just take walks for the same amount of time? Obviously, the jogger will be in better shape.
It's up to you to decide your intensity. Let us not even cover all of the EXTRA benefits of training in the cardio zone. They would far, far, far outnumber the benefits of training in the fat burning zone.
As for peoples heart rates being all over the map. It takes about 3 weeks training your heart to beat consistently.
And a final note. Do you want to track your progress doing cardio?
Never, ever, ever go by distance alone (forget the 4 laps, or 2 miles, etc.). What you want to do is keep your heart rate steady for X amount of time. Make a note on the DISTANCE. That is the key. 3 weeks later do the same exercise on the same exact settings, at the same exact heart rate. If you have improved you will see that you should have gone farther (DISTANCE) in the same amount of time at the same target heart rate. This is because your cardiovascular system is becoming more effective and in better shape when your body is being pushed to the limit.
For all you guys pushing yourself. heart rate calculator/fitness info
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