Interval training to burn fat
Interval training.
The after burn effect.
When you exercise you can do it the traditional way or you can be clever about it. Interval training to burn fat has been proven to be very effective in weight loss programs with an afterburn effect that will burn fat for between 10 and 72 hours after starting the exercise.
Calculating your heart rate.
The most accurate measure of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) is to have a stress test performed by a trained professional. Some fitness facilities can do this testing but your best choice would be to consult your doctor about taking a stress test under medical supervision.
You can calculate your approximate MHR from several different formulas based on gender, age, weight and if known your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). The first set of calculations use the basic formula for MHR. Take the Fetal Heart Rate (FHR), which is 220 for men and 226 for women, and subtract your age.
If you know your RHR the Karvonen Method is more accurate for figuring Target Heart Rate (THR). It uses the same basic MHR calculation but does a better job of estimating an individual’s THRs by using the RHR to adjust the numbers.
80% THR = (MHR - RHR) * 0.8 + RHR
To discover your RHR you should take your pulse first thing in the morning before getting out of bed. Repeat this for five days in a row and average the five values to get a base value for your RHR. Another way is to wear an activity tracker that monitors your heart for 24 hours and which will then report your RHR.
The third calculation uses a formula developed by Dr. Dan Heil after studying 1500 walkers at the University of Massachusetts. This formula calculates MHR using the additional factor of body weight. For men only there is a constant value of 4.5 added to the final result. The formula looks like this for men. Leave off the addition of 4.5 for women:
211.415 - (0.5 * age) - (0.0227 * weight in kilograms) + 4.5
Every individual is different. The results of all these MHR calculations are approximate. The standard error for the basic formula can be as high as 12 to 24 beats per minute. Again, the best measure of your MHR is to have a supervised stress test.
The basic principle of interval training illustrated.
Once you have established your MHR using one of the tree methods above, you can calculate your target heart rate zones as follows:
Easy 50% – 60% = (MHR – RHR) * 0.6 + RHR
Fat Burn 60% -70% = (MHR – RHR) * 0.7 + RHR
Cardio 70% -80% = (MHR – RHR) * 0.8 + RHR
Perform 80% – 90% = (MHR – RHR) * 0.9+ RHR
Peak 90% – 100% = (MHR – RHR) * 1 + RHR
Once you have established your target heart rate zones, you are in a position to apply these heart rates to a predefined interval training workout. These workout schedules can be obtained in various ways. I found that the easiest way is to purchase a product like the Tomtom Spark 3 with cardio. It comes with a built-in heart-rate monitor that will provide you with your RHR. It also comes with an app that can be downloaded from any one of the popular app stores, which will provide you with a number of interval training workouts ranging from easy to hard. These workouts are aimed at running and cycling and differs.
An example of a standard intensity 85 minute workout for cycling would look something like this:
- Warm-up period in the Easy THR for 8 minutes.
- Move into the Cardio THR for a 4 minutes.
- Move into the Perform THR for 3 minutes.
- Rest in the Fat Burn THR for 8 minutes.
- Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 four times, but maintain the Fat Burn THR the last time for 10 minutes as a cool down period.
The basic principle of interval training remains the same but it will vary depending on the intensity, type of activity and whether you are focussing on fat burn, endurance, power or speed.
How do you decide on the best interval workout program for yourself?
The best interval training workout plan would firstly consider what you want to achieve. If weight-loss is your objective you will select a fat burn workout plan based on the type of activity that you will perform. Once again this would typically be something like running or cycling. Your level of fitness and time available will then dictate the intensity of the workout. The easy way would be to purchase something like the Tomtom Spark 3 with cardio that comes bundled with all that you will require to perform your interval training.
There are other devices that you can use to achieve the same results and you will find a lot of information available on the internet to create your own interval workout plans. Just be aware that these might not be as scientifically accurate and might not give you the same powerful results.
Why do you want to do interval training?
There are basically two important reasons why you would do interval training.
- Time optimisation.
- Maximum benefit.
If your time is very restricted and you need to get the best results from your training you will do interval training.
If you are a pensioner or somebody with a lot of time available just get into your Fat Burn THR zone and keep it there for an hour or so. You will still get there but maybe just a little bit slower.
Summary.
As you can imagine this is a very broad subject that warrants a lot more than just a short explanation like this. I am writing this not to provide a detailed manual for interval training, but rather to wet your appetite for what interval training is and what you can achieve by doing interval training.
If you want to know more about interval training, please let me know in the comments and I will look at a more detailed write-up.
If there is no interest, I will not pursue it any further at this stage.
21 thoughts on “Interval training to burn fat”
Thank you, I was waiting for this article.
Can you explain more about the afterburn effect?
When is is valid, are there any indications and why does the time frames differ so much i.e. 10 to 72 hrs?
Lastly, what carries better benefits? The intensity of the workout or the duration of each?
Many thanks, good blog post!
Ewan, to be honest I am not sure why they state such a wide window for the agterburn effect. I assume it is due to the fact that people can customize their interval training and no two workouts are packaged the same.
The intensity is the key with intervals. The whole idea with interval training is that you can condense your time by doing intense intervals where you push your heart and then rest.
On my own training I have seen that I gain more by doing a short ride with lots of up and downhills and where I pushed up very hard, basically up to 100% heart rate and then coast downhill and wait for the shower riders to catch up before I hit the next leg. I used this technique every time my weight stagnated a bit and then found that I would enter a downward curve where my weight week start falling again and continue to do so for a number of days in succession.
While long endurance rides will burn a lot of calories, you find that your body takes a knock and you start craving food and your muscles also retain moisture to cope with the hard training. You then often find that you pick up wait rather than lose it as a result.
So intervals allow you short intense workouts with high yield. The yield will depend of course what your are focusing on. Fat burn, speed, power or stamina.
Hi, i am new on the scene having just joined up. For the month of January i am just going to stick to the short (but not intense) workout routine. I do my “1000m” (steps/paces) on my Health Walker. This takes me around 14/15min at a time. I then do 20 (full and slow) squats on my Maxxus resistance machine. My first goal is to get back into a reasonably good routine of at least 5 workouts a week. As apposed to how it has been the last 4/5 years this week 3 workouts, next week maybe 2 then skip a week or two. Then come back and do 4 for a week only to fall back on bad old habits. I always have an excuse in my head as to why i did not train that evening. And also would like to introduce two new exercises on the Maxxus. That will take me to a 30min workout. I do not want to chase myself away (look for an excuse to skip a night). I find that much easier to do. So my January goal is to set up a good routine. No sugar and butter/margarine in the house has started. Now to see how it goes. Looking forward to challenging myself. Oh yes! I have just finished my 4th workout for this week. Cheers, Frank.
Frank you are on the right track. No sugar but also no bread. Butter is good because the fat gives you energy. If you don’t take on fat your body is going to ask for sugar because it craves energy, especially if you exercise as well. You can also eat chops with fat or steak with fat.
The quick start article will tell you more about this. Also if weight loss is a factor, you must not eat after 5pm or within the last 5 good before you go to sleep.
There are other tips but let’s first see how you go with this. Go and read that specific article and then we can discuss your particular issues if any.
Never been a big meat eater. And never eat the fat on chops or steak (Can’t put the stuff in my mouth). If i do eat a chop it must be a lion chop, and then i only eat the small section of meat near the bone. Pork lion i buy one maybe every 7/8 months. Can’t even remember when last i bought (or ate) a steak or a mutton chop. If i go to a braai, i take wors from my favorite butcher or some pork sausage. Eat more fish and lean mince (seeker te lui om te kou) and veggies. Going to try getting into a routine of just some squats in the morning before going to work. The thought is not appealing to me, but necessary in getting into a routine and getting down to 90kg (even if only by Christmas). And just finished doing 25 now. Small steps at a time, so that it can become a lifestyle.
Eeerrr….Loin and not lion chops.
A bit tough? 😜
That’s cool Frank. The point is that you take on some fat for energy. Fatty fish is an excellent option and so is a lekker fat wors. Even droëwors or biltong, but try to cut a bit on too much salt. When you retain fluids your weight will reflect it and it will demoralize you.
Like I said butter or cream is also a good source of fat. Eggs is one of the best meals that you can have. For breakfast I had eggs with cheese and cream and/or mince or wors.
Let me know once you worked through the quick-start and what you find difficult to digest/offensive. We can then work on guidelines that will better suit your specific needs.
Hi, and just for the record. My weight for the last 10/12 years has been 105/106kg. With the all the chocolate and food (very little booze for a change) over Christmas time. My weight this morning was 109kg. I do not expect to loose 40kg in 40 weeks. I just for now, need to get back to 106kg first.
You probably have fluid retention because of high salt intake. Once you get into your stride you’ll lose that very quickly. If you follow the program you will lose a kilo per week until you reach your target. We can address your exercise routine at a later stage. For now you should be good for the goal that you set.
First week behind me. Done my session 6 times in the last 7 days. Just got off the scale now up to just over 110kg. No added sugar, almost no bread and no butter. Seems a bit odd. Friday evening work out was a battle, as i just was not lus to complete the session but did. Lets see how this week goes then. And it does not take around 15 odd min on the health walker to do 1000m/steps. I timed myself yesterday evening, it is more like 25 min.
Hi Frank
So talk me through your eating plan. The exercise will make you a bit fitter, but unless you change how you have always been eating, you will not reduce your weight. The only way to do that is change how you eat. If you eat more kilojoules than you burn you will pick up weight and vice versa. The eating plan that I introduced here helps your body burn kilojoules and provides you with the energy to do the exercise.
Bread and sugar is poison. Butter you can eat as I have proven. The other key component is to stop eating at 5 in the afternoon or at least 5 hours before you go to bed.
Once again the quick step guide is the right way to go about it. You must adhere to those simple rules and you will achieve success. What we must look at here is what you don’t want to eat for whatever reason and then we can adapt it for your situation.
Ja the eating early in the evening not always that easy as many times i get home from work around 7pm. But am making an effort to then get supper done, instead of hanging around until later. Second week done now, 6 sessions again out of the 7 days and really pushed it on Friday. Have upped my repetitions on the Health Walker from 1000 to 2000 since Monday and introduced a stomach exercise on the Maxxus machine. The new Health Walker routine has me huffing and puffing and must really push myself to complete the set. Weighed myself now and just coming onto 107kg. That’s around 3kg this week. Next Sunday morning hope to be back at 105kg. Got my “health shake” almost worked out now and using “Health Connection Wholefoods” Just Protein (just soy) that i bought on Friday and will be adding that to my shake from today. So it is going well. But i still look at exercise as something that is not fun at all. But a very necessary thing i must do. I have never in my life come home and thought “Hey this is great, lets exercise.” My end goal is 100kg, then make sure i manage it from thereon in. But am pleased so far, as i am trying to create a lifestyle as apposed to some sort of diet. So i am going to mix and mash things, so that it is easier to live that way and just becomes natural to do.
Hi Frank, is good to see that you’ve made some progress. You’ve actually done better than expected because your target’s only 1 kilo a week and you’ve effectively gone down 2 (or 3 if you count the kilo that you picked up last week. Exercise is never fun unless you find a way to make it fun 😜. Other than that you seem to be settling into your program quite well. You can try doing something to make your workout fun. You can combine it with another activity like watching TV or you can start doing another activity that you can do with friends. But if that is not possible and you can push through your barrier of resistance, the reward is going to be your motivation and your driver.
Was a bit slack last week only worked out 3 times. Have from the past Sunday decided to increase the Health Walker from 2000 to 3000 and that brings on a good sweat and huff and puff. Have to push myself to go the distance. Last night done it in just over 25min. Then squats and stomach at 30 reps (last night 50) Dan is ek klaar en sluk maar die assem in. My weight this morning only 106kg as it was on Friday morning. Even though i am pushing myself with the exercise. Eating plane going well no added sugar (except the custard tart on Sunday), otherwise nothing. And cut down on the butter and salt. The one thing i am enjoying is my smoothy shake. This Sunday i made me another 2lt. Never thought i would ever put another teaspoon of yogurt in my mouth. But in the mix it is moved to the background. Thinks i have it now as to how i like it. but i know from past just when you think your weight loss has stagnated but you keep on with the exercise and suddenly with in a day or two suddenly you down a K or two. So that is from just under 110kg down to my normal weight 106kg. Now the hard work starts after the excess is off. Would still like to be 100kg (not over) by the end of the year. At the moment do not feel any different with the +-5kg loss.
Correction: “So that is from just under 111kg down to ……….
Well Frank that is good then. So you have reached target 1. Now you proceed to the end goal. If you want to accelerate the weight loss you can play with intervals as per the description.
Did not train on Friday or Saturday. But done a full workout late yesterday afternoon. And what a push to complete the set. Have done my 3000 reps on the Health Walker at just over 25min at one stage last week. Yesterday just over 29min and what a damn fight to push through. just could not go faster seemed to take forever to get it finished. last week started with stomach exercise on the Maxxus. And yesterday done 2 sets of 30 reps hope it starts working. But that will take a long time as there is lost there to loose. But overhaul pleased with the results so far this morning weighed in at 105kg. Would like to start February off on 104kg. So will be going all out this week to get there.
Did not quite make my 104 kg yesterday morning. Scale halfway between 104& 105 so to me that is 105kg. But hey i really only started the serious workout routine on the 03/01/2019 so i will let myself off the hook and see what my weight is on Monday morning. Done almost a double run yesterday evening (then it was beer time). First time i have had a dop on a Friday since mid November. Got my shake worked out nicely tastes good (not as lekker as a toasted cheese and ham though). If on Monday morning i am at 104kg i will be very pleased as that will be down from 111kg for January. Not quite sure if i can physically feel any difference but getting my kop right is more important for going forward and there is a more positive look at all this exercise. Have really pushed myself the last two weeks. I don’t look forward to coming home and exercising but now don’t do it with my bottom lip hanging on the floor. Am not starving myself. Eating well and still have my Low GI bread, but now not slice after slice only two a day one in the morning and one at night. Damn at this rate, i now hope to reach my end of the year target of 100kg by the end of February. And am going to push for that, as my end goal is around 95kg now by the end of the year. I think it starts getting harder from here on in. But i feel ready for the challenge. Must start pushing the stomach exercise to more reps. No ja lekker!
That’s awesome Frank 😜! You have started forming a habit (a good one 😁). Now let’s work on how you start enjoying that workout 😂
Been a bit slack during March still training but just not as often. Last two weeks getting back up again. Now bordering between 101kg & 102kg. Have set myself to get things back on track and want to be at 100kg consistently by the end op April. Can now feel i have lost some weight and my jeans hang loose around the middle and my 38ins denim shorts fall straight straight down if i don’t fasten my belt to maximum. And am going to have to make a shorter notch by the end of this week. Have to keep pulling them up as i walk. A good feeling definitely. Can see my face when i shave no more roundness. Sad about your mom. Be kind and look after yourself and your family.