Everyone wants to look good, and to achieve that, you need to make sure that you don’t have too much fat on your body. This is where the endless hours of cardio come in. Well, most people think that simply doing cardio at the hardest level possible will burn off that unwanted fat. Well, sadly that’s not true and all you’re really doing is getting your heart and lungs into a very good state of training. Now, this is by no means a bad thing, but when it comes to fat loss, it’s not very helpful. This is why you want to target the fat burning zone while doing cardio.

What is the fat burning zone? The fat burning zone is the % of maximum intensity at which your body will use fat as its primary fuel source instead of carbohydrates. Your body likes to use carbohydrates as its main fuel source because it’s quick and easy; however, fats may be a much better source, as they provide your body with more energy, but take longer for your body to use.

To find your fat burning zone, you need to find 45-65% of your maximum heart rate. The easiest way to do this is to use this equation:
220 – age = maximum heart rate
Maximum heart rate x.45 =
Maximum heart rate x.65 =

These two numbers will be your fat burning zone and will provide you with optimal weight loss while exercising. Another thing to keep in mind is that, as I said, it takes time for your body to break down fat to use for energy. That means you have to do cardio for 20 minutes before your body starts using fat for energy. That’s the downside of this magic fat burning zone.

Some ways to help counteract this negative effect would be to not eat a carbohydrate-rich meal before cardio. It’s also best to do weight training first, as this will first use up your body’s carbohydrate stores so that you can then use your fat stores for energy while doing cardio.

There are many other ways to increase fat burning such as proper nutrition, resistance training, interval training, etc. but this fat burning zone can be quite useful. Now, if you’re one of those people who hit the gym for hours of cardio just to lose some weight, you can make these small adjustments to optimize your weight loss.