One of Australia’s top personal trainers said doing high-intensity cardio at 100 percent max heart rate isn’t the secret to effectively burning fat.
Rachael Attard, founder of the Gold Coast-based Lean Legs program, is proud to help her clients lose body fat and excess weight in the most efficient way; for this, it teaches them the “fat burning zone”.
“When you train, most people think you need to put all the energy you have into training and work as hard as possible,” says sports nutritionist Rachael.
However, the fat-burning zone theory says you shouldn’t push your body to 100. Instead, you burn more fat when you exercise at 60-70 percent of your maximum heart rate.
One of Australia’s top personal trainers said that doing high-intensity cardio at 100 percent heart rate is not the secret to effectively burning fat.
Rachael Attard, founder of the Gold Coast-based Lean Legs program, is proud to help her clients lose body fat and excess weight in the most efficient way; so he teaches them the “cutting zone”.
Rachael explains that fat burning occurs when carbohydrates and fats are converted into energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
The body needs oxygen to convert fat into ATP, and you can breathe easier when you do low to moderate intensity exercise, so your body gets more oxygen than when you do intense exercise.
“The most efficient thing your body can do during moderate to low exercise is to convert stored fat into energy,” he said.
“The most efficient thing your body can do during lower and moderate exercise is to convert stored fat into energy,” he said.
“So, according to the fat-burning theory, you need to do long, low-intensity workouts to deplete your fat stores and burn enough calories to see weight loss.”
Rachael added that during intense exercise, the body burns carbohydrates (glycogen) instead of fat because it doesn’t have enough energy to burn fat.
“When you train intensely, your body burns glycogen stores and may eventually go back to burning fat, depending on the duration of the workout and the amount of carbs stored in your body,” she added.
“But if you eat before a strenuous workout (and especially if your diet is high in carbs), your body is likely to burn a lot more carbs than fat.”
“So, according to the fat-burning theory, you need to do long, low-intensity workouts to deplete your fat stores and burn enough calories to see weight loss,” he said.
This explains why walking is Rachael’s primary exercise recommendation, and what she says is the key to lean, toned legs.
“Walking is the best form of exercise for slender legs. It will help to get rid of excess fat in the legs and to bend forward.”
‘The longer you train, the more fat your body burns. Therefore, taking longer walks will help your body burn more fat and have thinner legs.
Rachael says she’s tried “every workout under the sun,” but “nothing is more effective than walking for overall slimmer thighs and legs.”
What does your body type say about how you should train?
ECTOmorph
Ectomorphs are usually thin by nature (like Victoria’s Secret models) and have a hard time building muscle.
If you’re an ectomorphic body type, you probably already have naturally thinner legs. So your goal here is to maintain (or maybe lose some) stubborn lower body fat while building lean muscle mass.
This way, your legs gain tone and definition and you avoid looking thin and fat.
MESOMORPHY
Mesomorphs can be quite athletic and respond quickly to exercise, which means they build muscle with ease.
They may lose weight very quickly, but gain weight very quickly. They are usually of medium size.
If you’re a mesomorph, extreme exercises like squats and lunges can easily lead to fat legs. So your goal here is to lower your body fat percentage and avoid exercises that cause your legs to swell.
endomorph
Endomorphs naturally have a robust build and a larger build. They can build muscle very quickly and it’s a little harder for them to lose weight. But not impossible!
If you’re an endomorphic body type, your goal is to really focus on reducing overall body fat and completely avoid exercises that can cause you to gain weight.
Rachael’s workouts have helped thousands of women quickly sculpt the body of their dreams
“In my years of working as a PT with girls who have the same goal (especially having skinny legs), this has always been the best method,” she added.
Rachael added that walking early in the morning will lead to better results.
“If you do cardio before your morning meal, less glycogen is stored, so your body burns more fat and muscle,” Rachael said.
“Less fat and less muscle mass equals slimmer legs, but for this to work you need to eat low carbs (try not to eat carbs the night before, so your glycogen levels are already low) and do cardio for a reasonable amount of time.” (more than 60-90 minutes).
In conclusion, there are three main steps to reducing muscle mass and building slim, fit legs: learning your body type, doing the right kind of cardio (walking), and following a low-calorie, low-carb diet.
Click here for more information about the Fat Burning Zone †
Source: Daily Mail
