Treadmill workout for burning fat?

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I've heard the most efficient way to lose weight with a treadmill is to be in the fat burning zone as equally as I am in the aerobic zone. (I think that's what they are called) Anyway, does anyone have some sort of resource that maps out what I should be doing each time I run on the treadmill? Suggestions are appreciated.
 
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I've heard the most efficient way to lose weight with a treadmill is to be in the fat burning zone as equally as I am in the aerobic zone. (I think that's what they are called) Anyway, does anyone have some sort of resource that maps out what I should be doing each time I run on the treadmill? Suggestions are appreciated.
If you just want to hit the correct zone, get a cheap heart rate monitor and figure out your zones based on your max HR.

That said, if you want to lose fat I would focus my energy on diet and use the workouts to improve your body's capability in whatever areas serve your needs.

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Sprints. One of the best treadmill excercises you can do is wind sprints. Set a timer and warm up for a few minutes and then do 30 seconds at a pace as fast as the treadmill will allow and then 30 second jog keep this 30 on 30 off going for 10-15 minutes. You won’t walk away wanting.
 
Whatever you are capable of doing for about 45min minimum. If you can do it in the morning before breakfast, even better. The idea is to force your body to start using fats instead of sugar stored in your liver and muscle (glycogen). Once your body is low on that stuff it will start burning fat, but if you’re going too fast, you will be pooped and not able to maintain. A very slow jog or fast walk that you can maintain is ideal. If you start “fasted”, you have already gone into your “sugar supply” and it will be easier to get to the fat reserves (but it will feel harder!!)
 
Also the ONLY way to lose weight is to maintain a calorie deficit. Calories in have to be less than calories out. Exercise is helpful because it increases your calories out. But if you eat more (your body will tell you to do this by making you feel hungry), you will not lose the weight because your body is very good at replacing what you have burned.

Suffice to say you will need to feel a little bit hungry at times to lose weight. If you wake up in the morning not hungry for breakfast, you ate too much the day before. My fitness pal app is a great way to keep track and give you an idea of how much you can eat and still lose weight.
 
I do interval training for 15 mins like what Huntwyld is talking about. Then I do a set of weights and then back to the 15 min interval training.... I do 3 sets of each 3 times a week and then just interval training for about an hour 2 days a week in between the weight days. I can usually loose 20-30 lbs in a couple months. Also use my fitness pal app to keep calories under control but I don’t starve myself either.
 
The most noticeable "fat" loss (in the mid section) I have ever achieved occurred when I would follow up weight training with 45 mins on the treadmill, hands on the bar (heart rate monitor), and staying in the fat burning zone according to the sticker on the treadmill. Its almost painful going that slow and believing you are getting any benefit, but after a couple weeks of that I did have noticeably less fat around my stomach. I'm reading "Primal Endurance" by Mark Sisson right now and based on that book my results from 20 years ago now make sense to me. There's a sunny porch for every dog so your results may vary.
 
You can sprint it off with interval sprints. However, if you prefer steady state, you dont need a heartrate monitor, save your $$ and your muscle mass and walk about 45-60 minutes in the AM, fasted. Try 3mph and maybe a 10 incline or so to start, bump the incline up if too easy. I did this for a month about 5 times/week after a shoulder dislocation . Dropped about ~8 lbs, kept a good ammount of mass, and the increased bloodflow worked wonders on the shoulder healing process as well.
 
First thing in the morning, get up and do 30 minutes of intense cardio. Then, eat some carbs with little sugar, and ample protein. ( 3/4 cup of oatmeal with 2 tsp of honey, 2 eggs, and 4 oz steak or chicken). Fasting cardio is the way to go if you’re serious about fat loss. Don’t get hung up about “fat burning zones” or heart rates. Work out hard first thing in the morning, before you eat, and that’s all you need. I have a heart rate monitor and I don’t use it. My body and lungs tell me how hard I’m working.
 
I really don't worry about carb intake, wt training, pulse, cardio, tread mills, bikes, etc. I try to train by getting out of the house and into the hills where I'll be hunting! Once you can hike and cover the hills you'll be hunting....the rest is down hill!
 
There's no magic "cardio" formula for fat loss
You need to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat
You need to do heavy resistance training to inspire the body to spare lean body mass.
You need to spare lean body mass to manipulate the body to preferentially burn fat.
If you don't inspire the body to spare lean mass it will spare fat and burn muscle aka skinnyfat
Aerobic exercise is the last thing in the hierarchy of fat loss that you want to add to any program
 
I dropped 20 pounds quickly just by cutting out almost all carbs and walking at a decent clip on the treadmill. Throw in a hiking session every weekend and that's basically all I've done. I hate running and biking. Diligent about what I eat, though.
 
I dropped 20 pounds quickly just by cutting out almost all carbs and walking at a decent clip on the treadmill. Throw in a hiking session every weekend and that's basically all I've done. I hate running and biking. Diligent about what I eat, though.

Not attempting to degrade your accomplishment because 20lbs is significant and that’s fantastic. However Your metabolism will get use to the lower level of carbs and you will notice a plateau due to the slowing of the metabolism. Then when you do consume carbohydrates they are more likely to be stored as fat. If you cycle your carb intake on varying days you will notice a little slower fat loss initially but it will remain consistent and steady due to the fact it is much harder for your metabolism to adapt to varying levels of intake. This will also allow for a more enjoyable nutrition plan allowing days where you can still enjoy a couple slices of pizza or your favorite ice cream... Sorry for the rant hopefully it can help somebody
 
Best thing you can do to burn fat is dial in your diet. Cut out sugar and restrict carbs and you’d be amazed how the fat disappears. Some cardio on top of that and you’re golden.


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Diet and Weight Training are going to be the main 2 things to help mitigate that effectively. Not saying cardio doesn't work, however, weight training drives your body to spare lean muscle mass (muscle) so that when you are in a calorie deficit, fat and carbs are burned for fuel predominantly. As for the nutritional side, it doesn't matter if your diet is composed of only Carbs, Protein, Fats, or any combination of those; the only thing that matters is calories in < calories out. It's that simple. Any diet that restricts a macronutrient is not the best option as a balanced diet containing all 3 macronutrients is pretty ideal for most people.

Once you have the basics down then sure, start experimenting with ratios between the 3 and find what works for you. But I guarantee you didn't walk before you crawled. Basics come first. And no, Keto is not magical. I have personally done it in the past and saw amazing results: Lost 70lbs in 18 months; however, once I decided I wanted carbs back in my life, the weight came back on within a few months.

Source: Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coach at the D1 Level & High School Strength & Conditioning Coach
 
Cutting carbs is working for people all across America. It’s a great thing. Don’t listen to the old “calories in vs calories out”, or “I do it the right way” crowd. It’s not a coincidence that their stories always involve huge gains, losses, and gains again. It’s not the any diet that causes that. It’s always a lack of discipline that causes the weight gain. No matter what diet came first.


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Cutting carbs is working for people all across America. It’s a great thing. Don’t listen to the old “calories in vs calories out”, or “I do it the right way” crowd. It’s not a coincidence that their stories always involve huge gains, losses, and gains again. It’s not the any diet that causes that. It’s always a lack of discipline that causes the weight gain. No matter what diet came first.


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I agree for the most part. Discipline plays a tremendous role as does adherence to a diet for a certain amount of time. You're more likely to have success if you like your diet than forcing yourself to eat a certain way which is why basics should come before experimenting. "Cutting carbs" is pretty subjective though. For some that can be eliminating all refined sugars (which is a great place to start!) and for some it can literally mean cutting out all carbs (maybe the right way to go, maybe not). Really comes down to the individual.

To say not to listen to calories in vs calories out is asinine though. It's the only proven modality across the board in journals, experiments, meta-analysis...etc that explains legitimate fat loss which is what the OP has asked about. Exercise helps mitigate that and depending on which type of exercise dictates your bodies adaptations to said exercise. This is basic scientific principle in the realm of Nutrition/Strength & Conditioning. More than happy to pull resources or studies for you or anyone if you'd like to know more.
 
The best exercise for fat loss in fasted low intensity steady state cardio. No insulin in your blood and keep your heart rate below the level that makes the body release insulin to make atp. Then you are fueling with your body fat. All your calories burned is going to be lost body fat, 300-500 a day = 1 to 1.5 pounds in 10 days. Just from that daily liss session.

Calories in/out may work for weight loss but I do not think that is the formula for fat loss and building lean muscle mass or preserving your lean muscle mass. Also caloric deprivation may not be sustainable long term...clean up you diet to be a nutritional diet made of whole foods and no processed foods. It may take a while to do it in a sustainable manner....meanwhile work up to 90 minutes of liss daily or as close to daily as is possible and you have a long term winning program..mix in a good strength program and some higher intensity cardio and your going to be happy with the results.
 
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