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Fat Burning and Exercise Intensity

Women often perform aerobics at a low intensity, reasoning that this is the best way to burn fat.  This myth was given credence when several research studies indicated that low-intensity activities burned a greater percentage of fat calories than high-intensity activities.  These studies validated that the body prefers to use fat as its fuel source during low-intensity exercise (equating to roughly 60% of the calories burned, as opposed to about 40% from high-intensity exercise).

However, it is misguided to believe that the selective use of fat for fuel will translate into burning more total fat calories.  High-intensity exercise burns more fat calories on an absolute basis than lower intensity activities.  Since the most important aspect of training intensity is the total amount of fat calories burned-not the percentage from fat-higher intensity exercise has the decided edge.

Furthermore, when you consider the time related efficiency of training, low-intensity exercise provides a very poor cost/benefit dividend.  After all, why would you want to spend an hour running on the treadmill when you can get better results from training for half that time?  In final analysis, if fat burning is your aim, performing cardiovascular exercise at a high level of intensity is your best choice.

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