Sorry if this has been asked before. What is the best heart rate to cut fat fast?

[spree17]

I'm buying a heart monitor today. Ive never used one before. I dont wnat to keep doing my cardio wrong. I'm assuming too low is no good and too high is no good so what should my heart rate be to lose fat fast. I only have 8 more days till I see my family on vacations. I would like to cut 7 pounds in 8 days. Yes I know that dumb but Ive been at a plateau (166 pounds) so my body owes me some.

[depo12]

I'm buying a heart monitor today. Ive never used one before. I dont wnat to keep doing my cardio wrong. I'm assuming too low is no good and too high is no good so what should my heart rate be to lose fat fast. I only have 8 more days till I see my family on vacations. I would like to cut 7 pounds in 8 days. Yes I know that dumb but Ive been at a plateau (166 pounds) so my body owes me some.

well you're not going to cut purely 7 lbs of fat in 8 days...so if you really want to lose that amount of weight, then there is no too high for you, because you're bound to lose some muscle anyway...

to answer your question though, all ways are beneficial, depending on what you're looking for...if your heart rate is very high, i.e. 90% max, you will burn more calories in a shorter period of time and your metabolism will increase for a longer amount of time (after you've finished your workout)...the down side is that these calories burned will be fat/muscle and not only fat...

on the other hand, if you do cardio at a heart rate of a more moderate level for a longer period of time, i.e. 55-75% max, more calories burned will be from fat and not muscle...that's the up side...the down side is that it will take a much longer period of time to burn the same amount of calories and it also will not have the lasting effect on increased metabolism that the higher intensity workout does

[spree17]

well you're not going to cut purely 7 lbs of fat in 8 days...so if you really want to lose that amount of weight, then there is no too high for you, because you're bound to lose some muscle anyway...

to answer your question though, all ways are beneficial, depending on what you're looking for...if your heart rate is very high, i.e. 90% max, you will burn more calories in a shorter period of time and your metabolism will increase for a longer amount of time (after you've finished your workout)...the down side is that these calories burned will be fat/muscle and not only fat...

on the other hand, if you do cardio at a heart rate of a more moderate level for a longer period of time, i.e. 55-75% max, more calories burned will be from fat and not muscle...that's the up side...the down side is that it will take a much longer period of time to burn the same amount of calories and it also will not have the lasting effect on increased metabolism that the higher intensity workout does

Thanks for the response. I know my goal is nuts but I'm hoping to crash threw my plateau because I have had a 500 calorie deficit a day for around 3 weeks so I feel my body owes me a little as well.
Ive never masured my heart rate before. All this is pretty new to me. I either did moderate in the past or HITT but always guessed at a heart rate.

[ScottC]

Your HR monitor can create "zones" for you once you have inputted your information. Also, by doing your regular cardio routine and marking the average BPM (beats per minute) you can see if you haven't been working hard enough.

Also, don't forget to check all aspects for your fat loss plan, including diet, for possible issues causing your plateau.

Here is a thread loaded with plateau links which may help, too:
Kaaud's thread:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2334871

[spree17]

Your HR monitor can create "zones" for you once you have inputted your information. Also, by doing your regular cardio routine and marking the average BPM (beats per minute) you can see if you haven't been working hard enough.

Also, don't forget to check all aspects for your fat loss plan, including diet, for possible issues causing your plateau.

Here is a thread loaded with plateau links which may help, too:
Kaaud's thread:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=2334871

Thanks Scott. Do you have any reccomendation on the best fat burning heart rate area?

[depo12]

The best fat burning heart rate area is 55-75% of your max heart rate ...just calculate that and find out what is...that's the area that you'll be burning mostly fat, but like I said, it will take longer for total calories to be burned off

[ScottC]

Thanks Scott. Do you have any reccomendation on the best fat burning heart rate area?

The best fat burning heart rate area is 55-75% of your max heart rate ...just calculate that and find out what is...that's the area that you'll be burning mostly fat, but like I said, it will take longer for total calories to be burned off

Pretty much what is above is optimal. I generally keep mine between 65%-75% since my cardio level has increased over time. Do what works for you in the ranges above. My HR monitor can set up various zones or I can create a custom zone. The main thing is to keep your HR up during the entire cardio session. Do a warm up first, unless you are doing cardio after lifting, then your HR will already be elevated. Another thing I have found useful is to monitor my cardio sessions and write in in my log book.

[spree17]

Thanks for the replies guys. I got the heart monitor. I have calculated my resting heart rate to be around 82. Do you know how I calculate my max heart rate?

****edit**** sorry I found it was 220 minus my age (40)=180.