Getting Ripped

It is universally accepted that cardio workouts do burn fat. The question is what is the best cardio burning fat exercise? It is true that fat burns during high intensity and low intensity exercise, but which one is best?

Carbohydrates
When there is a excess of carbohydrates in the blood, the body will store them as glycogen in the liver and muscles. There is only limited storage capacity in these organs so any surplus of carbohydrates is then converted to fat and stored in the 25 billion or more fat cells in the body.

Fat
When one eats fat, it either is stored in the fat cells or is converted into cholesterol. The body makes enough cholesterol for its own daily needs, so any extra cholesterol is not a good thing as it might encourage heart disease.

Protein
Protein digestion causes the body to work real hard to derive the food benefits. Eating complex carbohydrates and protein - for example stone-crushed, whole-wheat bread and soymilk - will keep the body busy in the digestion process for a long time. And this has the effects of keeping one not hungry for a considerable bit of time and provides a lot of very healthy nutrients.

Glycogen
Glycogen provides energy reserves for short, high-intensity bursts of energy. When glycogen is burned during high intensity workouts it is assumed that little fat is burned. In actuality the body burns many calories during high intensity workouts. Calories for the most part, come from glycogen, but at the same time, calories do come from stored fat also.

After Burn
High intensity workouts also speed up metabolism and this heightened metabolism burns body fat even when the body is at rest. Weightlifters call this 'after burn'. Low intensity workouts don't have this effect. Note that: some authors even claim that the body will burn more fat after high intensity workouts than it will during low intensity workouts.

Interval Training
Interval training is a good form of cardio workout. These are very intense exercises for relatively short periods. For example, walk for 5 minutes, jog for 5 minutes followed by brisk walking, and then sprint (interval). This form of cardio workout gives the best of both low intensity and high intensity(interval) workouts.

Fat Burning Exercise Program
If you want to increase your heart rate this is the best way to do it. Exercises that are able to maintain and increase heart rates for a period of at least 20 minutes are considered aerobic or cardiovascular exercises. These are good fat burners.

Examples of these are:

Walking. Walking is the simplest of the aerobic exercises. It is a perfect prerequisite to fat burning and although minimal it is a good starting point for more energetic workouts.

Running or jogging is perhaps the best aerobics/cardio workout for fat burning.

Cycling like running is a good fat burning exercise.

Treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines and the like are on a par with running and cycling.

However exercise is only beneficial if it is consistent: 3-4 times a week minimum is most effective for increasing heart rate and for burning fat.

Note: Always check with your doctor first before starting a new exercise program.

Cardio Fat Burning Exercise
While running and cycling provide good fat burning results there are other exercises that provide superior fat burning results.

Skipping rope is effective for fat burning as it provides a complete workout for all over body fat.

Swimming is another cardio exercise that provides very effective results. Swimming entails the use of strong movements which provides a high intensity workout. Fat will melt away and weight will follow. It also provides the benefits of no impact on the joints.

Using dumbbells or weight lifting equipment. This form of exercise is high intensity which will burn fat rapidly. However it must be done on a consistent basis.

Lifestyle
Cardio workouts are the cornerstone to losing weight and burning fat, yet running or walking is often not enough because we might continue eating too much of the wrong foods. While diets are designed to lower calorie intake we still need to deplete our stores of fat. This is why we need cardio exercises. Each workout session may take as much as 600 calories from fat cells.

To achieve the optimal impact on burning fat, we need to eat the right foods. If one eats fatty, sugary foods the results of the workouts will be minimized and one may even gain weight. Switching to a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and lean, small pieces of meat or fish will produce the maximum benefit for fat burning. Also as one gets in better shape, the minerals and other nutrients in fresh produce will help replenish the supply lost in exercising.