'Fat Burn' programmes on gym machines

[BendydickCuminsnatch]

Are they really the best thing for burning fat? this morning I did a 20 min fat burn programme on the treadmill. My heart rate was around 115, I didn't break a sweat. Incline kept changing but it was a walk (they set the programme automatically given the weight and age you put in).

Is sidling up and down hills for 20 mins really more effective than the 20 min run I did afterwards?

My gym sessions are constrained by crèche sessions, so I need them to be as effective as possible.

This might explain it:

www.livestrong.com/article/421074-cardio-vs-fat-burn-on-a-treadmill/

If your time is restricted, it's probably more effective to burn more calories in intense exercise at a lower % of fat burn, than to burn fewer calories at a higher % of fat burn.

So if I have 30 mins to go for a run, going double the distance and therefore the calories at a 25% fat burn would be more useful than half the distance at a gentle pace at 50% fat burn. The intense exercise has the benefit of more calories burned after in recovery.

Mixing things up is a good approach to most issues

Actually the fat burning zone is kind of a myth or at least a misinterpretation. this explains it www.active.com/triathlon/articles/the-myth-of-the-fat-burning-zone
So yes do your run.

"If you want to lose a few pounds you need to do long, slow, steady-state aerobic exercise in the fat burning zone."

Heard this advice before? It's one of the biggest misconceptions in the exercise and weight-loss

2. The fat-burning zone. Yes, it exists, but it has been misinterpreted. The fat-burning zone is a concept that the body burns agreater amountof fat at lower-intensity aerobic exercise than it does at higher intensities. Actually, the body burns a greaterpercentageof fat at lower intensities than at higher intensities. At lower intensities the body may burn 50 percent of the calories from fat, while at higher intensities it may only burn 35 percent. But at higher intensities you burn way more total calories—and more fat calories overall—than you do at lower intensities.

Depending how long you have at the gym I would do a quick cardio session (say 20 minutes at a good intensity) followed by a weight lifting circuit (roughly another 20 to 25 minutes). At the end of the day building muscle will burn more fat in the long run then cardio.

Ooh ok thanks for the info everyone. I've kind of been doing half an hour cardio and half an hour weights so sounds like I'm on the right track. Definitely feel that does more than the fat burn programmes.

Thanks Screamingeels, that's really useful.
I plot swim with minimal stops for about 60 minutes, I can't swim faster.

It's boring so I ponder about the other swimmers. One lady is very powerful, blasts past me, but she barely swims at all, maybe 30 lengths in time it takes me to do 80 lengths. She's gabbing the rest of the time. I wondered how she could be so fit & still quite plump.