Baqai College of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Medicine Aerobic System is the Best Way to Burn Fat Submitted

to: Maam Hina Submitted by: Zainab Siddiqui R # 27026, Final Year DPT Date: 26-September-2011

There are basically 4 energy systems in our body. A good training program includes all four energy systems. However we exercise our body gets energy from ATP 1) Explosive Force - The ATP-CP System When we are doing very explosive exercise for 10-30 seconds, such as an all-out sprint, the burst of energy is delivered by the ATP-CP system. Fast, doesn't require oxygen, but extremely limited to short periods of explosive force. ADP + Creatine phosphate (CP) ==> ATP + Creatine We train this system by including short wind sprints and relatively low volume, high weight resistance sets (4-7 repetitions of lifting and lowering a weight) into your program. We can support it nutritionally with by taking a creatine supplement with a small amount of apple juice or other sugar to assist transport into the cells. 2) Sugar Burning - Step 1 (Anaerobic Glycolysis) This doesn't require oxygen either. This system is effective for vigorous exercise of between 1-3 minutes in duration. When the intensity of the exercise requires more energy than what can be burned with the oxygen you are breathing, your body starts "partially" burning glucose anaerobically (without oxygen). This is the system you want to be using during "wind sprints". This is a system that has to be trained in order to get fast results, but again, this system can be used only for a limited period. As lactic acid builds up in your muscles, you start to feel them "burn". If you go beyond a few minutes of this, the acidity of the muscle tissue increases and the muscles start to have difficulty generating meaningful amounts of energy. ADP + glucose ==> ATP + pyruvic acid (which convert to lactate if not burned with oxygen) You train this system by including somewhat longer (1-3 minute) wind sprints and mid-range resistance training (812 repetitions) into your program. Since that work is also the basis of much of your muscle gain, you support it nutritionally with post-exercise protein, especially sources including the amino acid leucine, such as whey protein, and supplements including glutamine, vitamin C, and plenty of water. 3) Sugar Burning - Step 2 (Aerobic Glycolysis) This is the next system, and for all practical purposes is the one you use most often when exercising. Once glucose has been converted to lactate anaerobically (without oxygen), the body then burns the lactate using oxygen to create even more ATP. ADP + lactate + oxygen ==> ATP + water + carbon dioxide

You train this system by including sustained aerobic activity (20-40 minutes depending on intensity) into your program. You support it nutritionally by taking in some form of carbohydrate within 45-60 minutes after your workout. If you're targeting muscle gain more than fat loss, that post-workout meal is the only one that should generally include high glycemic carbs like bread, bagels, sugars, etc., since those carbohydrates will be used preferentially by the muscles at that time to rebuild glycogen. 4) Fat Burning (Aerobic Lipolysis) This is by far the slowest system. It is, in fact, too slow to contribute extensively to energy production during exercise (if you ever deplete your glycogen stores so much that the body has to rely on fat burning for its energy, your muscle movement slows down dramatically). In order to mobilize fat, a "triglyceride" has to be broken down into fatty acids, bound to proteins, and other time-consuming feats. The good news is that fat metabolism is the main way that your glycogen stores are replenished after exercise. Fat + oxygen + ADP ==> ATP + water + carbon dioxide Though some trainers suggest long, slow aerobic workouts to burn fat, that's a very inefficient approach and can also compromise muscle gains. You train the lypolytic system best by working glycogen-depleting exercises like resistance training and wind sprints into your program (which give you an afterburn as you rebuild ATP through fat burning), working out in the morning on an empty stomach (in any case, definitely avoid sugary or highglycemic carbs before workouts insulin blocks fat burning), waiting about 30-60 minutes after the workout before having much carbohydrate, and by maintaining a nutrition plan of small meals that aren't large enough or glycemic enough to spike your blood sugar. You can also have a cup of caffeinated coffee (no cream or sugar) before workouts if it doesn't irritate your stomach the caffeine triggers release of fatty acids into the bloodstream and will improve your endurance(1). So this proves that aerobic system is best to burn fats. Now how we can determine that if we are working in an Aerobic Zone while training? There are several ways to determine it: 1st and the best is Gas exchange Test- done with a Gas Analyzer, a device that assesses the air you breathe. By comparing the amount of oxygen you consume from the air, and the carbon dioxide your body expires, one can determine quite accurately the amount of fat and sugar you burn. 2nd is the 180-formula. This is the training heart rate that reflects optimal aerobic training, and a number which, when exceeded, indicates a rapid transition to more anaerobic training. Through the use of this 180 Formula, all athletes can obtain their ideal individual aerobic training rates. Calculate Your Own Maximum Aerobic Training Heart Rate To find your maximum aerobic training heart rate, there are two important steps. First, subtract your age from 180. Next, find the best category for your present state of fitness and health, and make the appropriate adjustments: 1. Subtract your age from 180. 2. Modify this number by selecting among the following categories the one that best matches your fitness and health profile: a. If you have or are recovering from a major illness (heart disease, any operation or hospital stay, etc.) or are on any regular medication, subtract an additional 10. b. If you are injured, have regressed in training or competition, get more than two colds or bouts of flu per year, have allergies or asthma, or if you have been inconsistent or are just getting back into training, subtract an additional 5. c. If you have been training consistently (at least four times weekly) for up to two years without any of the problems

just mentioned, keep the number (180age) the same. d. If you have been training for more than two years without any of the problems listed above, and have made progress in competition without injury, add 5. For example, if you are thirty years old and fit into category (b), you get the following: 18030=150. Then 1505=145 beats per minute (bpm). In this example, 145 will be the highest heart rate for all training. This is highly aerobic, allowing you to most efficiently build an aerobic base. Training above this heart rate rapidly incorporates anaerobic function, exemplified by a shift to burning more sugar and less fat for fuel. If it is difficult to decide which of two groups best fits you, choose the group or outcome that results in the lower heart rate. In athletes who are taking medication that may affect their heart rate, those who wear a pacemaker, or those who have special circumstances not discussed here, further individualization with the help of a healthcare practitioner or other specialist familiar with your circumstance and knowledgeable in endurance sports may be necessary. Two situations may be exceptions to the above calculations: The 180 Formula may need to be further individualized for people over the age of sixty-five. For some of these athletes, up to 10 beats may have to be added for those in category (d) in the 180 Formula, and depending on individual levels of fitness and health. This does not mean 10 should automatically be added, but that an honest selfassessment is important. For athletes sixteen years of age and under, the formula is not applicable; rather, a heart rate of 165 may be best. Once a maximum aerobic heart rate is found, a training range from this heart rate to 10 beats below could be used as a training range. For example, if an athletes maximum aerobic heart rate is determined to be 155, that persons aerobic training zone would be 145 to 155 bpm. However, the more training at 155, the quicker an optimal aerobic base will be developed. The accuracy, usefulness, and importance of the formula have been time-tested throughout the years. But by the early 1990s, many of the athletes Id worked with for a decade or more taught me another important lesson about the 180 Formula. Seeing the changes they made, including some longer than normal plateaus, helped me come to an important conclusion: Those using the 180 Formula successfully for more than five years needed to adjust their maximum aerobic heart rates down by about two to three beats. They could not keep using the same maximum aerobic heart rate theyd determined years earlier, despite healthier aging. While we age over time chronologically, building fitness and health during the same period results in a slower physiological aging. So in five years of proper (successful) training and improving health, your training heart rate does not need to be lowered by five beats; instead, because youre physiologically not as old, decrease only by two to three beats. When in doubt, always choose a lower maximum aerobic heart rate. This assumes the factors in the 180 Formula that pertain to medication, illness, and competitive improvements are the same. Otherwise, further reductions in the training heart rate may be necessary(2). The 3rd is Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or Borg CR-10 Scale, (Borg 1982). Perceived exertion is assessed by use of a 0-to-10 chart to rate the feelings caused by your exertion. For example, quietly sitting in a chair would have a rating of 0. Adding a gentle waving of your arms might increase the effort rating to 0.5. Walking at a pace that you feel is moderate would be given a rating of 3. Remember, the rating of your exertion should be completely independent of the pace you think you are walking; it is dependent solely on the feelings caused by the exertion. Increase the pace to a run and add a hill and you could work your way up to a 10 on the scale. The recommended RPE range for most people is usually between 3 moderate) and 5 (strong)(3). 10 Point Scale

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0 - Nothing at all 1 - Very light 2 - Fairly light 3 - Moderate 4 - Some-what hard 5 - Hard 6 7 - Very hard 8 9 10 - Very, very hard(4)

Fat Burning Workouts should feel Light to Moderate. For Weight-loss the goal is to make your body more efficient at burning the stored fat while sparing the carbohydrates. Working out at higher heart rates will burn more carbohydrate calories in the short term, but it is working out in the lower zones that train your body to become efficient at fat burning. In turn, this improves your endurance and aerobic fitness, eventually leading to a faster metabolic rate during exercise. This means that over time, you can burn as many calories at a low intensity as you were previously burning at a high intensity. With proper training this can happen in as little as three to six months. Therefore, the best intensity for weight loss is one that seems 'fairly light' to 'somewhat hard'. Often people who cannot lose weight, or who even gain weight despite high intensity exercise and restrictive dieting, find success through a combination of slowing down their exercise, and improving the quality of their diet(5). References: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Your Four Energy Systems and How to Train Them, By John P. Hussman, Ph.D. The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing, By Dr. Phil Maffetone FiT-FaCtS2001 American Council on Exercise M01-076 RRE 58 Physical Rehabilitation (O'Sullivan, Physical Rehabilitation) Expert Advice on Precor, By Emily Cooper, M.D.