Train smarter

For many, the aim is to do with body image and weight. If you are training to lose weight, you need to train smart. There is a common thought that your body doesn’t begin to breakdown fat until you have been going for over 30 minutes. This is true to an extent…

Your body primarily breaks down carbohydrates, which are readily available and can easily be transformed into energy. It is then the turn of glucose and glycogen, found in your muscles and liver but it is not until these three components have been used that your body looks to fat to find its energy.

This is not to say that these components cannot be used in conjunction with each other, but it is then highly dependent on the type of exercise you do as well as your diet. In order to lose weight your body needs to burn more calories than it consumes and calories can be both fats and carbohydrates.

This is where the train smart comes in. You need to train for your goal. If your goal is to run a marathon, then of course practising and increasing your distance running will help you to achieve that. However if your aim is to lose weight, this constant level of exercising won’t be of much benefit. You need to get your heart rate pumping and tap into the calorie burning stage quicker. You would burn more doing 20 minutes of high intensity work with rests, than you would staying in a continuous pace for 20 minutes.

You must also consider the specific exercises that you are doing. Perhaps you want to tone your stomach? Crunches will strengthen the core muscles but will not fight the fat. You will need to do 250,000 crunches to burn just 1 pound of fat! However full body movements such as sprints or burpees will engage your core far more than you realise, giving you more benefits from the session.