Slideshow: Lab-Tested Fat Loss!

By Rachel Crocker; Photography Paul Buceta and Maya Visnyei

1 of 5

1. Make Over Your Workout!

You may not have dabbled in the lab since eleventh grade chemistry class, but you can still learn a lot from the dedicated scientists who work tirelessly to find the best ways to make you the fittest and healthiest you can be. Thankfully, there’s no need to don a lab coat and fire up the Bunsen burners: just try these four science-proven ways to inch closer to your fat-loss goals.

2. Study #1

Get out of the zone. Exercisers often stay within 60 to 70 percent of their maximum heart rate – also known as the “fat-burning zone” – in order to burn a higher percentage of calories from fat. Problem is, your calorie-burn total will be lower than if you were to up your intensity – and when it comes to fat loss, the quantity of calories burned is more important than the type. Case in point: when Australian scientists manipulated the genes of mice to only burn fat (the goal of staying within the fat-burning zone), unused carbohydrates were stored as fat – basically reversing their efforts altogether. 

3. Study #2

Take in a protein/carb mix. Want to run or cycle for longer? Drink a protein and carb supplement as you move. Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin found that women cyclists who drank a protein and carb concoction during their ride showed greater endurance than when they consumed a carbohydrate-only drink, even though the protein-carbohydrate drink contained 50 percent fewer carbs. For best results, look for a carb to protein ratio of 2.5:1 - the ratio used in the study - and drink it in increments throughout your workout.

4. Study #3

Dumbbells help you keep it off. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham tracked the exercise and nutrition habits of 94 women for one year and concluded that for women who lost weight, resistance training was better than aerobic training or no training at all when it came to conserving muscle mass, resting energy expenditure and strength. Strength training is just as important of a component of your fat-loss plan as cardio; check out our training section for exercise and workout ideas to get you started!

5. Study #4

Time your intervals wisely. You know that interval training can burn more calories than steady-state exercise, but should you opt for longer or shorter work periods? A study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that doing 30-second intervals at a slightly less than all-out intensity (about 90 percent of the maximum) allowed cyclists to perform longer while increasing the amount of oxygen their bodies used. Try working hard for 30 seconds, then dialing it back to recover for 30 seconds to a minute, and repeat for your entire workout.

Comments Header
User Rating: 0 votes

Welcome, . You are signed in with your Facebook account. (Sign Out)

All fields are required. Please try again.

Thanks!

More SlideshowsSee More Slideshows

 

Subscribe!


U.S. Canada
Please send me the monthly Oxygen e-newsletter as well as other offers and promotions. We respect your privacy and will not make your email address available to anyone without your permission. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for your order.

Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery of your first issue.

If I like Oxygen and decide to continue, I’ll pay just $19.97 and receive 11 more issues (13 in all). That’s a savings of 74% off the cover price!*

If I decide that Oxygen isn’t for me, there is no obligation. I’ll simply return my invoice marked “CANCEL” and owe nothing. The 2 trial issues will be mine to keep!

Offer valid in US and Canada only.

» International Subscriptions

 * Savings based on US cover price. US funds only. Oxygen is published 12 times per year. Canadians: $15.00 S&H (includes GST or HST where applicable) is added to the price. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery of your first issue.