Expert: Ken Alan - 2/14/2004

Question
Dear Mr. Allen,
   I want to lose some weight and get in shape. Unfortunately, as of now my only knowledge of weight loss and fitness comes from my history as an avid reader of fitness magazines. As you might expect, I've been exposed to lots and lots of conflicting advice, and now that I want to put all of my knowledge to use, I am positively confused! I was hoping that you would be able to shed some light on a question I have regarding aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
    I've read that the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise is in what they burn: while aerobic exercise burns fat directly, anaerobic exercise burns carbohydrate. That makes sense, but why isn't anaerobic exercise helpful for weight loss? If I cross the aerobic/anaerobic threshold during exercise, even though I won't be feeding directly off of fat, won't I at least be ridding my body of the last carbohydrate I ate? And won't that still result in a calorie deficit?
   The reason why I'm asking is that I calculated my target heart rate range, only to discover that my heart rate while doing my favorite workouts is much too high. Am I wasting my time if I am working too hard? If you could help clear up any of my confusion on this matter, I would really appreciate it!

     Thank you so much!
            Beth

Answer
Hi Beth,

Yes its okay to be working anaerobically and you are burning calories no doubt when you do.  Anaerobic training means you are working so hard that you cant maintain it for a long duration.  If YOU are able to maintain it for a long duration, Beth, it means you're not anaerobic, you're in an aerobic training zone for you, even though heart rate charts may say otherwise. If you were truly anaerobic, you simply can't sustain it for a long time.  Sounds like you just have a high anaerobic threshold which means you're real fit.

Dont worry about burning fat or burning carb - you burn calories and that helps weight/fat loss.

I know the info out there can be confusing.  Hope this helps.