are you ready for short sleeves yet

That's right, as the weather gradually warms up, weight loss has become the most discussed topic among everyone.

There are many methods we can think of for fat loss, but are all of them really reliable? Coach Zheng will now guide everyone through a few correct approaches to fat loss.

Three major issues to address for efficient fat loss

1. How should daily calorie expenditure be arranged?

2. How are energy substances (fat, sugar, protein) consumed in the body? What conditions are required for metabolism?

3. What are the pros and cons of running, resistance training, and HIIT, and how should they be arranged?

Let's take a look at the answers to these three questions.

First, daily calorie expenditure should be greater than intake. There are two ways to increase energy expenditure: passive and active. Passive expenditure involves doing more exercise to increase calorie burn, while active expenditure means you can burn more calories without exercising by boosting your basal metabolic rate.

Basal metabolism accounts for about 60-75% of daily total energy expenditure, the thermic effect of physical activity accounts for about 15-30%, and the thermic effect of food digestion accounts for about 10%.

Simply put, people with a high basal metabolic rate burn more calories daily doing nothing compared to those with a low basal metabolic rate.

Regarding dietary intake, we won't go into detail today. We'll focus on training and give some rough suggestions:

1. Fasting is not advisable.

2. Eat small, frequent meals with a variety of foods.

3. Foods that easily trigger appetite are generally high in calories, so consume them sparingly.

Second, energy substances are consumed in the mitochondria. You might not be familiar with mitochondria, but you can simply understand them as the place where fat, protein, and sugar are broken down.

For example:

When you shop on Taobao, you first need to know what you want to buy, then choose the right store. You will consider various factors like the quality of the items sold, ratings, prices, and whether the store is officially certified to avoid being deceived by unscrupulous shops. Only then will you decide whether to make a purchase. Of course, some people skip these steps and buy directly!

Fat loss is quite similar to shopping on Taobao. First, our goal is fat loss (what to buy), the place where energy is consumed is the mitochondria (official Taobao store), then consider the conditions required for energy substances (sugar, fat, protein) to be consumed in the mitochondria (various factors to consider when choosing a store), and finally achieve the goal (successful purchase).

The body's energy factory: mitochondria.

The final place where sugar, fat, and protein release energy in the body is in the mitochondria of muscle cells. In other words, whether you do aerobic or anaerobic training, the final metabolism occurs in the mitochondria, which are also known as the 'powerhouses of the cell.' Since mitochondria are the 'powerhouses' of cells, the number and size of these powerhouses directly affect the output of energy. Simply put, the more and larger the mitochondria in your body, the more fat, sugar, and protein can be burned for energy. Exciting, right? So how do we increase the number and size of mitochondria?

Mitochondria are found in muscle cells, which are made up of muscle fibers. There are two main types of muscle fibers in the human body: slow-twitch fibers and fast-twitch fibers.

Slow-twitch fibers: Strong aerobic metabolism, rich in capillaries, myoglobin, mitochondria, and oxidative enzymes.

Fast-twitch fibers: Strong anaerobic metabolism, fast contraction speed, fewer mitochondria, smaller size, and fewer oxidative enzymes compared to slow-twitch fibers.

Conclusion: Under the same volume, running can maximize the number and size of mitochondria in the body; resistance training to increase muscle mass only increases the number of mitochondria.

So, does having more and larger mitochondria mean more energy output? Not entirely. Just like there are many stores on Taobao, not all of them are officially certified and sell genuine products. Having more and larger mitochondria provides a foundation for greater energy output, but the efficiency of conversion is amplified only when conditions are met.

Fat, sugar, and protein need to meet certain basic conditions to be maximally consumed during exercise.

The above chart shows the efficiency percentages of the three major energy systems in the human body. Simply put, the lactic acid system is for sugar metabolism, the aerobic system is for fat metabolism, and the phosphocreatine system can be temporarily ignored.

Lactic acid system (sugar metabolism): Intensity controlled at 88-100% of maximum heart rate, duration 30s-2 minutes, no oxygen required, large short-term energy output.

Exercise types: 400m, 800m, 1500m, HIIT, etc.

Aerobic system (fat metabolism): Intensity controlled at 65-79% of maximum heart rate, duration over 30 minutes, requires a large amount of oxygen, large total energy output.

Exercise types: 5000m, 10000m, half marathon/full marathon, etc.

During the entire exercise process, as intensity increases, sugar metabolism dominates; as intensity decreases, fat metabolism dominates. Protein breakdown for energy usually occurs during endurance exercises lasting over 60 minutes. The proportion of the three energy sources in energy supply changes dynamically with exercise intensity. Only by understanding the required intensity, duration, and exercise type for the metabolism of the three can you effectively achieve your goal; otherwise, it will be a lot of effort for little gain!

Three, comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of the three types of exercise

1) Running

Advantages: Increases basal metabolic rate, one of the most convenient aerobic exercises, not constrained by conditions, low cost, significant fat loss with proper intensity control.

Disadvantages: Requires longer exercise time, improper exercise can cause joint injuries, does not achieve localized shaping.

Note: Regular running increases the number and size of mitochondria and the activity of aerobic enzymes, also increasing metabolism in a resting state.

2) Resistance training

Advantages: Can increase basal metabolic rate, achieve localized shaping, provide joint stability to avoid exercise injuries, and self-defense.

Disadvantages: Constrained by venue conditions, high cost, training movements are not easy to master, improper training can cause joint wear and tear, and pure resistance training has no significant fat loss effect.

3) High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Advantages: Short training time, large short-term consumption, low cost, helps improve physical fitness.

Disadvantages: Requires good physical fitness, higher risk factor, not suitable for everyone.

[Science]

HIIT, also known as high-intensity interval training, has been proven effective for fat loss, mainly due to excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).

In a low-intensity exercise state

In a high-intensity exercise state

Imagine: Before exercising, you sit quietly on a chair, and your body's oxygen consumption is very low, marked as Resting VO2 (resting oxygen consumption baseline) in the diagram. After an hour of intense exercise, you sit back on the same chair, and your oxygen consumption will be higher than it was an hour ago.

Because after exercise, it takes some time for your breathing and heart rate to gradually return to their resting physiological state. Your body's oxygen consumption does not immediately return to normal levels. The extra oxygen consumed after exercise compared to the resting baseline is known as EPOC in exercise science.

The extra oxygen is mainly used to increase the oxygen content in the blood and other tissues, repair tissues damaged during training, promote protein synthesis, redistribute minerals, and so on. All of these processes require energy, and the extra oxygen consumption is to supply the energy needed for these processes. This is why HIIT can help with fat loss and weight loss.

In summary: Although HIIT is helpful for fat loss, it is not suitable for everyone due to its high intensity.

Four, how to scientifically arrange the three types of exercise If you are only looking to lose fat and have no requirements for shaping or physical fitness, then running is suitable for you.

If you want to lose fat and also dream of having defined abs, then running combined with resistance training is suitable for you.

If you want to lose fat, shape your body, and improve your physical fitness, then running combined with resistance training and HIIT is suitable for you.

Summary

Fat loss → Running

Fat loss + Shaping → Running + Resistance Training

Fat loss + Shaping + Physical Fitness → Running + Resistance Training + HIIT