Fat Burning exercise....

Interesting study here, trying to identify an optimal exercise intensity for fat oxidation.

They seem to say that continuous exercise training at this specific intensity can lead to greater improvements in fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity than an interval training program that burns the same calories. It is hard to tell much from the abstract - e.g. about what this intensity is or what the interval protocol used was. The results look funny too - no change in body fat %.....

I wonder how this would line up with the ideas in the Stubborn Fat Loss book that I mentioned earlier

Does anyone out there have access to the full study?

UPDATE - Lyle McDonald - author of the Stubborn Fat Loss solution that I reviewed the other day - has commented on this study on his blog in a challenging series he is doing on intervals vs steady state cardio.



Endurance training and obesity: effect on substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity.


PURPOSE:: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus are disease states associated with hallmark features such as insulin resistance and an impaired ability to oxidize lipids. It has recently been reported that an optimal exercise intensity for fat oxidation (FATmax) exists; we hypothesize that continuous exercise training at this specific intensity can lead to greater improvements in fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity than a eucaloric interval training program.

METHODS:: In a counterbalanced, crossover design, eight sedentary, obese, but otherwise healthy male participants performed two 4-wk blocks of endurance training, either at a predetermined intensity eliciting maximal fat oxidation (TPCON) or at 5-min intervals of +/- 20% FATmax (TPINT). During the week preceding the exercise training and 48 h after the final exercise bout, an OGTT, V O2max test, steady-state exercise, and measurements of body composition were undertaken. Diet was controlled the day before all trials (50% carbohydrate, 35% fat, and 15% protein; ~2900 kcal.d). Variables were compared using two-way repeated-measures analyses of variance.

RESULTS

It was shown that fat oxidation rates were increased by 44% after TPCON (0.24 +/- 0.01 vs 0.35 +/- 0.03 g.min, P <>

CONCLUSIONS:: A continuous exercise training protocol that can elicit high rates of fat oxidation increases the contribution of fat to substrate oxidation during exercise and can significantly increase insulin sensitivity compared with a eucaloric interval protocol.