question?

From a member of our gym:
Q:So I'm sure this is an entirely silly question, but I've only recently joined your gym and have no clue.

Before I actually start in on a weights program, I'm getting myself in the habit of going to the gym daily. I joined on June 1 and have gone every day since signing up.

I've been doing 60 minutes of cardio. Mostly recumbent bike, a little elliptical when sitting down gets annoying.

On the bikes there's this wacky chart that says 'Fat burn zone' and 'Cardio zone'

At my age it says to aim for 124 beats per minute, so this is what I've been doing for the past few days.

That said, what exactly is the difference between the two, am I not getting the exercise I should be by only shooting for that heart rate as opposed to a higher one?

Advice/Explanation would be greatly appreciated.

A:
For me, HIIT in 12 to 20 minute sessions is VASTLY more effective in preserving muscle, keeping your heart rate up, and removing fat. Most current research from universities supports that view as well.

HIIT, with its "spurts", is much better for conditioning, produces less damage, and preserves muscle, especially in those not getting enough calories because of dieting.

Good examples of HIIT are sprints, running the stairs, intervals on the bike, basketball, running with intervals. If you're a real jock, you'll remember football practice, wrestling practice, or basketball practice. That's HIIT.

Too much cardio, for too long, with too few calories, teaches your body the feast famine syndrome, and turns it into a fat storing, slow-running, machine. That's stupid, and counter-productive.

As a man, understand that every pound of lean muscle you carry can burn up to 20 calories per day, just sitting there. The easiest way to get lean is to gain muscle. You do that by eating, and lifting in a way to promote sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

In addition, lifting has none of the issues of impact exercise like running, and it strengthens your bones, and can raise your metabolic rate AS YOU GROW OLDER.

Do HIIT, 12 to 20 minutes, every day for the best results. Lift several days a week. Eat small meals often. Keep your calories up, if you want to make any gains. Failure to eat is a plan for failure.

When I want to get lean for the summer, I'll start out with two 20 minute HIIT sessions per day, but, typically, don't need that after just a few weeks. I take my calories UP and I get busy. You have to have energy to train hard, and you get that by eating. I'll often take my calories as high as 3800 a day when I go to lean out.

At 29, my max heart rate is 220 - 29 or 191. When I'm training, I'll bring my heart rate to 190. Right now, when I HIIT, I bring my heart rate to 165 to 175, or about 90% of my maximal heart rate. For most folks, who haven't been doing it for so long, they probably don't want to take their heart rate so high.

Drink lots of water