I get email from from folks I haven’t ever met. I get some from folks I have met. And I get some from folks I have known all of my life. For some reason, some people don’t like to post comments. I can totally understand that. Up until I had this stupid blog of my own I was terrified of writing anything on line. (Not that anyone is particularly terrified, I’m just saying, I understand wanting to remind a lurker.) I’m all for you lurkers—you silly, dirty lurkers.

But sometimes I get email and stuff from people who actually have something informative to say. So I am forced to post their comment in hopes that other lurkers and folks who comment might benefit from their knowledge as I tend to vomit up emotional gibberish much of the time.

That said, without further ado, I give you an email from anonymous person 1,452.

I was going to post this in the comments, but it’s too long…

Hey I actually know a little about this. I had a personal trainer a few years ago for about 3 months and he explained this to me. I did a recent brush up because _ and I are both back at the gym trying to get into shape. So here’s the deal:

Heart Rates vary by age and fitness level and from formula to formula, but here’s a link to one that is pretty accurate. (Tip – use the average 72 for “Resting HR”)

There are 3 heart rate zones based on your max heart rate:

• a) 60-75% of your max is the FAT BURNING ZONE that targets losing fat/weight (your 151 rate) because you can work longer and more efficiently work those muscles and lose the fat. There is plenty of oxygen getting to those muscles and it allows for the extra energy to metabolize the fat.
• b) 75-85% of your max is the CARDIO ZONE that focuses on keeping your heart rate high for a shorter period of time, but increases overall fitness and endurance.
• c) 90% and above is the ANAEROBIC ZONE and this not where you want to be because your muscles can’t get enough oxygen and you are actually doing more harm than good. Although some tout this as being the way to figure out how fit you are, it’s not something you do on a regular basis unless you’re an athlete in training.

I think that pretty much explains what I’ve been taught and read about. I, of course, am not an expert, so trust your own judgement. I honestly don’t think that the “fat burning zone” does anything more than the “cardio zone” because it probably evens out. If you only burn 150 calories versus 300 calories, then I would think that any gain from allowing more oxygen to process the fat will be lost in the fact that you are using more energy in a higher intensity workout. I mean it all comes down to 3500 calories = 1lb of fat and how you get there is doesn’t really matter.

So you can see why I didn’t post this – I write too much :)

Clearly, this person is much more qualified to leave comments than I am.