Optimizing the "Fat Burning Zone" : Chronic Endurance Training Boosts Fatty Oxidation - Does More Help More? - SuppVersity: Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Chronic Endurance Training Boosts Fatty Oxidation - Does More Help More? - SuppVersity:Optimizing the "Fat Burning Zone" :

So, if it's not the volume, what determines the increase in fatty acid oxidation?

Rosenkilde have probably asked themselves something similar to the above, when they realized that there were no meaningful differences between the subjects in the medium vs. high dose cardio groups. The statistical analyses the researcher conducted did yet reveal, that

• VO2peak, generally regarded as a marker of cardio-respiratory fitness,
• fat free mass, the weight of everything (incl. bones, organs, etc.) that's not fat, 
• cycling efficiency, the power output at a given VO2 peak, and the
• mitochondrial complexes II–V, enzymes that facilitate the oxidation of fatty acids,

were all associated with higher increases in fatty acid oxidation, while the observed changes in fasting plasma insulin, glucose, FFA, or glycerol had no prognostic value with respect to the increase in fatty acid oxidation.

Don't forget that HIIT is an even more effective "long-term investment" in VO2 peak an mitochondrial power - just don't do it everyday | learn more

Bottom line: I guess you will start yawning, when I tell you that doing regular cardio training is not useful for its acute effects on energy expenditure (you know that, right?).

If you look around the gym, you will yet notice that "burning energy" is still what 90% of the cardio warriors have on their mind. What they fail to realize is that performing a sane amount of low-medium intensity cardio will be rewarded in the long run only and is (some of you may remember that from the SuppVersity Facebook News) associated with increased muscle strength throughout the life span (Crane. 2013), delays the age of decline in leg strength and muscle morphology (Tarpenning. 2004), improves muscle function in the elderly (Harber. 2009) and can have have minimal hypertrophy effects even in the elderly (Ozaki. 2013).