New Leaf Fitness - My Results!

A couple of weeks ago, a colleague of mine Don Goodwin (DG23 Fitness) asked: 

• Would knowing exactly how much fat our burning at each beat of heat rate help you?
• How many fat cals per minute
• Basically knowing exactly what heart rate you metabolize fat best without sacrificing muscle?

My answer, of course, was yes! So we scheduled an appointment for me to come in and do the New Leaf Exercise Assessment Test.

My Background
I started dieting this season in November. I did have a cheat day for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve. But I have been dieting from then until my show March 24th. I looked at my intended last show (San Jose, July 14th) and realized that at 16 weeks away, that would have been 9 months of dieting! That's TOO MUCH! I also realized that when I had gained weight, I gained muscle. When it was time to lean out, it just wasn't working. I was overdieting, overtraining, stressed, and under rested. As the show approached I would be doing about 1 hour of cardio a day and when show time came I didn't feel lean enough and I felt like my muscle wasn't there.
I had been trying to get into my 'Target Heart Rate Zone" of 65-85% of my Age Predicted Max (220-age).

220 - (33) = 187(maxHR)   x.65 / x.85 = 122 - 159bpm.

precisionnutrition.com

I had been trying to get into that zone, but most of the time it was a struggle for me to even get into the 120's! I felt like a slacker or out of shape. My legs would start burning so I thought I know I'm working! I would teach 2 cycle classes in one day and my legs would definitely feel it the next day. I always joke about how I HATE CARDIO! I say "I only do it when I get paid!", why I love teaching! I can lift until I can't walk anymore, I'm definitely a lifter.

Introducing New Leaf Fitness
I arrived to see Don on Saturday at 10am. Pre-test protocols were:

• no caffiene on saturday

• no food after midnight friday night/sat morning.

• no workouts for 24 hours. On friday you need to be completely rested

• no alcohol friday/saturday.

• only water sat am

• please wear clothes you feel comfortable jogging in.

The exercise test measures your metabolic rate during exercise. This is where you’ll learn how many calories your body burns while exercising; whether those calories come mainly from fat, carbs, or a combination of both; and at what intensity level you burn calories most efficiently.

The Test
 The test was performed on a treadmill at a pace I felt comfortable with. First I put on a Garmin chest strap to record my Heart Rate. I wore a neoprene mask which was attached to the analyzer and sent readings to his laptop. We added some speed or took the incline up every minute to track my heart rate and where it went as the analyzer measured the content of the air I was exhaling to determine what fuel source I was using. The test takes 15 minutes and once the information needed is gathered you cool back down and your done!

 My Results
Here are some of my charts. What I found is totally going to change my training!

Once I get past 123bpm, I'm burning almost NO fat!

As I am in the range of 85 - 95bpm, I am burning most of my calories from fat. 85%-88%. I was more highly efficient at this lower rate that a lot of people.

My HR Threshold is 127bpm. My VO2 Peak is 35.5

Donald had been interesting in seeing what my results would be since I am a Figure competitor (body building type training) and had just done a competition. My results were definitely unique.
- My HR Threshold is 127bpm. The highest sustainable intensity of exercise that my body can sustain and still burn fat efficiently.
- My HR Peak is about 148bpm.
- My Aerobic Base HR is about 118bpm. This is the highest intensity at which my body still uses fat as it's dominant fuel.
- My VO2 capacity at 35.5 was pretty high in relation to my size which led Don to suggest I would make a good sprinter.

Light Bulb Moments: 
He asked me if I lifted more, when I wasn't doing as much cardio, did I tend to lean out easier? YES!
He said I would probly be a good sprinter. - I actually ran sprints in high school and love to race quick, but DO NOT ask me to 'go for a run'!
I burn Extremely efficiently, almost ALL fat at the lower zones. Then, when my 'predetermined zone' occurs(according to age charts) I burn NO FAT. This means a few things:
- I am burning mostly Carbohydrate, but a byproduct of that is Lactic Acid, which explains why my legs get tired so quickly.
- When you use Carbohydrate, you end up depleting your stores causing you to be tired, and starving for them after the workout.


 Moving Forward
Taking all this information, we can create a program for me. Below is a sample cardio workout which shows how long I should work out at each of the 3 zones to 'Build my Base".
Short Term Goal: Work between 86 - 122 bpm to burn MOSTLY fat and spare the proteins(muscle tissue) that I work so hard to build.
Long Term Goal: Using interval training, I will gradually be able to become more efficient at burning fat at the higher heart rate zones. As I become more efficient, I will be able to work in higher HR Zones, while still burning mostly fat, hence burning more calories and more fat overall.

So I will be working at keeping my heart rate down while teaching my classes, and lifting 5-6x/week. I currently teach a base of 3) 60min cycling classes (which I will incorporate interval training) and 3) Aqua classes. I teach those on deck and my heart rate was actually in the fat burning range.  
I will also be looking to incorporate some track workouts into my training. He suggested a 3:1 recover/work ratio. I am thinking of doing 100m sprints, followed by walking the other 3/4 of the track to recover. He also mentioned to me that if you are burning fat, you should feel better after a workout. Also if you are working in the right zones of your interval training. If you are burning carbohydrate, you will feel like death and be starving to replenish your glycogen stores in the muscle.

For more info:

www.newleaffitness.com
www.facebook.com/DG23Fitness