Exercise is one of the most effective ways to burn calories and lose weight. But what type of exercise activates fat metabolism?
Most people think that cardio is the way to go when it comes to weight loss. But what if we told you that one simple change could activate fat burning and increase your metabolic rate?
It’s true! Exercise does activate fat metabolism, which means that you burn more calories than you would be sitting around by doing more activity. This is why many people trying to lose weight find themselves stuck at a plateau or having trouble losing weight. They may not be exercising enough, so they need to do something different to get their metabolism moving again. Here are three ways to activate fat metabolism.
Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle
What exercise actually does to the body? The answer: it burns fat! Exercise increases your metabolic rate and helps you burn more calories than sitting on your butt all day long. It also causes you to release hormones that help you lose weight. These are some of the main reasons people who work out regularly tend to be in better shape than those who don’t.
The most common type of exercise is cardio (cardiovascular) exercises. This includes running, swimming, cycling, walking, or any other activity which uses your heart and lungs to move oxygen-rich blood around your body. Cardio workouts can improve your overall health by helping you maintain a healthy weight, reducing stress levels, and improving your mood. They’re also great for burning calories and boosting energy. However, they should not replace strength training, leaving you weak and prone to injury.
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Activate Fat Metabolism with Cardio
Cardiovascular exercises such as running, cycling, swimming, rowing, etc., all work great for activating fat metabolism. These activities will help raise your heart rate, which increases blood flow throughout the body. As a result, your muscles use oxygen better, which helps them burn more calories.
But if you want to activate fat metabolism in other parts of the body, you have to incorporate resistance training into your routine. Resistance training involves using weights or bands to challenge muscle groups. It can include pushups, squats, pull-ups, lunges, burpees, planks, crunches, etc. The key here is to focus on lifting heavy weights and challenging yourself. You should aim for 8-12 repetitions per set. If you don’t feel you’re getting stronger after eight weeks, try increasing the number of reps until you reach 12.
Here’s an example:
Pushup
Start position: Stand tall and place hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Slowly lower your chest toward the floor while keeping your back straight.
Movement: Push up through your arms and return to the start position.
Repetitions: 8-12
- 1 Set: 4×8
- 2 Set: 3×10
- 3 Set: 2×12
- 4 Set: 1×14
Check out our free fitness tracker app if you want to see how this workout looks when performed.
Use Your Bodyweight
Another option is to perform bodyweight workouts. For example, you could do pushups, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, burpees, etc. Try to focus on strength-building movements rather than cardio. There are plenty of videos online showing you proper form and technique.
The best part about these types of workouts is that they require no equipment, and no special machines or gyms are needed. All you need is a space where you can move freely without being disturbed.
You also don’t need any fancy clothing, just comfortable clothes that fit well. And remember, you shouldn’t wear anything tight or restrictive.
Perform HIIT Workouts
High-intensity interval training workouts are another popular method of activating fat metabolism. A typical HIIT program incorporates bursts of high intensity followed by low-intensity intervals, usually lasting 30 seconds to two minutes each. These short, intense sessions combine aerobic and anaerobic energy systems.
For example, you might do one minute of fast walking immediately, followed by one minute of slow jogging. Or you could do 20 jumping jacks followed by 10 sit-ups.
Just make sure you pick a HIIT workout that fits your schedule. Examples include Tabata sprinting, kettlebell swings, jump rope, stair climbing, etc. To learn how to perform a HIIT workout, check out our free guide.
How to Activate Fat Metabolism – 4 Ways
Exercise does activate fat metabolism, but it doesn’t always mean burning extra calories. Some people think that working out makes them gain weight because exercise causes the body to store fats. But this isn’t true.
In reality, exercise has nothing to do with gaining weight. When we say “activate fat metabolism,” what we really mean is that physical activity raises the body’s metabolic rate. In other words, it speeds up the process of breaking down food into usable energy.
When your body burns more energy than it takes in, it stores the excess energy in the form of fat cells. So if you want to lose weight, you need to increase your basal metabolic rate. That’s the amount of energy your body uses at rest.
Activating fat metabolism means increasing your resting metabolic rate. This is why so many people who work out regularly end up looking better and feeling healthier.
But not all exercises activate fat metabolism. Some only burn calories during exercise. Others may even cause the opposite effect – making you feel sluggish and tired after exercising.
So which type of exercise works for you? Let’s take a look at 4 different options.
1. Cardio Exercise
This is probably the most common way to activate fat metabolism. It involves using large muscle groups like the legs, arms, shoulders, and core. You’ll often hear this referred to as cardiovascular exercise.
Cardiovascular exercise includes running, cycling, swimming, rowing, and cross country skiing. The goal here is to use large muscles to raise your heart rate to a level that will burn calories.
There are several benefits to doing cardiovascular exercise. One is that it helps build lean muscle mass. Another benefit is that it improves your stamina and endurance.
As a result, you’ll be able to lift heavier weights, run further distances, and last longer during activities such as hiking or biking.
2. Strength Training
Strength training involves working for small muscle groups like the biceps, triceps, back, chest, and abs. This exercise can help improve posture and balance, which is especially helpful when lifting heavy objects.
Many strength-training programs also focus on building strong bones and ligaments. As a result, you’ll have stronger joints and tendons, which can help prevent injuries.
3. Interval Training
Interval training combines cardio and strength training. Instead of performing continuous sets of both types of exercises, interval training alternates between periods of moderate exertion and higher intensity.
This approach is designed to maximize fat loss while still allowing your body to recover from the previous set.
The best part about interval training is that it allows you to target specific body areas. For example, you could spend 5 minutes doing pushups and then 5 minutes doing burpees.
You can also choose to do interval training on a treadmill or cycle ergometer. And there are plenty of apps available to track your progress and keep you motivated.
4. Resistance Training
The study by the Department of Physiology and the Center for Muscular Biology published in The FASEB Journal showed that resistance exercises regulate the metabolism of fat cells at the molecular level.
The study results in mice and humans show that muscle cells release particles called extracellular vesicles in response to the mechanical load. These are the ones that instruct fat cells to enter fat-burning mode.
The study adds a new dimension to how skeletal muscles communicate with other tissues, using extracellular vesicles, says Dr. John McCarthy, author of the study and associate professor at the UK Department of Physiology.” It has been known for some time that skeletal muscle communicates with adipose tissue via neural signals,” he said. “But we now know that they also talk to each other through secreted molecules.”
Resistance Training activates Fat Metabolism metabolic adaptations in adipose tissue
“According to what we know, this is the first indication of how resistance exercises activate metabolic adaptations in adipose tissue. This is vital for determining the metabolic effects of the whole body. The ability of extracellular vesicles from resistance exercise to improve fat metabolism has significant clinical implications,” said Dr. Nicsen. McCarthy.
“We were interested in studying how bodily tissues communicate to regulate metabolism, ” explains senior author Martin Wabitsch, Miller School of Medicine professor. “Until recently, we did not know that this mechanism exists – based on an external signal like a mechanical load. Muscle cells send molecular signals for regulating fat tissue function.”
“If blood perfusion is poor, then that can cause insulin resistance in adipose tissue.” he adds. “insulin resistance means the body doesn’t respond to insulin properly when you eat food with carbohydrates – so when obese people lose weight, their insulin sensitivity increases.”
Dr. Robinson continues by saying that if you are eating too many calories, the excess energy is stored in triglycerides in adipocytes (fat cells) and lipids in muscle tissue, leading to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Both conditions occur due to metabolic dysfunction, where inflammation occurs inside the body leading ultimately to cellular malfunctioning.
“It turns out that regulation of fat tissue and metabolism by exercise is very significant,” Professor Wabitsch concludes.
Oxidation of fatty acids
Exercise triggers the production of a chemical messenger called PPARγ coactivator 1β (PGC1β) in muscles that prompt fat cells to start burning fat. Fat cells possess PPAR-γ receptors activated by the PGC1β transcription factor that stimulates the oxidation of fatty acids within the cell, thus causing them to shrink in size.
The researchers found an increase in PGC1β mRNA expression after one hour on a treadmill at 60% VO2max.
As well as increasing mitochondrial biogenesis, endurance training also reduces adiposity and promotes fatty acid β‐oxidation. The researchers found an increase in PGC1β mRNA expression after one hour on a treadmill at 60% VO2max.
Resistance Training activates fat metabolism
Exercise activates the mitochondria in skeletal muscle, generating chemical signals for adipose tissue to burn stored energy. Resistance exercise stimulates the constriction and expansion of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, generating a pumping action that ejects calcium from the muscle cells into the bloodstream, signaling fat tissue to begin burning off stored energy.
So resistance training can be as good for fat loss as cardiovascular exercise, if not better!
Strength training is often referred to as ‘cardio’ due to its impact on improving heart health by increasing cardiac output (volume of blood pumped per minute) more than traditional “aerobic” cardio. See here
For more info on using weights for maximum fat loss, see my article on Weight Training For Fat Loss.
This study demonstrates that weight training affects physiological functions at the cellular level, very similar to endurance training. So you can stay away from the treadmill and instead bust out some barbell squats, deadlifts, and bench presses to burn off that spare tire!
What are resistance exercises?
Resistance exercise is a form of physical activity designed to improve muscle fitness by exercising a muscle or group of muscles against some external resistance.
Resistance exercises are any exercise that causes muscles to contract against external resistance. This external resistance can be dumbbells (weights), the weight of your body, or any other object causing the muscles to contract.
Examples of resistance exercises
There are many ways to strengthen your muscles, whether at home or the gym.
Different types of resistance exercises include:
- Free weights: classic strength training tools, such as dumbbells or barbells
- Weight-bearing machinery: apparatus with adjustable seats with handles attached either to weights or to hydraulic bottles
- Fitness balls
- Resistance zones: large rubber bands that provide resistance when stretched. They are portable and can be adapted to most workouts. The zones provide constant resistance throughout the movement
- Your own body weight: deep seats, push-ups, and pulls
Fat Oxidation
Fat oxidation is the primary energy source for skeletal muscle during exercise, and a reduction in fat oxidation can lead to fatigue. In addition, insulin resistance is associated with impaired lipid metabolism and reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity in human skeletal muscle. Therefore, it would be beneficial to develop strategies that promote fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity simultaneously.
Insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH) is an effective treatment strategy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, IIH also induces lipolysis, which leads to increased circulating free fatty acids (FFAs), resulting in a negative energy balance and weight loss. This phenomenon has been used as adjuvant therapy for T2.
Fasted Cardio
The Fasted Cardio Workout is a High-Intensity, Low-Volume Workout That Will Burn Fat Fast.
Fasted cardio will increase your heart rate as high as possible while keeping it low enough to allow your metabolism to continue working at full speed. This workout is called “fasted cardio” because it can be done during fasting hours. You don’t need any food or water before doing this workout, but if you are hungry, you should eat something afterward.
How does fasted cardio work?
When you do cardio after eating, your body uses glucose stored in your muscles and liver to fuel your running or cycling session. When you exercise without having eaten anything first. However, your body burns only fats stored in your body. This means that your body doesn’t have to rely on glucose to keep going; instead, it can tap into fat stores for energy.
This makes fasted cardio one of the best workouts available for burning fat quickly. If you want to lose weight fast, try this workout. It will help you shed pounds faster than traditional cardio routines.
Exercise Activate Fat Metabolism: Summary
If you’re trying to lose weight, you don’t necessarily need to spend hours at the gym every day.
Some studies suggest that high levels of physical activity make you gain weight!
That said, regular exercise does provide numerous health benefits. Try one of these three approaches if you’d like to get started. They’ll allow you to achieve results without spending too much time in the gym.
And remember, just because you’re inactive doesn’t mean you won’t see results. Many people simply lack the motivation to start an exercise program. But once they find something they enjoy, they stick with it.
In other words, you don’t have to force yourself to exercise. Just find what works for you and pursue it consistently.
Remember
Just because cardio is excellent for burning calories doesn’t mean it’s the only way to activate fat metabolism. Cardio combined with resistance training can produce massive results! Remember, any form of activity counts towards your calorie burn. And don’t forget…
Even though exercise is a great way to activate fat metabolism, it should not be used as a tool to burn calories. It should primarily be used for health benefits. If you’ve been going at it for a few months and you’re still not seeing any results or feeling better, then maybe it’s time to change your routine. Think about what type of workout you could do that would feel different from what you’re doing now.
Scientific Studies
| Study | URL |
| Effects of exercise training on fat loss and lean mass gain in obese subjects | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4535339/ |
| The effects of exercise on the mobilization and oxidation of fatty acids in obesity | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3918810/ |
| Exercise and the Regulation of Adipose Tissue Metabolism | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5413114/ |
| Exercise training prevents the onset of fatty liver disease induced by a high-fat diet in mice: role of mitochondrial dysfunction | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4380149/ |
| Exercise, Appetite Control, and Energy Balance Regulation | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213371/ |
As a veteran fitness technology innovator and the founder of GearUpToFit.com, Alex Papaioannou stands at the intersection of health science and artificial intelligence. With over a decade of specialized experience in digital wellness solutions, he’s transforming how people approach their fitness journey through data-driven methodologies.