Good news for everyone who wants to work off their holiday pounds quickly: When exercising in winter temperatures, you burn fat significantly faster than at a pleasant 21 degrees. A study from Canada found that out.
Anyone who likes to train in the fresh air knows it for sure: in warm temperatures and sun, you would rather put on your sports shoes than in freezing cold. But this motivation problem could soon vanish in the case of those willing to lose weight. A study by Laurentian University in Sudbury (Canada) investigated the extent to which temperature affects fat burning during high intensity interval training (HIIT). The result: In cold weather it was significantly higher than at 21 degrees.
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Burning fat is particularly effective in HIIT
Regular physical activity stimulates the metabolism and supports the regulation of lipids (fats) in the blood. Previous studies have found that high-intensity interval training has a more positive effect on blood fat levels and fat burning than continuous moderate training. The research team recalls these findings in an article for the „American Physiological Society“. In your own study the Canadian scientists have now investigated how temperature affects the effectiveness of this form of training.
Also interesting: That is why interval training is not for beginners
For this purpose, a small group of eleven subjects aged 18 to 30 years who were both overweight (body mass index between 25 and 30) and physically fit (measured by the VO2max value) were examined. All volunteers completed two high-intensity cycling units on the ergometer, between which there was a week. In both units they cycled ten times for a minute at 90 percent power. There was a ninety second recovery period between each sprint, during which the performance was 30 percent. One of the training sessions took place at a temperature of around 21 degrees Celsius, the other at around zero degrees. At 21 degrees it is a “thermo-neutral temperature” that does not change the metabolism. It corresponds roughly to the average temperature in August in Germany.
Also interesting: 40 minutes of HIIT – burn a lot of calories
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Cold promotes fat burning by over 300 percent
During both training sessions, the researchers noted the subjects’ body temperature, pulse, blood sugar level and the amount of oxygen that was delivered to the quadriceps in the thigh. Immediately afterwards, the participants were given an energy bar rich in protein and carbohydrates. The next morning there was a high fat breakfast. The researchers then took blood samples from all subjects. Using this, they were able to calculate how high the lipid oxidation, or simply fat burning, was.
Also interesting: this happens when the body is cold
“The current study has found that high-intensity training in the cold has increased lipid oxidation by up to 358 percent compared to high-intensity training in a thermoneutral environment,” the result is summarized in the study. After the fatty breakfast, however, the metabolism did not react significantly.
Conclusion
Cold seems to be able to boost fat burning enormously, but not in the long term. In addition, the small test group of eleven subjects is hardly sufficient to draw generally valid conclusions.
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