Heart Rate

[BlueContact125]

I was wondering why it seems that I am never able to get my heart rate to go above the "fat burn" zone no matter how hard I am working out. 

And which is the best zone to be in to burn the most calories? 

[shipo]

You're unable to get above the so called "Fat Burn" zone because the 220-Age calculation used as the basis for "Zones" is garbage and has long since been debunked.  Some folks can easily exceed their calculated maximum, for hours on end, and others would literally die trying to get anywhere near their maximum heart rate.  If you really want to do Zone based training, you'll need to figure out for yourself what your zones are and then set them accordingly in your profile.

While I am not even remotely a fan of zone based training (in fact I've actively discouraged it for those I've coached), for those who insist on following such a routine, I suggest the following method for figuring out your personal zones:

• Peak: You are working out so hard and breathing so deeply, you cannot utter more than a few words at a time.
• Cardio: You are working out hard enough to limit verbal exchanges with a training partner to very short sentences.
• Fat Burn: You are in the midst of an easy workout and can carry on a comfortable conversation with a training partner.

I hope this helps.

[Heybales]

In addition, it could be that the device loses accuracy on your arm when the HR goes over a certain point, and just won't read higher.

Ever confirmed manually for 15 sec that the HR is correct?

Just to set the stage for the next comment.

Weight loss is through diet (eating less than you burn) - if done right just fat weight, if done wrong include muscle mass. bummer.

Exercise is for heart health and body changing - if done right helps fat only loss and builds muscle, if done wrong helps with muscle loss.

Only thing exercise does for diet is causes you to burn more daily, meaning you can eat a reasonable deficit and be eating more.

Rather burn 2000 being sedentary and have to eat 1500 to lose 1 lb weekly.

Or burn 2500 with exercise and get to eat 2000 for same loss, and transform the body.

That being said, higher HR is more calorie burn, because it's harder effort.

Too hard though, and body needs more recovery, may not be able to do it the next day.

Therefore the best workout purely for the purpose of calorie burn (which would be a sad reason for workouts) so you can eat more - is as hard as you can go that allows enough recovery, to do it the next day.

No one can tell you that - you'll have to experiment.

Be aware many hard efforts are cumulative - you may feel alright the next day to do another hard workout - but by 3rd or 4th day you have crashed hard and wipe out 2 days of workouts - in which case was there really a net benefit or worth it.

I will say, workouts purely for calorie burn usually means you are using them as a means to an end - weight loss.

What happens when the weight is lost? Sadly for majority the workouts stop, they helped reach a goal.

Then it's all repeated the next year again.

Pick a better reason for the workouts, hopefully they can last.