Why Slowing Down Your Workouts Is the Key to Burning Fat, Building Muscle, and Boosting Longevity

A review of Chapter 6 from Born to Walk by Mark Sisson and Brad Kearns

We’ve been conditioned to believe that if we want to get lean, strong, and healthy, we need to go hard. Push ourselves to the limit. Outwork everyone else. And if we’re not exhausted by the end of a workout, we didn’t try hard enough.

That was my mindset for years—until I came across the concept of building an aerobic base, introduced in Born to Walk. My initial reaction? “That’s freakin’ crazy!” Everything I had learned about fitness said the opposite.

But when I slowed down, everything changed.

The Truth About Burning Fat

One of the biggest takeaways from Chapter 6 is this: Your aerobic base is the launching point for all high-intensity efforts. And without it, you’re likely sabotaging your long-term health, performance, and fat loss goals.

Most people assume that the harder the workout, the more fat they’ll burn. But that’s not how it works.

Yes, high-intensity workouts burn more total calories, but a higher percentage of those calories come from sugar (glucose), not fat. Over time, this creates a body that’s good at burning sugar and bad at burning fat.

If you’ve ever struggled with stubborn fat, especially around your belly or chest, this might be the missing link. You’re pushing too hard—and pushing yourself into a metabolic state that resists fat burning.

The MAF Zone: The Sweet Spot for Fat Burning

That’s where the Maximum Aerobic Function (MAF) zone comes in. It’s a simple formula:
180 minus your age = your ideal heart rate for fat-burning workouts.

I use this during my jogs and even in my strength training sessions. For me, that’s a heart rate of about 138 beats per minute. I track it using a basic Garmin wristwatch (Here’s the one I use), and it’s surprisingly easy to manage.

If your heart rate creeps above your MAF zone, your body shifts from burning fat to burning glucose. And once that switch flips, it’s hard to go back. The workout becomes more stressful than helpful. You’re no longer in the zone that supports fat loss—you’re now in the “fight or flight” state, which elevates cortisol and can increase fat storage.

My Journey to a Healthier, Leaner Body

When I started focusing on MAF-style workouts—like walking, light jogs, and daily movement—it felt almost too easy. But the results were undeniable.

I wasn’t ravenously hungry after workouts anymore. My cravings for sugary foods dropped. I started eating a clean, animal- and plant-based diet with real, whole foods. And the fat started coming off—especially from the belly, chest, and back—without losing lean muscle.

Recovery became effortless. Since 80% of my movement is relaxed and enjoyable, I wake up the next day refreshed and ready to go again. No soreness, no burnout.

Why Nasal Breathing is a Game-Changer

One strategy that complements this approach beautifully is nasal diaphragmatic breathing.

When you breathe through your nose during workouts, it keeps your effort in the aerobic zone. You’re calmer, more efficient, and less stressed. If you find yourself needing to mouth-breathe, that’s a cue to slow down.

Nasal breathing became so second-nature for me that it carried over into daily life and even sleep. Over time, I cured my snoring and improved the quality of my rest just by retraining how I breathe.

Why Pushing Hard Backfires for Most People

Here’s the truth: Most people can stick to high-intensity workouts for a few weeks. They might feel better at first and lose a little fat. But then the wheels fall off. Burnout, injury, or breakdown eventually forces them to stop. And fat loss stalls or even reverses.

Why? Because fat can only be burned efficiently in the presence of oxygen. That means aerobic movement. Once your intensity gets too high, your body flips the switch to anaerobic (sugar-burning) mode—and your fat-burning efforts grind to a halt.

The Talk Test

Want an easy way to know if you’re in the MAF zone? Try talking while you exercise. If you can carry on a conversation or say the alphabet without gasping for breath, you’re likely in the sweet spot. If not, back off until you are.

What Our Ancestors Can Teach Us

Counting calories and hammering out brutal workouts isn’t sustainable—and it’s not how our ancestors thrived.

Hunter-gatherers were lean, strong, and incredibly robust. They ate real food, moved throughout the day, and occasionally exerted themselves during hunts or emergencies. That’s it.

They weren’t grinding in gyms or obsessively tracking calories. And yet, they were some of the healthiest humans in history.

Want to Apply This to Your Life?

This is the exact framework I use to help my clients lose stubborn fat, regain energy, and feel confident in their bodies again.

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of “go hard or go home” and aren’t seeing the results you want—or you’re tired of feeling burned out and inflamed—let’s talk.

👉 Click here to apply for coaching (no pressure, just answer a few questions and we’ll start a conversation).

We’ll figure out if this natural, enjoyable approach is a fit for you—and what your next steps could look like.