The After-Burn Effect (EPOC)

So more on this new craze that people are saying will help you to get super lean super fast.  What exactly is After-burn and how exactly do you get it to work for you?

These are questions that I have asked before and the answers out there on the web invariable lead you to site selling an after-burn style workout and of course they herald this as some amazing breakthrough in exercise that will turn everyone into Greek Gods or Goddesses.

So what is After-burn (or Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)).  Chances are if you've always worked hard (and were talking above 70% of VO2 Max) for more than 15 minutes or been doing heavy weight sessions (3 sets or 80-90% of your 1RM) then you've always been using it you just didn't know it.

EPOC is the period after your work out when your body is using calories to return to your normal resting state and this takes energy to do.  ATP re-synthesis, lactate removal, and reduction in body temperature  are just some of the things your body does after intense exercise, this period can last anywhere from 15 minuets to 48 hours depending on the type of work you did and how intense that work was.

So you might think that cardio will give you best results as we are talking about oxygen here but that's not the case studies have found that heavy weight lifting can actually do more to increase this After-burn effect than a hard cardio session so don't be afraid of that weight rack.

But if you want great results why not combine them you can do a brutal weights session destroying your upper body and then go on and do some high intensity interval training (HIIT) to really kick that After-burn effect into gear and burn those calories.

These studies also show that duration counts as well a run at the same intensity for 40 minuets will cause a greater After-burn effect than 20 minuets at the same intensity.  So to keep the intensity high for a long duration interval training is key, to allow you to really push your body those short intervals of rest will help you push it for longer.

So in conclusion if you want to burn these extra calories you need to push yourself during your workouts, and that's pretty much the secret if you finish a 30 minuet run and think i could have run for another 20 minuets comfortably chances are you won't have maximised the After-burn effect, similarly if you've been lifting weights and finish your sets thinking you could have lifted more weight or done more sets then again chances are that your EPOC wont be that high.

If your planning your work out to maximise after-burn the elements you want are heavy weights, high intensity cardio and lots of both a 45 minuet workout should be enough to give you decent results but only if the intensity is high through out.

If you want to read about this more in depth follow this link to a great article  http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/exercise-after-burn-0

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Interval Training

I've really been getting into interval training of late I find it a much more interesting workout rather than just plodding along at the same speed for an hour I've been reading things online and am glad to find out that studies have found that interval training specifically HIIT training is able to give fantastic cardio improvements and also encourages EPOC or the after-burn effect to use even more calories. 


Check this link to read more
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627140103.htm 

Escape the Gym

I'm focusing on fitness ideas outside the gym at the moment.

I'm going to be looking at some fantastic body weight exercise designed to give some great size and strength gains, as well as some amazing cardio programs that will give you results and save you time.

Everything I will publish on this page has either been scientifically proven by trusted researchers or I have tested it out myself.

So keep your eyes peeled to find some great workouts you can use to escape the gym!!!