What is the after-Burn effect and can you really burn calories for up to 72-hours after your workout?
Have you ever
wondered how to get your body fat super low? Or do you want to reveal some
muscle definition that has never been visible before? Then creating the
after-burn effect is going to be something you need to get from your training.
Imagine being able to increase your calorie expenditure
without having to do anything else after you finish working out giving your
metabolism a huge boost. Well studies have shown that based on the type of
training we do we can achieve this and this is commonly know in the fitness
world as the ‘After-Burn’ effect.
The question is… Are
you doing the correct type of training to create this so called ‘afterburn’
effect? In this article you are going to find this out so read on to see if
you are training correctly.
First things first lets look at what the after-burn effect
actually is and how it works. The technical term given to this process is
called ‘excess post-exercise oxygen consumption’ (EPOC). This might give you a
little clue as to what it involves!
After we finish
exercising Oxygen is required in greater amounts to help with recovery and
allow our bodies to return to a normal/resting state.
Some of these processes include:
-
Replenishment of Oxygen stores
-
ATP re-Synthesis
-
Creatine re-synthesis
-
Lactic Acid Removal
The list also goes on.
In order for the body to carry out these processes oxygen is
required and it requires energy to increase oxygen consumption and therefore we
are burning more calories above what we would at rest.
So in a nutshell this is the ‘After-burn’ effect.
How long does this
process last? Research and studies carried out show that this can last anywhere
from 10 – 72 hours after you finish your workout!
But here’s the thing… This isn’t going to happen from every
workout you do. It is all going to boil down to the intensity and type of training
you do. So let’s see how many extra calories you could be burning each week.
Which type of
training provides a better ‘after-burn’ effect… Cardio or Weight Lifting?
Looking at cardio first, the route to go down here is of
course High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The only reason you should
perform cardio for long durations at a continuous speed is if you are training
for a marathon for example.
HIIT is also so consistent with speeding up fat loss and
preserving/building our muscle and strength so this should be your go-to for
cardio.
But how effective is
HIIT in creating an afterburn effect?
The benefit of HIIT workouts is that we are going to be able
to perform several of them a week alongside our weight lifting program and they
allow us to improve our bodies ability to use oxygen for energy (VO2 Max).
However to be considered anywhere near worthwhile it is
recommended that you perform at least 3 – 5 HIIT sessions a week lasting around
20-25 minutes per session. By doing this you can expect to burn around an extra
400 Kcals alone.
Which type of HIIT training is most effective then?
One of the most effective methods of HIIT training that can
be used for creating an afterburn effect is Tabata Training. Here’s why…
Tabata training involves 20 second interval bursts of all
out maximum intensity followed by a 10 second rest period, which is then
repeated 8 times making each round of Tabata 4 minutes. It will generally
involve large compound movements such as sprints, jump squats, plyometric
press-ups.
Since the interval period is only 20 seconds this allows us
to reach and train at maximum effort and in order to continue to burn calories
after our workout studies show our metabolic rate needs to be at an extremely
high level making Tabata an excellent option for these reasons.
So how does Weight
Lifting compare?
Once again the point to consider here is the intensity and
type of weight lifting workout you do.
Do you lift at 85% or above of your 1 rep max for most
exercises?
Because if not then you’re unlikely to be making any
significant post workout calorie expenditure.
This was found with research that compared people who
trained with lighter weights (around 45-65% of their 1 rep max) against those
who trained with 85% of their 1 rep max.
The research showed that people who focused more on heavy
lifting burned hundreds more calories post work out than people who trained
with lighter weights.
So you do the math! What type of weight lifting is going to
be better suited to burning fat away?
Of course when you lift heavier you will perform less
repetitions usually in the 3 – 5 rep range.
Is lifting at 85% of your 1 rep max suitable for women
though? A lot of women get concerned about lifting heavy weights in case they
get bulky. Well here’s the truth…
Of course women can
train with heavy weights. If you are after that toned look then as long as
you place yourself in a calorie deficit and eat the correct foods then you will
burn the fat away and reveal a toned look that you are after.
If you need help working out how to place yourself in a
calorie deficit then my personalized nutrition plan will get you on track by
clicking here.
So is the After-burn
effect really such an important part of fat loss or is it just a myth?
Truth be told the majority of calories you are going to burn
will come directly from the workout itself and also from building extra muscle
that will help increase your calorie expenditure.
However if you get it right as mentioned above the
after-burn effect can certainly assist you in your fat loss goals. In order for
EPOC to burn something meaningful such as an extra 1000-1500 Kcals a week from
this process alone then you will need to be hitting in between 3-5 sessions of
both HIIT and Heavy weightlifting.
So the bottom line is. Combine the two and you could watch
the weight fall off and get that toned physique you are working hard for.
If you need any help structuring a combined exercise program
that will help you achieve this then my online training programs could be
perfect for you so just click here.
Until next time…
E
