If you’ve visited our blog before, you’ve probably seen the term EPOC. EPOC, or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, is a physiological phenomenon that can enhance your workout results in some interesting ways. It’s a tool our in-home and virtual personal trainers in Toronto, Collingwood, London, Hamilton and Ottawa (and virtual personal trainers everywhere) often take advantage of, depending on client goals. In this blog, we’ll break down what EPOC is, how it works, and how it can help you achieve your fitness goals.

The Afterburn Effect: The Basics

EPOC, sometimes referred to as the “afterburn effect,” is the process of your body continuing to burn calories after exercise. When you engage in physical activity, especially high-intensity exercise, your body uses oxygen to fuel your muscles and sustain energy production. After exercise, your body needs to restore itself to its resting state, which requires additional oxygen.

This process requires energy, which means your body burns additional calories after your workout, even at rest. “Tracy Wehrman, an exercise physiologist at Maximized Potential, likes to tell people to picture EPOC this way: You go on a run with your dog and he suddenly breaks free to chase after a squirrel. “Your casual jog turns into a sprint to catch him. After three minutes, you finally get a hold of the leash again but are exhausted and have to find a bench to sit on and catch your breath.” If the casual run is your body’s regular state of operation, and the sprint is your workout, then EPOC is happening while you’re posted up on that bench” (Women’s Health, 2020).

THE BENEFITS

While an extra calorie burn can be highly beneficial if you’re pursuing weight loss, EPOC can also enhance your resting metabolic rate and increase fat oxidation (which promotes fat as a primary energy source during recovery), both aiding in fat-loss. Additionally, the intense nature of EPOC-inducing workouts can improve your cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, and endurance.

EXERCISE

If the EPOC advantage is helpful for a client, our in-home and virtual personal trainers utilize high-intensity and/or resistance-based exercises, as they tend to generate a greater afterburn effect. Short bursts of intense activity followed by brief rest periods, heavy compound movements, and circuit training are all particularly effective for creating EPOC, as these activities place significant demands on your muscles. The duration of EPOC depends on your current fitness and workout intensity, but “research has shown that various modes of exercise may elicit significant increases in resting metabolism for up to 24 hours post-exercise” (National Library of Medicine, 2021). While the calorie burn during EPOC is not as high as during the exercise itself, it contributes to overall energy expenditure, supporting weight-loss and overall fitness. That said, regular exercise is key. It’s best to aim for at least 3 high-intensity workouts per week to maintain the afterburn over time.

FINAL WORDS

EPOC is a powerful tool for those pursuing weight-loss or looking to improve their fitness. “HIIT and the concomitant EPOC can be part of an integrated exercise program; however, one should consider their exercise goals and if HIIT training can be used, in part, to achieve those goals, or if it will adversely affect recovery and predispose one to injury and over-training” (NASM, 2021). This is where the expertise of an in-home or virtual personal trainer comes in handy. If you’re interested in taking advantage of advanced exercise techniques like EPOC, Nielsen Fitness is here to help! Our team specializes in smart exercise programming to help clients of all fitness levels achieve their goals in a realistic, efficient, and individualized manner. Book your free first workout and initial consultation today!