Thursday 2 June 2016

How The Afterburn Effect Actually Works

We’ve all heard a trainer or group instructor talk about how the workout we’re doing will keep us burning calories for days after we’re done. Sounds like a weight-loss dream come true. But how legit is this mythical afterburn effect? We talked to the experts to drill down what’s going on inside our bodies and how to get the most out of each and every workout.

What exactly does “afterburn” mean?

The afterburn effect is formally called EPOC, meaning excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, Cris Dobrosielski C.S.C.S., C.P.T., spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and founder of Monumental Results, tells SELF. After working out at a high intensity, your body needs to take in oxygen at a higher rate than it did pre-exercise so it can cool down, repair itself, and return to its resting state. “This requires the body and metabolism to work at a higher rate, so it continues to burn calories,” Dobrosielski explains. The exact amount will vary for each person, but research from ACE notes that EPOC can increase calorie burn by six to 15 percent.

What workouts boost afterburn the most?

High-intensity resistance training or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are the most effective for upping caloric burn post-workout. “Fundamentally, the most effective moves are multi-joint compound exercises,” Dobrosielski says. So rather than doing just a bicep curl, do a squat plus a curl, making it a compound exercise. Burpees, squats with a lateral raise, and jump lunges or jump squats are all good examples of dynamic, compound moves. What makes these moves effective is the level of exertion they require (spoiler: a lot). If you’re healthy, work out regularly, and aren’t injured, “a general gauge is you need to be somewhere between level eight and 10 on a perceived exertion scale,” Dobrosielski says. That means reaching that point where you don’t think you can even bang out one more rep you’re so spent.

The post How The Afterburn Effect Actually Works appeared first on SELF.

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