Do you know that after finishing an intense exercise, your muscle cells maintain working arduous to burn fats? This magical course of is named the “afterburn impact.” Your metabolism revs up and expedites weight reduction throughout this post-workout relaxation interval. Fairly cool, proper? We’re right here to let how one can harness the afterburn impact and supercharge your weight-loss efforts.
The precise scientific time period for the afterburn is extra post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). “Following an intense exercise, the physique continues to expend vitality at larger charges because it returns to its baseline resting state,” explains Sydney Yeomans, NASM-CPT and director of health for BODY20.
Yeomans compares EPOC to the engine of a automotive. After the automotive runs for an extended distance, its engine stays heat for some time after. “Within the context of human metabolism, think about muscle groups because the ‘fat-burning engine.’ Simply as an engine takes time to chill post-drive, your metabolism and muscle groups want time to return to pre-exercise ranges,” Yeomans says. Therefore, after your exercise is a really productive calorie-burning time that you just completely wish to reap the benefits of.
Because you’re placing effort into understanding anyway, let’s talk about how one can maximize your calorie burn with the afterburn impact.
How will you use the afterburn impact to hurry up weight reduction?
The easiest way to reap the rewards of the afterburn impact is to deal with rising the depth of your exercises extra so than its length. A main instance is performing high-intensity interval coaching (HIIT), which entails brief bursts of intense train paired with lower-intensity restoration workouts or relaxation intervals. Analysis signifies that HIIT can lead to weight loss and substantially reduce abdominal fat.
After your HIIT exercise, your physique would require extra oxygen, which is when the afterburn impact kicks into excessive gear. Now, let’s get again to the automotive engine comparability.
Yeomans tells us, “[If] one drove a brief distance at excessive speeds, the engine would warmth up quicker and take longer to chill than if one drove a extra prolonged distance at a slower tempo. This analogy [also] holds for our metabolic ‘engine,’ explaining why HIIT, with its high-intensity bursts, usually leads to extended EPOC.”
One other wonderful strategy to harness the afterburn impact is by participating in an everyday power coaching routine. This entails working along with your physique weight, resistance bands, or weights like dumbbells or kettlebells. Analysis exhibits that power or resistance coaching is useful for building and maintaining muscle mass, which in flip helps boost your resting metabolic rate even after the exercise is full.
Though HIIT or power coaching provides you with the most important bang in your buck, if strolling is extra your pace, think about selecting up the tempo and jogging calmly or energy strolling.
Alexa Mellardo