Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption

Turns out Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption or EPOC, is what matters most when it comes to subcutaneous fat-loss and overall calories burned.

EPOC is specifically defined as the period following higher-intensity, anaerobic exercise when the body is recovering from 'oxygen-debt.' In a broader sense though, it includes the extended recovery period for up to 24 hours following very intense exercise when the body is releasing anabolic & fat-burning hormones, such as GH & testosterone, releasing fatty-acids to use for energy and to help replenish gylcogen stores.

The convenient & amazing part of EPOC though, is it does not take long duration training to achieve it. In fact High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which applies high intensity bursts of exercise followed by immediate recovery and then repeat, may achieve the greatest level of EPOC. Effective HIIT training can be completed in 20 minutes time!

The key is HIGH-intensity where a HR of at least 85% of your max is achieved on the working phase, so that lactic-acid accumulation occurs within the muscles. In fact, even one working set to lactic acid FAILURE will create a significant EPOC post-effect, to include Growth Hormone release.

Classic HIIT examples include stair-training and even tire-flipping!...Lactic acid burn is KEY!

Calories burned during actual exercise is NOT what is most important: This is because low-intensity, purely aerobic (fat for fuel), training does not tend to produce an EPOC effect following, so your metabolism is then not elevated for long after, as it is with high-intensity training in the anaerboic zone.

The 'fat-burning' training zone is almost useless for weight-loss, if you can not committ to train for at least an hour or more!

For more on miracle phenomenon of HIIT and EPOC please visit: http://www.maxwettstein.com/Training%20Plan/HIIT.htm

Sincerely,
Max