August Fitness Notes
EPOC and Weight Management
Brad Boelkens, B.A., NASM-CPT Fitness Manager, CHBFC-Crystal Lake
Have you considered EPOC in the practice of weight management? What is EPOC?? EPOC stands for Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption. Practically speaking, it is the amount of oxygen your body consumes after exercise. You may be asking, “What does that have to do with weight management?” Well, let me explain.
Immediately after exercise, your body begins to restore itself back to its pre-exercise state. During this process of restoration following exercise, your body consumes oxygen at an elevated rate, and therefore uses more energy/calories at an elevated rate, up to 3 hours or more after exercise. The more intense the exercise, the more energy your body uses to return itself back to normal. Intermittent, high-intensity types of exercise (interval training) produces a significant impact on EPOC over low-moderate intensity types of exercise (continuous aerobic exercise). Our Cardio-max program is perfect for learning how to incorporate this type of training into your workout.
Also, recent research has studied the effects of resistance weight training (weight lifting) on EPOC. The evidence has shown a relationship between the intensity level of weight training and metabolic rate. As the weight lifting intensity increases, so does the EPOC. The research also suggests that high intensity resistance training has a larger energy requirement than continuous aerobic training in men and women as the body restores itself back to normal.
If your goal is to get your body to become a fat-burning machine, you must consider intermittent, high-intensity cardio training. To maximize your exercise sessions, I recommend including both interval training and high-intensity resistance training in your workouts. If you need some professional guidance and direction in how to do this in the most efficient and safe manner, please see our certified Fitness Coaches at Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Centers or contact the Fitness Manager in Crystal Lake at (815) 444-2948 or in Huntley at (847) 802-7015.
