Afterburn Effect: What is it?

If you exercise and then often look up the latest research about exercising and the like, you are going to find that ‘afterburn effect’ is often talked about. What is the afterburn effect? How does it occur? Check out everything that you need to know about this term.

What is the afterburn effect?

The afterburn effect is basically the term for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Basically, when you workout and are burning calories during this workout, after you stop working out and start going back to daily life, even if you are sitting and typing at a desk, then the calories are still burning. Most people compare this to how you have driven somewhere and the car engine still stays warm after you have stopped and turned off the car. In this situation, the car is your body. Basically, the result of the afterburn effect is that you keep burning calories even after you have stopped working out, benefiting your body even more.

Studies have been shown that this afterburn effect can last up to 24 hours after the exercise takes place. However, this is only when you are doing high intensity exercises for longer periods of time. Taking a 10 minute spin on the elliptical is not going to produce those kinds of results.

When does the afterburn effect occur?

The afterburn effect is going to occur after you have stopped working out. However, remember that you are going to make this effect last longer and do your body better when you do high intensity workouts. Are you going to get this effect should you take a short walk around the park? No! If you are going to run a few miles on the treadmill and then start lifting weights, then yes, you are going to experience this afterburn effect.

For those who are interested in ensuring that they get the afterburn effect, here are some exercises that have been shown to help get this:

1. Cycling for 30 minutes, with 30 seconds of high intensity and 30 seconds off throughout the entire 30 minutes.
2. Strength training circuit that you only rest in between each exercise that you do to work your muscle groups.
3. Swimming is a huge exercise for the afterburn effect. Those who do this often do 30 minutes in the water doing a variety of swims and then they really feel this effect for hours to come after done.