How to use the EPOC effect in favor of slimming –

You must have heard around that physical exercises can stimulate the body to burn more calories even after the effort. But why exactly does this occur, and how can this effect be further enhanced?

EPOC EFFECT

The acronym, in English, stands for Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption. According to personal trainer Waldyr Maciel, technical manager of Les Cinq Gym @lescinqgymin São Paulo, this process occurs after a perfect metabolic workout, which unites all the elements we need to metabolically charge the body and make it an effective fat “burner” for life.

But what exactly does this mean? After an intense stimulus of a physical activity, the organism suffers certain muscular, metabolic, hormonal and bioenergetic “wear and tear”. Such wear and tear is produced by body catabolism (that is, part of metabolism that degrades organic matter to obtain energy).

“After physical exertion, a higher rate of energy is used than normal to recover from the wear and tear produced during training. Thus, when you raise the metabolism in a physical activity that requires maximum effort, the body continues to burn calories at a higher rate than normal, even after the end of the exercise”, explains the expert.

The more we make use of training that stimulate this process, we considerably improve our physiological functions (maintenance and functioning of the nervous, pulmonary, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems) at rest. “This also enables an increase in VO2Max: the highest rate of oxygen consumption that we can achieve when performing exhausting exercises.”

HOW TO INCREASE THE EPOC EFFECT

EPOC effect time may vary. Aerobic activities (a one-hour walk, for example) can keep energy expenditure at full steam for about an hour after finishing training (depending on the practitioner’s profile, of course).

Bodybuilding is able to extend this period for 12 or even 24 hours. But the champion is HIIT (high-intensity interval training): with it, it is possible to keep your metabolism high for about 48 hours after the session!

“High-intensity training with short intervals — such as HIIT — greatly raises heart rate, leads to fatigue within minutes and, as it produces more substances resulting from the metabolic process, requires more time for the body to recover. Therefore, the EPOC is higher”, says Waldyr Maciel.