EXCESS POST-EXERCISE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (EPOC)

EXCESS POST-EXERCISE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION (EPOC)

One of the main objectives of the human

body is to expend as little energy as

possible. To do so, it must readily adapt

to the demands placed on it. Fortunately,

the human body is a highly adaptable

organism, with the capability to streamline

physical and mental demands over time,

using minimal energy. A health and fitness

professional must understand this principle

and be able to use it to produce desirable

results in the client.

One way a health and fitness professional

can combat this is by maximizing the caloric

expenditure of a training session. This is made

easier by maximizing the O2 consumption

needed for the duration of (as well as the recovery

from) the training session. This recovery oxygen

consumption is know as excess post-exercise

oxygen consumption (EPOC).




EPOC is simply the state in which the

body's metabolism is elevated after exercise.

This means that the body is burning more

calories after exercise than before the exercise

was initiated. Think of EPOC as a caloric

afterburner that is caused by exercise (much

like a car engine stays warm for a period of time

after it has been driven.) After exercise, the body

must increased amounts of oxygen to replenish

energy supplies, lower tissue temperature, and

return the body to a resting state.




Research has indicated that the higher the

intensity( percentage of VO2 max or percentage

of HR max )of the training session, the greater

the magnitude of EPOC. Furthermore, it has

been shown that splitting the training session

into multiple sessions (usually two) of equal time

has the greatest effect on EPOC.




So if your goal is body fat reduction, you need to

focus on burning calories, not burning fat. Its is

also important to understand that one must

expend more calories than is consumed to

lower body fat (law of thermodynamics).




The body is designed to expend as little

energy as possible. This can be avoided by

maximizing the caloric expenditure of a

training session and, thus the excess post-exercise

oxygen consumption (EPOC). The body will

continue to burn more calories after exercise

than before exercise initiated. Increased intensity

and splitting training session into multiple

sessions will both result in higher EPOC.

Source: National Academy of Sports Medicine



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