Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption Explained (EPOC)

Did you know that a 60-minute workout can help you burn calories throughout the day? Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption is a concept that can be beneficial when it comes to high-density workout. It is also a key player in weight loss and weight management. Read along to understand how EPOC works.

Understanding EPOC?

EPOC is the volume of oxygen that your body consumes after a session of workout that is beyond the pre-workout oxygen consumption control level. Usually, our bodies consume more oxygen post-workout than pre-workout. You will need to use up more calories during recovery from the workout than you do pre-workout.

Why does this happen?

After a session of workout, your body must stabilize or return to a resting state. During the recovery process, your body will need energy, and this explains why more calories are consumed post-workout than pre-workout. The body goes through various functions during EPOC, according to Reynolds & Kravitz (2001). These include

• Renewal of energy resources
• Reduction in body temperature
• Replenishment of circulatory hormones
• Resumption of normal heart and breathing rate, and
• Blood re-oxygenation

How long does EPOC last?

According to Vella & Kravitz, 2004, the body can take between 15 minutes to 48 hours to recover fully from working out. However, no available research has answered this question fully. Many of the available studies analyzed the consumption of oxygen within 24 hours after exercise. Previous studies have shown that you can enhance oxygen consumption by up to 24 hours post-workout.

How much does EPOC Enhance Your Caloric Expenditure?

Research has not produced conclusive results when it comes to the general impact of EPOC after a single session of workout. The reason for this is that various factors contribute to the increased caloric expenditure, such as duration and intensity of exercise, the form of exercise, the individual’s fitness level, research methodology, and gender.

Generally, most of the available research indicates an additional energy consumption of between 50 to 200 calories as a result of the EPOC after interval and resistance training. Remember, a high amount of calories were consumed during the actual workout session. Learn more about the effects of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

What is the Impact of Workout on Epoc?

High concentration or prolonged duration resistance and cardiorespiratory exercise evoke the highest EPOC response. It is worth mentioning that the higher the intensity and the more the workout interrupt your homeostasis, the higher the duration and magnitude of EPOC post-workout.

With MYZONE, you can determine your workout intensity. You can think about exercising along the Red and Yellow areas as having the highest impact on EPOC. While longer workout sessions usually evoke a higher EPOC response than shorter ones, workout intensity is a key to EPOC.

Various forms of workout have been favored for augmenting EPOC effects. According to Vella & Kravitz (2004), these include:

• Tempo Training
• Heavy Resistance Training
• Interval Training
• Circuit Resistance Training

Main Takeaway for Exercise Enthusiasts

Here is what you can learn from EPOC

• EPOC seems to have a limited impact on overall caloric consumption

• Cardiorespiratory workout in the Red and Yellow zones, heavy resistance training, and circuit resistance appear to have the most impact on EPOC.

• The types of workouts that enhance the duration and magnitude of EPOC have numerous additional fitness and health benefits. It is crucial to include them in training programs when applicable. Circuits, heavy resistance, and intervals training are critical for you.

• You may not be consuming a high number of calories after one exercise session. However, more calories are consumed because EPOC can accumulate over time to boost your weight management goals. For instance, let us assume you participated in three exercises a week with an average EPOC impact of 100 calories per workout. In this case, you would be burning an additional 300 calories more than the amount you burned during your exercise sessions.