How Many Calories Do You Really Burn Once Your Workout Is Over?

It’s quite a norm that after you might have undergone an intense track workout, it happens that in one way or the other you would have released a significant number of calories in the body. Even as this seem to be true in most cases, what we often fail to realize that even after the intense workout the body never relent in burning out those calories. The process of continuous calorie release is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption abbreviated as EPOC. It can also be generally referred to as the "after burn effect".

In view of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, the effects are said to be a factor that can affect runners in their respective areas.

This article will mainly highlight the basics of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption for runners.

What is excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)?

Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is a process the body undergoes immediately you perform an exercise. During exercise, the body make use of oxygen to produce the energy. And while he body is responsible for producing oxygen, it also depends on the intensity of the exercise. The more intense, the more the energy required and the more the calories burnt.

Automatically after every exercise, the body is expected to perform some demanding task. To recuperate the body. These tasks include the balancing of the hormones, filling the fuel storage, and repairing the tissue and muscles all in the bid to make the body return to its main state. However, in order to achieve this tasks more energy is needed. This is why the body continues to burn calories even after the intense workout in order to generate the energy needed to revitalize the body to its normal state.

How does EPOC affect runners?

As a runner, it is noteworthy to be informed that the more intense the workouts you subject your body to, the more the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) you tend to have. In order for EPOC to have more excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), it requires that you exercise your muscles to a point of fatigue. So exercises like speed work or strength workouts will definitely help you to reach a point of fatigue where by you have more EPOC.

Moreover, the amount of calorie loss and EPOC gained by lay man will burn cannot be compared to that of a runner. This is because of the fact that a runner often exceeds normal workouts and most times participate in intense activities. In view of this, a moderate workout will have a low EPOC effect of an average of 2-10 hours compared to a whooping EPOC effect on a runner.

Considering the effectiveness of EPOC to the well-being of the body, it is therefore an awesome idea for a runner to incorporate high intensity workouts in their respective workouts sessions. High intensity workouts include the likes of speed work, weight lifting and many others. Beyond the efficiency of the workouts to increase EPOC effects, it also boosts endurance, flexibility, speed, strength, and capacity of a runner.