Last night I hit the gym with my buddy Dave for a workout.  It was one of my typical workouts … high intensity, full-body exercises, very short rests, LOTS of sweat, some trouble breathing from time to time and the best part – done in 34 minutes!

And as much as I loved the workout, the best part is that while I’m sitting here sipping my Grande Pike (black with 2 Splenda) I’m still burning extra calories almost 12 hours after we completed that workout.

What I’m talking about is the concept of “after burn”

After burn is another term used to describe a different term, Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC).

Burn Baby, Burn!

Without making you scratch your head too much, after burn is simply a period of time after the completion of a workout where your body is burning calories at an elevated rate.

During that time following exercise, oxygen is used in processes at an elevated rate to help restore your body to a resting state.  These processes include hormone balancing, replenishing your energy fuel stores, cellular repair and anabolism (the building of new muscle … YAY!).

This elevation in oxygen use is accompanied by an elevation in the consumption of your body’s fuel and, more importantly, the use of subcutaneous fat as an energy source.  While this type of fat isn’t the most unhealthy (that would be the fat in and around your organs – visceral fat – YUCK!), it is the type of fat that everyone sees and the type that everyone wants to lose most.

This after burn can be created by doing literally almost any type of exercise …

BUT … Studies have been conducted that show performing high-intensity exercise (especially in the form of interval training) create a significantly greater after burn effect than performing steady state cardio.

Confusing I know …

But the fat remains that when you perform short bursts of high-intensity strength training exercise, for every calorie that you expend doing so, there will be a nine fold loss in subcutaneous fat, as compared to doing that looooonnngggg, boooorrriiinnngg steady state cardio that most people do at the gym.

Probably the best news in all of this is that a VERY SMALL fraction of this is taken up from the lower extremities, meaning that the belly fat that we so vehemently abhor (big words, I know), is a prime source for fuel in the hours following high-intensity bouts of exercise.

There is a “catch-22″ in this though … Sorry

In order to achieve this after burn … This “Holy Grail” of fat loss, if you will … You MUST exercise at a high intensity.

So how intense is considered “highly intense”???

If you don’t have access to a heart rate monitor, then use the talk test.  When you’re exercising, if you can hold anything even remotely considered a conversation with someone, you’re not working hard enough.  If you can get a couple words before you have to get your breath, then you’re on the right track, keep it up!

If you do have a heart rate monitor, then strap that sucker on.  First, you need to figure out your maximum heart rate.  Pretty simple, just use the formula below:

1,487.992 x 000.194 (13 + 12.08993) – 164.24 x 193 / 12.493

Or you can use this much simpler one I crafted just for you …

220 – your age = your maximum heart rate

So now you have your maximum heart rate.  This is actually a nice way to find out how old that girl or guy is at the gym you’ve been checking out too … “Hey, excuse me, I was wondering, what’s your maximum heart?”

(I’m a little different, though, I’ve found a unique way for mine to remain at 199 for the last 12 years of my life)

So anyway … Now take your maximum heart rate and multiply it by 0.8 (example below)

185 x 0.8 = 148 BPM (beats per minute)

So we now know that 80% of this person’s max heart rate is 148 BMP, and this person should attempt to keep his / her heart rate at or above this rate during all exercises (this does not include rest periods – they are meant for bringing the heart rate down slightly).

I will tell you that getting yourself to work at a high intensity can be tough to achieve, especially if you’ve never experienced it before.  And the fact of the matter is, MOST PEOPLE DO NOT exercise at the right intensity, even when they attempt to do so.

I frequently see this in my boot camps.  Simply performing the exercises of a high intensity program isn’t enough.  You have to actually put forth TREMENDOUS effort, find that inner strength & drive and push yourself to the limit on each and every set.

If, at the end of your workout, you’re

1. Sweating PROFUSELY
2. COMPLETELY winded & out of breath
3. FEELING life you’re on top of the world & you can do ANYTHING

Then the chances are, you just got in a killer high-intensity workout.

Next time you workout, I want you to step out of your comfort zone and attempt to create an intense “after burn”.  Let me know how it feels when you’re done below ….

Committed to Your Health & Fitness,

Corey

F.I.T. Boot Camps & Corey House Fitness

(518) 227 – 0154

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