subject: EPOC - what is it? [print this page] What is EPOC and what has it got to do with exercise and fat loss? It sounds strange to say it and even more strange to know that such a short little acronym can have such an effect on the fitness industry.
For those of you that have never heard of EPOC before it stands for Excess Post-exercise Energy Consumption. Quite a mouthful isn't it. From such a short word, to a very long definition.
In this part of the book I will explain exactly what EPOC is and how it works and then hopefully by the end of it you will realise that you don't need to spend long wasted periods of time on a cardio machine tryingto burn calories in order to lose that stubborn body fat.
Excess post-exercise energy consumption is basically the amount of calories you burn at rest. It's a measurably increased rate of oxygen intake following strenuous activity intended to erase the body's 'oxygen debt'. By strenuous I mean hard interval training for 15-20 minutes and not a wasted 45 minutes on a x-trainer or a slow jog on the treadmill.
In recovery, oxygen (EPOC) is used in the processes that restore the body to a resting state and adapt it to the exercise just performed. These include hormone balancing, replenishment of fuel stores, cellular repair, innovation and anabolism.
EPOC is accompanied by an elevated consumption of fuel. In response to exercise, fat stores are broken down and free fatty acids (FFA) are released into the blood. In recovery, the direct oxidation of free fatty acids as fuel and the energy consuming re conversion of FFA's back into fat stores both take place.
Studies have shown that the EPOC effect exists after both anaerobic exercise and aerobic exercise but all studies comparing the 2 show that anaerobic exercise increases EPOC more than aerobic exercise does. Anaerobic exercise in the form of High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T) was also found to burn up to 9 times more fat even though the amount of calories burnt during exercise was half as many.
So as you can see it is a case of less is better. How happy would that make you feel knowing that you would only need to get on the bike or the treadmill for 15 -20 minutes, work hard for less than half that time yet burn fat 9 times more than your neighbour who was on there machine before you started and is still on there now you have finished. The other good part and maybe better still is that you will still be burning calories the following afternoon whilst sitting on the sofa watching the TV!!!!
