Keep working your butt off for a post-exercise metabolism boost, the afterburn is real.
Lately, I have been reading articles that dismiss the ‘afterburn’ after exercise, which annoys me. I’ve had people come up to me and say that I have been wrong about prescribing high-intensity exercise as an intelligent and efficient way to lose weight.
The afterburn is a state of boosted calorie burning that is believed to happen after an intense workout of strength training or high-intensity exercise. Some new research shows that post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is lower than once thought. Readers of these articles are encouraged not to ‘be fooled’ by workouts that claim to boost metabolism.
With headlines like ‘Don’t bank on afterburn’ and “Don’t be fooled by that ‘afterburn’ pitch“, the media paints a picture of personal trainers as charlatans.
I understand that late-night infomercials pitch fitness equipment that is useless junk, and the infamous’ gym membership contract’ continues to do a disservice to the fitness industry. However, the afterburn debate must be crushed fast before people start trading their interval workouts for leisure walks.
The most recent article I read encouraged people to “add an extra 45-minute walk to your weekly schedule may be the best way to burn extra calories”. I agree that if you are new to fitness, high-intensity training is not a smart place to start, but it shouldn’t take long to get there.
Scientific research has led us in the wrong direction in the past (think margarine), so until the research supports what I see on the training room floor every single day, I’ll keep prescribing heavy-weight training workouts and short-duration, high-intensity interval workouts as the fastest route to fat loss.
You can see and feel the afterburn
After 25 years of working in fitness, here are five observations that prove that the afterburn is real and is the fastest way to lose weight.
- Insatiable hunger. Have you ever noticed that your appetite goes through the roof when you start training heavily or performing high-intensity training? I am starving for two days after a great leg workout or HIIT workout.
- Strength training frequency. Time and time again, I see dramatic changes to people’s physiques when they jump from two to three strength training workouts weekly. The same is not true when adding two or three weekly treadmill sessions.
- Soft aerobics instructors. I used to work in a women’ s-only fitness club. The club ran over 50 aerobics classes per week. Some instructors taught two or more classes per day; a few taught 12 or more weekly classes. Most of the ‘full-time’ instructors were still ‘soft.’ They had little muscle definition and never lost their belly. I remember three lean, shapely instructors with flat stomachs, great posture, and muscle definition. Those were the only three instructors I ever saw in the weight room.
- Hormones release. After completing a high-intensity interval training workout, you will notice a burst of energy and happiness. That’s the release of the ‘youth’ hormone that keeps you lean. Although walking in nature is lovely, you don’t get this type of hormone release with just a walk in the park.
- Nutrient uptake you can feel. Have you ever enjoyed an excellent high-intensity workout, and then after, while enjoying your post-workout replenishment meal, you could feel every cell in your body absorbing the nutrients? It’s exhilarating. That workout will take more than 15 minutes to recover from!
Strength training forever
As a holistic personal trainer, I include walking in nature in all my client’s programs because I think it is critical for their health and happiness, whether or not weight loss is important to them. However, for my weight-loss clients, I will always design a program that includes strength training and high-intensity interval training because the EPOC, or afterburn, is so powerful.
Happy Training,
Shari
Further reading
Dr. Mercola discusses Peak 8 training for maximum fat loss
How walking the dog made my butt flabby
TALBACK QUESTIONS
1) What is your favourite high-intensity workout?
2) Did you notice a huge physique change when you doubled your intensity but halved your time in the gym?
I started pumping iron and drinking green smoothies in my teens. Now a 40+ mama with 25 years of experience working in the fitness industry, I do things differently. What I discovered during my personal healing journey made me pivot in my approach as a personal fitness and wellness coach. Now I teach people how to sweat, nourish and glow from an entirely new perspective.