The Exercise After Burn: How it Can Help You Burn More Calories

A thirty minute session of fast paced aerobics can get the heart pumping while burning fat and calories at the same time. But, wouldn't it be nice if you could continue to burn fat at a higher rate even after you stop exercising? The good news is that you can. During a high intensity exercise session, your body works harder to meet the additional demands placed on it. To do this, basal metabolism is increased so that fat is burned at a faster rate to provide fuel for the hard working muscles. Once exercise stops, the body doesn't recover right away. It continues to burn fat and calories at a higher rate for minutes or hours afterwards, depending on how long and intense the session was. This is what is known as the exercise after burn.

The Exercise After Burn Can Help You Lose Weight

If you have a few extra pounds to lose, the exercise after burn can work in your favor. In addition to the calories and fat burned during exercise, you can reap the benefits of a higher metabolic rate even after exercise is stopped. If an exercise session was long or intense, the body can potentially spend hours in its recovery phase while burning calories at a higher rate.

What Determines the Degree of Exercise After Burn?

The primary factor seems to be aerobic exercise intensity. Simply put, the harder you work during an aerobics training session, the more calories you'll burn after stopping. Exercise after burn appears to be greater with intermittent periods of intense exercise rather than a single, longer session all at the same intensity. Interval training involving ten to fifteen minute short bursts of exercise separated by periods of rest is an ideal way to get the benefits of a prolonged after burn. Although weight training is associated with exercise after burn, it's less than that experienced with intense aerobic exercise. Training with heavier weights and doing circuit training produces the greatest non-aerobic after burn.

How Hard Do You Have to Exercise to Benefit From Exercise After Burn?

To get a significant exercise after burn, you need to get your heart rate up to seventy to eighty percent of maximal heart rate. Time appears to be an important element also. If you only do a twenty minute session, you'll obviously get less after burn than if you do a forty or sixty minute session. Interval training, consisting of short, very intense sessions interspersed with periods of rest, is an effective way to maximize after burn. Another way is to split your routine into two different sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening to keep the metabolism working at peak capacity over a longer period of time.

A Word of Caution

Although exercise after burn can be highly effective when it comes to weight loss, high intensity workouts should be limited to twice a week to allow the body to fully recover. It's important to work at your own pace and not try to do too much too soon. Always check with your doctor before starting an intense exercise program.