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When you make the most out of your workouts and go hard, you'll reap the benefits of your afterburn. Afterburn is also known as EPOC (post-exercise oxygen consumption). This means after an intense workout, your body consumes an increased level of oxygen and calories it needs to recover from working out. A high-intensity workout raises your metabolism and stays heightened for a longer period of time. This is the afterburn, and the more you generate the more weight you will lose. So how do you generate the most afterburn?
Best Workouts To Maximize Afterburn
Cardio, duration, and intensity are key when it comes to EPOC and afterburn. Strength training and your fitness level will also come into play. Many believe that just two short 20-minute workouts like HIIT training at a high intensity create the most afterburn compared to one continuous workout. Here are the best 20-25 minute workouts that will maximize your calorie burn during and long after your exercise.
HIIT
High-intensity interval training or (HIIT), is one of the most efficient ways to burn maximum calories in short spurts of time. When doing HIIT, the goal is to reach 80% of your maximum heart rate and then perform intervals of low intensity immediately after. There are many forms of HIIT you can do such as; sprinting, rowing machines, treadmill training, Tabata, or cycling.
Circuit Training
Practically any form of circuit training will give you a longer-lasting afterburn effect. Circuit training is the act of alternating exercises between the lower and upper body to increase the blood flow all around the body. The more oxygen your body needs, the more calories you will burn during and after your workout. A circuit training workout will consist of rotating from strength training to cardio with little rest in between.
Strength Training
Cardio isn't the only way to produce a greater EPOC response. Rigorous strength training alone can increase your afterburn. However, when it's combined with cardio exercise your afterburn can skyrocket. When strength training, perform supersets to maximum your afterburn. A superset is performing two exercises back to back with no rest. Example, do 3 sets of 15 squats and immediately go into 3 sets of 15 deadlifts with dumbbells.
I recently started to lift heavier weights after years of lighter weights. And I am pretty surprised at home much later in the day I can still feel the effects of the "burn". Would you recommend an increase in cardio or HIIT to burn more fat?
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