Lying on the couch after a workout and still burning calories? Sounds too good to be true, but it’s actually possible – thanks to the afterburn effect, also known as the ‘afterburn effect’. But what’s behind it and how can this effect be optimally utilised?
What is the Afterburn Phenomenon?
The Afterburn effect refers to the additional calorie burning that occurs after exercise. Your body continues to work at full capacity even after the workout, recovering and bringing all systems back to normal. This increased energy expenditure can last for hours, and in some cases, up to 48 hours. The technical term for this phenomenon is “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption” (EPOC).
What happens in the body?
After an intense workout, your body needs time to return to a resting state. During this process, several energy-consuming processes take place:
- Balancing oxygen debt: During intense exercise, your body enters an oxygen debt because the muscles consume more oxygen than your body can absorb. After the workout, this debt is repaid, which requires additional energy. Duration: 15 minutes to 1 hour.
- Muscle repair and growth: Micro-injuries in the muscles are repaired, leading to muscle adaptation and strengthening. This process also requires energy. Duration: 24-72 hours.
- Replenishing energy stores: Glycogen stores (carbohydrates in muscles and the liver) are replenished. Duration: 12-24 hours.
- Regulating body temperature: The body needs to cool down, which also requires energy. Duration: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Hormonal adjustments: After exercise, hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline are brought back to normal levels, consuming energy. Duration: 1-3 hours.
All these processes contribute to calorie burning after the workout.
How significant is the Afterburn Effect?
The Afterburn effect largely depends on the intensity and duration of the workout. For moderate sessions like a light long run, the effect is rather small. However, during intense intervals or long, demanding runs, it can be significantly more noticeable.
Studies show that the Afterburn effect can account for 6% to 15% of the calories burned during the workout in addition. So, if you burn 600 kcal during an intense workout, the Afterburn effect could burn an additional 60 to 90 kcal.
The Link Between Afterburn and Muscle Building
Muscle mass plays a crucial role in the Afterburn effect and your overall basal metabolic rate. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn – even at rest. Strength and stabilization training can therefore be a useful complement to your running training. Just 1-2 short sessions per week with exercises like squats, lunges, or planks not only strengthen your muscles but also help you burn more calories in the long run. A stronger body also means you can implement more intense running workouts, which further maximizes the Afterburn effect.
Afterburn Effect and Fat Burning
The Afterburn effect contributes to burning more calories after exercise, but most of the fat burning actually occurs during the workout itself, particularly at low to moderate intensity. So, if fat loss is your goal, longer steady runs are important. Intense sessions, on the other hand, maximize the Afterburn effect and help increase the calorie deficit, which is crucial for weight loss.
Important to Understand: Calorie consumption does not automatically mean fat burning. Depending on the intensity of the workout, your body uses different energy sources. At low intensity, the body prefers to burn fat as a fuel source. At higher intensity, it burns more carbohydrates. A calorie deficit is still necessary for fat loss, which is why the combination of moderate long runs and intense intervals provides the best balance for burning fat and benefiting from increased calorie consumption.
Afterburn and Different Fitness Levels
Not everyone benefits equally from the Afterburn effect:
- Beginners: For beginners, the Afterburn effect is often more pronounced, as the body isn’t yet used to the strain and recovery requires more energy.
- Intermediate or Advanced: For experienced runners, more intense stimuli are needed to achieve the same effect. A varied training plan with intense sessions helps challenge the body and keep it progressing.
Conclusion
To fully exploit the Afterburn effect, regularly incorporate intense sessions like intervals or tempo runs into your training plan. Complement your running training with strength and stabilization exercises, and ensure a balanced diet to support recovery. This way, you can maximize your calorie burn, both during the workout and afterward.
The Afterburn effect isn’t an excuse to eat poorly after training, but rather a nice bonus to further enhance the effects of your workout. So, lace up your running shoes and give your metabolism a little post-workout fireworks show!