Does Weight Training Really Give You More Afterburn?

The afterburn is the name given colloquially to your energy expenditure after you've stopped exercising. The exercise physiologists call this "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)," which is just another name for an increase in metabolism in the hours after exercise. Training in a way that increases the afterburn was said to be a great way to lose weight -- fat weight.

This debate has been going on for many years, and for a while, weight training and high-intensity exercise, compared to cardio, seemed to be the "flavor of the month" for EPOC. But now, after a few scientific reviews and more rational evaluation, the numbers just don't stack up.

It's true that high-intensity exercise is a powerful driver of EPOC, but the thing is, you have to do enough of it to make it significant. It's just not possible to train at very high intensities -- greater than 85% of maximum heart rate for example -- for long periods of time, unless you are very fit to start with. The paradox is that if you are capable of this sort of training, you probably don't need to lose weight!

Some forms of weight training, and interval training of short bursts allows you to train at very high intensity (HIIT), but then you have to take a break before you do it again. However, cardio for 30 or 40 minutes non-stop just keeps those calories turning over for the duration of the exercise.

Ultimately, unless you're fit enough to do lengthy stretches of high-intensity or interval training, you won't match the energy expenditure during the activity of, say, 30 to 40 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio. Even though the HIIT will ramp up the afterburn, you will likely be too far behind in energy expenditure during the activity for it to make a difference.

And the solution? Do all three: weight training, moderate-intensity cardio and high-intensity intervals or a circuit. Start modestly with the HIIT (few repetitions) and ramp it up as you get fitter. That'll do it, I guarantee it.