One of the primary bases upon which the superiority of HIIT is based is the idea of the calorie afterburn that occurs after training. Technically this is called the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption or EPOC. Since it relates to the topic of steady state vs. interval training, I want to examine it here.
Recovery from a bout of exercise is associated with an elevation in metabolism referred to as the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). A number of investigators in the first half of the last century reported prolonged EPOC durations and that the EPOC was a major component of the thermic effect of activity. It was therefore thought that the EPOC was a major contributor to total daily energy expenditure and hence the maintenance of body mass.
Investigations conducted over the last two or three decades have improved the experimental protocols used in the pioneering studies and therefore have more accurately characterized the EPOC.… Keep Reading