What’s better than a workout that helps you lose calories while doing it? Workouts that continue to burn calories even after you’re finished. Afterburn effect workouts do exactly that, boosting your metabolic rate and expending additional energy post sweat sesh. If you’re new to the concept of the afterburn effect, allow us to explain. Read on to learn more about its benefits and workouts you can do to burn as many calories as possible, even at rest.
What is the ‘Afterburn Effect’?
The ‘afterburn effect’ refers to the additional calories your body burns after you workout. Scientifically known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), there are certain workouts that elevate the metabolism even after your workout ends. During intense exercise your metabolic rate increases and when you stop, it doesn’t go back to resting right away. Instead, it remains elevated for a short time, causing additional energy expenditure and calorie burn.
The afterburn effect is highest right after your workout and the more intense your workout, the more expenditure it will take to return your body to its resting state. The key to inducing the afterburn effect is to do high intensity interval training (HIIT). These workouts consist of short rounds of intense work broken up by equally short recovery periods.
What Are the Benefits of Afterburn Effect Workouts?
1. Calorie and fat burning
2. Healthy weight loss and reduce the risk obesity
3. Help you build muscle and preserve lean body mass
4. Increase the efficiency at which your body uses oxygen during exercise
5. Improved insulin sensitivity and blood pressure
Which Type of Workouts Create the Afterburn Effect?
1. Cycling
Cycling combines lower body resistance training with cardiovascular endurance work. Doing an interval routine on your bike will ensure you not only burn fat during your workout session, but continue to burn fat at an accelerated rate after your ride. Cycling pushes your body to continue burning calories because your body is still working to repair and replenish your muscles.
2. Sprint Intervals
Sprint intervals are one of the best ways to burn body fat at an increased rate. They also increase muscle strength and cardio endurance. A sprint workout that alternates between intervals of full out sprinting and a jog or walk recovery is an effective way to trigger EPOC.
3. Plyometrics
Plyometrics or jump training, enhances your explosiveness, power and body control and are also excellent for the afterburn effect. During plyo workouts you exert a lot of effort during short periods by explosively contracting and stretching your muscles. Note that plyometrics aren’t for beginners or anyone with an injury as they could make it worse.
4. Strength Circuit Training
Strength circuit training is a style of workout where you cycle through several exercises targeting different muscle groups with minimal rest in between. It boosts your muscle strength, endurance and your cardiorespiratory system. Using challenging weights and shorter recovery intervals between exercises places greater demand on your body to replace energy during exercise.
5. Swimming
If you’re looking for a low-impact, total body afterburn workout, swimming may be just the thing for you. It builds endurance, strength and coordination and you can easily create an effective HIIT routine with swimming sprints and recoveries.
6 Afterburn Effect Workouts for Maximum Results
1. 30 Min HIIT Cardio Workout – All Standing – Full Body, No Equipment, No Repeats via growingannanas
This HIIT cardio workout will have you burning calories, sweating and having fun all at once! The routine consists of no-repeat exercises you can do anywhere, including sumo in-out jumps, alternating punch up jacks, butt kicks and surfer hops. You’ll do a warm up, 2 workout rounds with 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of recovery in between, and a cool down to end it off.
2. Easiest Way to Burn 1000 Calories! | 20 Minute Intense HIIT Workout * Treadmill via growwithjo
This 20 minute high intensity treadmill workout will help you burn fat and calories even after you workout. This workout is not for beginners, so if you’re not used to treadmill HIIT, we would suggest skipping this one until you’re more advanced. The workout burns between 200 to 300 calories during the 20 minutes you’re working out, but due to the thermogenic effect of HIIT workouts, you’ll burn 1,000+ calories throughout the day, even at rest.
3. 20 Min Plyo HIIT Workout at Home | Full Body Explosive Power via Caroline Girvan
This is another workout that’s not recommended if you’re new to exercise, and you should also steer clear of it if you’re injured. Otherwise, this HIIT jumping workout burns lots of calories, and also improves your strength, endurance and overall athleticism. You’ll perform exercises such as ¼ burpees, plyo lateral push ups, tuck jumps and cross over squat jumps. You’ll do the exercises for 20 seconds with a 20 second rest in between.
4. HIIT for Fat Loss | 20 Minute Stationary Bike Workout for Beginners via Kaleigh Cohen Cycling
If you’re a beginner looking for an effective stationary bike workout, we’ve got just the one for you. This routine is designed to help you burn fat and lose weight. You’ll perform a combination of rolling hills, sprints, jogs and climbs to really get your heart pumping and calories burning.
5. Full Body Strength Circuit Workout – Burn Fat and Sculpt Lean Muscle via Penny Barnshaw – Garage Fitness Girl
This is a full body strength circuit workout you can do at home to burn fat and sculpt lean muscle in just 30 minutes. You’ll need a variety of weighted dumbbells to complete 4 circuits and 3 rounds of each circuit. You’ll be working for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest in between and a 30 second rest between circuits. Follow along and reap all the afterburn benefits!
6. 25 Minute Full Body Plyo HIIT Workout (Advanced + No Equipment) via Juice & Toya
Follow along for a 25 minute full body plyo HIIT workout. It’s the perfect routine to get your heart rate up and take your bodyweight training to the next level. This is an advanced workout designed to elevate basic bodyweight movements into explosive power movements. Think: squat jumps, overhead lateral bounds, lateral lunge and jumps, and plank tuck and pikes. They also take you through a warm up and cool down to prep and recover your body.
Try these workouts if you’re looking for quality afterburn effects. You’ll feel great, look great and your body will thank you.
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