What is Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC)?

Excess postexercise oxygen consumption (also known as EPOC) is simply an elevation of the body's metabolism after completing exercise. Many people refer to it as "after-burn."  Research shows that the higher the intensity of the workout, the greater the EPOC will be. Interval training and circuit training have been shown to produce greater levels of EPOC, which is why I recommend those types of activities for weight loss clients.

EPOC is, simply put, the higher caloric burn rate that the body experiences post exercise. Your body burns more calories at rest for a couple of hours after an exercise session. So go get a good workout and even sitting on the couch after a workout you will burn more calories.

After exercise, your metabolism will stay higher for a period of time. This is known as EPOC (pronounced e-pock). Even though the activity has been completed, the body still needs to utilize more oxygen in order to refuel energy supplies and cool the body back down.

This is great news for individuals interested in losing weight – in addition to burning calories while you are exercising, you continue to burn more calories afterwards as well!

The higher the intensity of the exercise session, the larger the EPOC.