Supertraining

LaForgia reviewed EPOC a few years ago:

J Sports Sci. 2006 Dec;24(12):1247-64.
Effects of exercise intensity and duration on the excess post exercise oxygen 
consumption.
LaForgia J, Withers RT, Gore CJ.

http://tinyurl.com/nvmkmg

You can read the abstract, but they pretty much concluded that EPOC has been 
'oversold' as an energy expenditure concept, so the current study authors seem 
to be spinning the line a bit because I doubt that the study has "caused quite 
a stir among fitness experts' -- 'experts' being, I suppose, the contentious 
word.

EPOC is real but you do have to bust your ass a little to make it significant. 
400 kcals is a fast walk for an hour -- about 8 METS for average fitness. Not 
enough. 

Even jogging at 10kms/hour averages about 800 kcals burned. A modest 12 
kms/hour is 950 kcals. I'm just guessing but I would expect a 800 kcal workout 
in an hour might be the minimum to get some EPOC going, but I doubt anything 
like 24 hours. Then again you could try 90 minutes of fast intervals on the 
track . . .

In the gym, unless you move a lot with a circuit or something similar -- maybe 
high-rep squats or similar -- you're going to be flat out going beyond 600 
kcals/hour, even though you will get some EPOC with intensity. However, you 
need to make up a lot with EPOC to catch up to the jogger -- even at 6 mins/km 
-- you're 200 kcals behind.

That's why you need to do aerobic work to lose weight (fat), plus some weights 
work to hang onto the muscle.

Paul Rogers
Gympie, Australia

--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "sambretatc" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I am sure it has already been suggested, but, continuous "aerobic" exercise 
> typically has little EPOC at moderate levels.  There needs to be some form of 
> "supramaximal" resistance interval.  Or, why not perform a bout of intense 
> circuit training and compare the EPOC levels?
> 
> It seems to me that even though a calorie burned is a calorie burned, we 
> don't always burn calories from fat.  I don't have the studies handy, but I 
> do know there have been high intensity studies comparing results with 
> cardiovascular training, like the aforementioned, and found the high 
> intensity group burned less calories overall but had greater reductions in 
> body fat.
> 
> Sorry for my brevity.
> 
> Sam Bretatc LAT, CSCS
> Lees Summit,MO, USA
> 
> --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "carruthersjam" <Carruthersjam@> wrote:
> >
> > The below may be of interest:
> > http://humankinetics.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/how-effective-is-after-burn-after-exercise/#more-3893
> >
> > There is a long-held belief that exercise can turn you into a fat-burning 
> > machine. The idea is based on the suggestion that fat burning occurs not 
> > just during exercise but also long after your workout is over. 
> > Post-exercise burn, so the theory goes, is instrumental in losing unwanted 
> > weight.
> >
> > As it turns out, however, like so many headlines touting weight-loss 
> > miracles, this one is probably more myth than fact according to an article 
> > titled `Exercise improves fat metabolism in muscle but does not increase 
> > 24-hour fat oxidation' that appeared recently in Exercise and Sport 
> > Sciences Review
> >
> > Edward Melanson, an exercise physiologist from the University of Colorado 
> > and lead author of the article said "To our surprise, we have found that 
> > moderate duration exercise has little, if any, effect on 24-hour fat 
> > oxidation (burning)."
> >
> > Melanson used an interesting design to challenge the long-held belief that 
> > exercise enhances fat burning. Sixty-five candidates of varying fitness 
> > level and girth (well trained and sedentary, lean and obese) all cycled at 
> > varied intensities until they burned 400 calories, after which they were 
> > monitored for 24 hours – a period that exceeds most other studies by 
> > several hours. All were monitored in closed quarters and were able to eat 
> > during the 24-hour period. None posted results that suggested enhanced fat 
> > burning during or after their workouts.
> >
> > The study has caused quite a stir among fitness experts who now have to 
> > think twice before suggesting that exercise boosts metabolism in the short 
> > or long term.
> >
> > Before people begin putting their feet up in protest, keep in mind that 
> > this study in no way diminishes the value of regular exercise. Working up a 
> > sweat is still one of the best things people can do for their health. 
> > Regardless of the amount of fat that may or may not be burned post-workout, 
> > there's no denying that a moving body burns more calories per minute than a 
> > sedentary one.
> >
> > The message about fat burning has always been confusing for the average 
> > exerciser wanting to get rid of a little extra baggage. The often-touted 
> > premise that certain forms of exercise or that working out at a certain 
> > intensity can selectively burn off unwanted fat stores is without 
> > scientific merit.
> >
> > In fact, the fixation on fat burning is misguided. When it comes to 
> > achieving weight loss goals, any calorie burned is a good one – whether it 
> > be in the form of fat, carbohydrate or protein. As long as we burn more 
> > calories than we consume, the weight will come off.
> >
> > According to Pascal Imbreault, associate professor at Ottawa University's 
> > School of Human Kinetics, any exercise-related after-burn usually runs its 
> > course within 15 to 35 minutes of completing a workout. While the actual 
> > number of calories expended during this time varies according to exercise 
> > intensity, duration and the body weight of the exerciser, he describes the 
> > resulting calorie burn to be "very minimal."
> >
> > Imbreault suggests that exercise doesn't do much to crank up metabolism 
> > over the long term either, despite what the headlines in fitness magazines 
> > claim. "Exercise is not that powerful," he said.
> >
> > By making healthy food choices and cutting portion size to reduce the 
> > number of calories consumed on more days than not, anyone can become a 
> > calorie-burning machine that slowly but steadily loses excess body weight.
> > ===============================
> >
> > Jamie Carruthers
> > Wakefield, UK
> >
>