Memorial Day Weekend is filled with some of the most Bro things imaginable. Grilling? Bro’s showing off their culinary skills. Drinking? Obviously a Bro fundamental. Paying homage to the troops? Super freaking Bro. Eating a shit ton of calories? A Bro past time.
Memorial Day Weekend comes at a weird time. Its right smack before the summer really kicks off, so if you’re trying to cut and get shredded for summer it can be really inconvenient. You either decide not to partake in any of the festivities, which is lame and unpatriotic you fucking Benedict Arnold, or you do partake, and at the end of the long weekend you’re left wondering how to fix all the hell you just put your body through.
Luckily I’ve talked extensively about how cardio isn’t the devil, and barbell complexes are things you can use to get shredded fast. They’re badass tools to make use of, and they can help you drop excess fat fast.
Why does lifting weights, HIIT training, or anything else like that work though?
Cardio, especially intense cardio like HIIT or a barbell complex, works so well thanks to a phenomenon known as EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.
EPOC is basically what happens when you place your body in an oxygen debt. During an intense HIIT workout, barbell complex, circuit training session, or even plain ol’ cardio session, your body has to use more oxygen than normal.
Because you’re using oxygen at a much higher rate than normal, your body works pretty damn hard to keep up. At some point though, it can’t. Which is why you feel winded, you’re seeing spots, and you’re hating your life. Don’t worry, that’s good.
Fast forward to when you’re done with your workout and you no longer hating life, your body still has to repay that oxygen debt.
To pay down your debts like the responsible being your body is, it gets to work immediately. Thanks to that increased oxygen intake, you’re actually burning more calories. For quite a long time.
How long does EPOC last?
A really intense HIIT session can actually bring on the EPOC phenomenon for anywhere from 24-48 hours. Meaning for 1-2 days you can actually ramp up a big part of the calorie burning mechanism in your body.
In case you weren’t aware, burning more calories is a really good thing when you’re trying to lose fat. When trying to lose fat, being inefficient is key. It means your body burns through more fat stores, and you look better.
EPOC is the poster child of inefficiency.
There’s no better example of inefficiency working to get you looking damn good than EPOC. If we were efficient enough, we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the EPOC phenomenon. Meaning we’d have to find other avenues to cut down on calories, like dieting.
EPOC isn’t a replacement to dieting by any means at all. If you want to get shredded you’ll have to eat less. It can help out in your quest for abs though.
How to work EPOC into a program.
The beautiful thing about EPOC is that you’re probably reaping the benefits, you just don’t even know it yet. Any sort of lifting, cardio, or general exercise session elicits EPOC. Some forms just bring more than others.
The top ways to take advantage of EPOC:
- HIIT sprinting is a damn good way to make sure that you’re taking full advantage of EPOC. I wrote about how badass sprinting is here, which you should obviously check out. Just remember, not everyone is cut out to sprint right away. To be smart, start with hill sprints before moving to flat surface work.
- Barbell complexes. Can you tell I’m a fan of barbell complexes? The added weight, the volume, the soul sucking cardio. It’s a perfect mix to take advantage of EPOC. The beauty of them is that because you’re using weight, you can also build muscle that show even more when you’re shredded.
- Traditional cardio. While HIIT and complex work may be badass for EPOC, traditional cardio isn’t far behind. There’s very little difference between them. So if you enjoy a long trail run, a spin class, or something like that, keep doin your thing.
- Bro lifting session. Going to hit chest and back? Perfect. It’ll help you burn fat. Traditional lifting isn’t the greatest source of something that causes EPOC, but use enough supersets and heavy weight, and you’ll realize your heart rate creeping up. This is a good thing as far as EPOC is concerned.
EPOC isn’t the saving grace of fat loss.
Diet is king above all else when it comes to creating a good fat loss program. Nothing can ever replace that. Controlling how many calories you eat is far easier than controlling how many calories you burn. However EPOC can help immensely, and can play a big part in burning off some of that annoying stubborn body fat. Use it wisely, and love the benefits.