There is a lot of information online about post workout fat burning effects. But many are interested in the question of how strong it is and what factors affect it. The topic of the effect of fat burning after training in bodybuilding has been discussed for quite some time. During this time, many books have been written, training programs have been drawn up and special nutritional supplements have been created, which, in theory, should enhance fat burning after training.
On paper, all of these statements are very attractive, and many people are attracted to it. Everyone wants to achieve quick results. A large number of weight loss nutrition programs and nutritional supplements have proven ineffective in practice. Let's see what effect of fat burning after training in bodybuilding can actually be obtained.
What is the Post-Workout Fat Burning Effect?
The post-workout effect of fat burning is simply spending extra calories. This process takes place after the end of the lesson. To recover from training, the body needs to perform several mandatory actions:
- Replenish oxygen reserves;
- Replenish ATF depot;
- Restore creatine reserves;
- Remove lactic acid from tissues.
After that, the restoration of the muscle tissues damaged during training will begin, which, as a result, will lead to their growth. For all of the above actions, the body requires oxygen. For this reason, its consumption after the lesson rises sharply. In turn, it is necessary to expend additional energy. This is precisely the effect of fat burning after bodybuilding workout.
What is the Power of the Post-Workout Fat Burning Effect?
In the course of clinical experiments, it was found that the fat burning effect after exercise reaches its peak values within the first 60 minutes, after which this indicator decreases. This fall can last for 10–72 hours. In addition, scientists were able to find out the factors affecting the strength and duration of the post-workout effect of fat burning:
- Type of training (strength or cardio);
- The intensity of the session;
- Duration of the lesson;
- Athlete's form and gender.
Now we will look at how the type of training affects the strength of the post-workout fat-burning effect.
Effects of Cardio Exercise on Post-Workout Fat Burning
The intensity and duration of the session are the leading factors affecting the strength of the fat burning effect. If you increase them, then more energy after training will be spent. We now turn to the results of one study that involved cyclists.
The subjects were divided into three groups, each of which trained at an intensity of 30, 50 and 75 percent. The duration of the session was 80 minutes, and after its completion, the volume of oxygen consumed was measured.
As a result, scientists found that the maximum fat-burning effect was in the group working at maximum intensity (75%). After 10.5 hours, they burned an average of 150 kilocalories more than the other groups.
The result sounds good, but for bodybuilders, intense cardio training for 80 minutes is no longer as attractive as losing 150 extra calories. When the main task is to gain muscle mass, then such aerobic exercise is definitely contraindicated.
In theory, high-intensity interval cardio could be used to correct the situation. This should accelerate lipolysis and not destroy muscle tissue. This is also stated by a large number of professionals working in the fitness industry. However, scientific experiments give us many reasons to doubt the validity of these words.
While we won't argue that interval cardio can burn more fat compared to traditional training, the difference won't be as big as expected. To confirm this statement, we turn to research again.
Two groups of subjects used traditional and interval cardio exercises. As a result, the members of the interval group burned only 69 more calories. The only benefit of interval cardio is that it can be used for several hours over the course of a week without destroying your muscles.
As a result, if you do 3 to 5 interval cardio sessions each week, then the total weekly expenditure of additional calories can approach the mark of 400. This figure already looks more attractive, but most of the energy will be expended during the cardio workouts themselves, rather than after them. … The fat burning effect after aerobic training is negligible.
The effect of strength training on the post-workout fat burning effect
According to research results, the effect of fat burning after strength training has a longer duration compared to cardio. At the same time, metabolism is also noticeably accelerated. These facts may seem encouraging to many, but it should be borne in mind that in the course of research, athletes performed from 30 to 60 approaches. Surely you do not really like the prospect of losing hundreds or two of calories, working for this in the gym for at least two hours.
At the same time, there are experimental results that say that even with moderate strength training, the fat burning effect after its completion can be significantly greater. This gives us a reason to say that strength training can provide significantly more effective fat burning after training. However, it should be recognized that in general, the importance of the effect of fat burning after training in bodybuilding is significantly overestimated. Of course, this effect is present and no one argues with this fact. But most of the energy is spent during the session itself, and not after it. If you continue to use your training method, then on average over the course of the week, the additional energy expenditure will be from 1000 to 1500 calories. The result is quite good, and for this reason, it is probably not worth paying much attention to methods aimed at increasing the fat-burning post-workout effect. In any case, it will not be large enough to focus attention on it.
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