These 4 Exercises Will Help You Burn More Fat After Working Out

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Working out, when paired with a sensible and healthy diet, is a great way to burn calories and lose fat. But did you know that some exercise can help your body burn more calories even after your sweat session is over?


This is called the “afterburn” effect and in today’s blog, we’ll be talking about 5 exercises that can trigger it. Let’s get started!

What is the Afterburn Effect?


The afterburn effect, also called Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, refers to the additional energy that your body expends after your workout. It happens as your body works hard to restore oxygen levels, to clear out lactic acid, repair muscles, and replenish your body’s supply of creatin and ATP.


This extra caloric burn can happen in the first hour after you’ve finished your exercise and can even continue for up to 72 hours.

4 Exercises that Trigger the Afterburn Effect


A key thing to note about the afterburn effect is that the afterburn effect is higher following shorter high-intensity workouts. So if you want to make the most out of its caloric burning benefits, you’re better off partaking in high-intensity interval training or HIIT.


HIIT sessions stimulate a higher EPOC because you consume more oxygen during them. This creates a larger deficit to replace post-workout.

1. Cycling


Cycling combines lower body resistance training and cardio vascular endurance work.


Here’s a good cycling HIIT:


  1. Warm up on a flat road, slowly increasing pace for 10 minutes
  2. Increase resistance and stand, riding at 75 percent effort for 2 minutes
  3. Lower resistance and sit, riding at 60 percent effort for 2 minutes
  4. In a seated position, sprint all out for 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off for 4 minutes
  5. Recover on a flat road for 1 minute
  6. Increase then maintain resistance, alternating between standing for 30 seconds and sitting for 30 seconds, riding at 75 percent effort for 3 minutes
  7. Lower resistance and sprint all out, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off in a seated position for 2 minutes
  8. Cool down for 5 minutes

2. Strength Circuit Training


Combining strength training and cardio is also an excellent way to trigger a larger afterburn effect. With strength circuit training, you can use compound movements with heavy training loads and shorter recovery intervals ensures a longer afterburn effect after your workout.


Perform each exercise in this circuit with no rest in between and use a challenging weight. Repeat it 3 times resting for 2 minutes in between each set.


  1. 15 squats
  2. 15 dumbbell shoulder presses
  3. 15 deadlifts
  4. 15 dumbbell rows
  5. 20 reverse crunches
  6. 15 pushups 
  7. 20 bicycle crunches 

3. Plyometrics


Plyometrics, also known as jump training or plyos, are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power. This high-impact workout can also improve your physical performance and ability to do different activities.


Repeat this set 3 times for maximum EPOC:


  1. 20 box jumps
  2. 20 burpees
  3. 20 jump squats
  4. 30 mountain climbers
  5. 20 frog jumps
  6. 30 plank jacks
  7. 30 lateral skater jumps 

4. Swimming 

Swimming is an incredibly effective, low-impact, total body workout. It builds endurance, strength, and coordination. It can easily create an effective HIIT routine. Try this workout for larger EPOC. 


  1. 5-minute warmup
  2. 50-meter freestyle sprint
  3. 25-meter recovery
  4. 50-meter backstroke sprint
  5. 25-meter recovery
  6. 50-meter breaststroke sprint
  7. 25-meter recovery
  8. 50-meter freestyle sprint 
  9. 25-meter recovery
  10. 5-minute cool down

5. Sprint intervals 


Sprint intervals include short bursts of maximum-effort exercise sprinkled between longer intervals of rest or low-intensity exercise. Apart from being an excellent cardio workout, it can also increase muscular strength. It’s a heart-pumping way to trigger EPOC.


  1. Start with a 5-minute jogging warmup.
  2. Sprint all out for 30 seconds. 
  3. Recover by jogging slowly or walking for 60-90 seconds.
  4. Repeat steps 1-3 for 20 minutes. 

Start Burning More Calories Today!


Burning more calories after a workout is possible as long as you perform the right exercises. HIIT workouts are excellent not only for boosting your metabolism, building your cardiovascular endurance, and building your strength but also for triggering the afterburn effect.