EPOC Part 2 - Start the Fire

Back again to give you some very handy tips on the way that you can start burning of those extra unwanted kilos. Remember EPOC is short for Excess Post Exercise-Oxygen Consumption. The best thing it doesn’t involve going to a gym or adding weights, treadmills, rowing machines or bikes. All you need is yourself and the desire to start this fire! Like I said in Part 1 the aim is to get the heart rate as high as possible during exercise so that we can get the EPOC - start the fire effect happening and now to give you some very handy pointers on how you can get this fire started.

By doing resistance training in the form of intervals for EPOC the better your fitness level gets the more you have to push your body! Just a few things on what EPOC is actually doing to your body before we get into the action. High-intensity interval training directly improves endurance performance including oxygen transport from lungs to muscles. By improving your endurance performance you increase your maximum oxygen intake which simply put means you are becoming fitter. During training in order to improve your performance you need to be increasing the EPOC values of the training effect. Now you are a full bottle on EPOC you are probably anxious to find out how to train in order to get these effects happening. Just remember everyone has different fitness levels so don’t expect to achieve elite status efforts immediately like an Olympic athlete if you have been sedentary or are a little out of condition!

Here are a few ways to start the fire with high intensity resistance type interval training!

Are you ready for this?

If you have a raised surface in your backyard or even in the house that you can use to do step ups on you can complete 20 seconds worth of step ups on the raised platform and then take 30 seconds to rest. Repeat the activity four times.

A step up - if you aren't sure

Push ups a great compound exercise because your are using your full body. So using the same format as the step ups you can do 20 seconds worth of push ups and then have 30 seconds rest. Again do this four times.

The one and only - push up

If that’s too easy I recommend doing 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest for four sets. This is just two of many great ways you can start the fire. Hopefully this will give you a little inspiration to go and experiment with HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).

Please feel free to let me know how this went for you. Your comments may well inspire others to get more active as well!!!