Researchers found that men who cycled intensely on a stationary bike for 45 minutes burned an extra 190 calories over the 14 hours following their workout. This was additional to the calories they used during the exercise.
The findings may also apply to other high-intensity, heavy-breathing, sweat-producing activities such as running, swimming, jogging and playing intense games of basketball, tennis or squash. It most likely applies to circuit weight training if the intensity and duration are adequate.
To get the extra calorie-burning benefits, the workout needs to be intense enough that "you're sweating, your body temperature is up and your heart beats fast" the researchers state.
Others researchers have looked at moderate-intensity activities, such as walking, and found no post-activity impact on calories implying that the exercise needs to be of a high enough intensity. Even walking can be made intense however, by pushing the pace or finding a hill or stairs.
The experiment studied the caloric expenditures of 10 men, ages 22 to 33, using a scientific device called a metabolic chamber. It's a sealed room that looks like a small hotel room.
Using a metabolic chamber, researchers are able to measure the participant's oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production in the room and determine the calorie expenditure of that person.
For this study, each participant had a rest day in the room doing very little physical activity other than normal daily tasks such as cleaning their teeth. Most of the time they were only sitting or sleeping.
Each participant spent a second day in the chamber during which their calorie expenditure was measured by monitoring oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production.
Subjects then did the same except that they cycled vigorously for 45 minutes at the beginning.
The subjects burned an average of 190 more calories during the 14.2 hours after exercising, compared with their rest day in the chamber.
This happens because the muscles store glucose in them that it used during exercise, especially vigorous exercise. During the recovery period after exercise, your body is busy restocking the muscle cells and this requires more calories.
So, to get the most from your exercise and continue to burn extra calories after you stop, push yourself to the point that you are getting hot, increasing your heart rate and breathing a bit hard.
Not only will it feel good when you stop, but you'll be burning calories. So you can enjoy that coffee and pastry knowing it is being used up as you eat it!
Article Author: David Beard, Calico Exercise Physiologist and Healthy Ageing expert