Sound impossible? It's not. In fact, if you worked out hard within the last 24 hours, your body is still benefiting right now. I mentioned this phenomenon briefly in last week's "How to Burn More Fat in Less Time – The Secret to HIIT" article, but it deserves a deeper look.
When most people go to the gym to burn fat, they are so focused on how many calories they burn during their workout that that's all they care about. "I've been steadily pedaling on this bike for an hour, and look at that calorie counter go!"
But, Alan Aragon said it best:
"Caring how much fat is burned during training makes as much sense as caring how much muscle is built during training."
Think about it. When you go to the gym to build muscle, you don't expect to literally have bigger arms the second you leave. You know that resistance training actually tears your muscles, and they get bigger as a result of the rebuilding, which takes place in the hours and days after you lift your last dumbbell.
This same concept applies to fat burning and cardio training. It's called "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption", or EPOC. Depending on the intensity of your workout, you could elevate your EPOC for up to 38 hours or more after your workout. This means your body's metabolism is raised and burning more fat for nearly two days after you're done — while you're grocery shopping, eating, sleeping, and even watching the big game!
The key is to maximize your time and effort in the gym to increase the amount of time that your EPOC is elevated, and the best way to ensure you burn fat for as long as possible after your workout is to use a HIIT (high intensity interval training) routine.
What's HIIT and how do you do it? Read last week's article here: "How to Burn More Fat in Less Time – The Secret to HIIT"
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