If you’re a runner, you might log your miles on Strava or, as a yogi, count the hours you’ve spent practicing your flow. Or, if you’re someone who just generally works out a lot, you might like geeking out on the stats on your fitness tracker. It’s nice having a vague idea of how much your body burns just existing – that’s your basal metabolic rate – and how many calories certain workouts burn, too.

Of course, fitness isn’t all about calories burnt – far from it, with so many other health benefits ranging from mental health to increased fitness. But it can still be interesting to have an idea of what energy you’re burning.

One question that all those types of people will probably want to know, is can you possibly make your body continue to burn calories after exercise?

Sounds odd, but it actually isn’t when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it. We’ve asked two UK-based personal trainers for expert advice on safe, proven ways you can prolong the calorie burn after exercise. You’re welcome.

Can you make your body burn cals after exercise?

Yes, you can, according to personal trainer Leigh Clayton – and it’s all to do with something called EPOC.

“If you’ve ever felt famished or sweaty a couple of hours after a long run or HIIT class, you’ll have experienced EPOC,” he explains.

But what is it? Well, it stands for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, to us common folk. It happens when you’ve worked out really hard and your body tries to maintain homeostasis, or its normal state.

“EPOC is the energy used to bring your body back to its ‘normal resting state’ after high-intensity exercise. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, the body uses energy (aka, calories) for processes like removing lactate, reoxygenating blood, and normalising breathing and heart rate levels,” London-based PT Sam Says explains.

Basically, you’ll need more oxygen and energy than normal – as you’ve worked out harder than normal – to return it to a balanced state. And, in the absence of calories from your diet, your body uses stored energy from body fat, Leigh explains.

As your body is using more energy to run, you’ll experience what is sometimes called the ‘after burn’ effect – that’s continuing to burn calories after your workout.

Which workouts are best for burning calories post-sweat?

“Simply hitting steady-state cardio won’t result in a huge amount of EPOC as it doesn’t result in much damage to your muscles, so little repairing is needed. The higher the intensity, the more EPOC is produced,” explains Sam.

Leigh explains that any activity that creates a significant energy demand will create EPOC. “The EPOC demand would be higher especially if there’s micro-muscle damage involved with the activity – for example, weight training or a new activity. The combination of resistance training and a metabolic component will yield the biggest EPOC response,” he shares.

You heard them: it’s all about the intensity of the exercise. Try the following:

• A high-intensity interval session (or HIIT, for short)
• A weight training session
• Sprinting or an interval session
• Your local gym class
• Your weekly tag rugby game

Did you know? Research suggests weight training can result in up to 72 hours of calorie-burning post-exercise. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Interestingly, other research sways in favour of more cardio-based workouts to maximise that ‘afterburn’ effect, but Sam says it’s not all about cardio and chasing that ‘runners high’. “Resistance training has plenty of research to back it up as one of the most effective methods to burn calories due to its impact on EPOC,” she shares.

Are there any other ways to up your calorie burn after exercise?

Keep active generally

For example, if you know that you always walk a certain amount of steps each day, aim to keep that amount of steps, despite the hard exercise session you just did, Leigh suggests. “This along with an increase in general activity will do the trick,” he shares.

Plus, he points out that it’s not really about why you’d want to burn calories after you exercise, but more about how many calories you burn in general. “Especially when it comes to sustainable fat loss or weight maintenance,” he concludes.

Find a workout you enjoy

This one’s important. If you focus on the activities that you enjoy and can stick to consistently, you’re more likely to do them often. Right? “EPOC happens but your focus shouldn’t be on this,” Leigh shares. “It leads to a risk of developing negative behaviours regarding exercise and calorie burn, when it’s meant to be about enjoyment and keeping fit.”

Be consistent

For people who have busy work and social lives, playing the long game is key. Think about what makes you inconsistent and try and work around it, Leigh suggests.

“Developing an approach to your diet or fat loss which focuses on the larger behaviours is what will yield the best results long term. This is far better than the typical on-off cycle that most people tend to fall into,” he explains.

Address your nutrition

If your goal is fat loss, focusing on your behaviour around food is what will yield the biggest bang for buck here, according to Leigh. “That’s rather than chasing the calorie burn in your workouts,” he shares.

Bottom line?

Yes, you can burn calories post-workout as your body repairs. Research suggests that high-intensity workouts and strength training are the best for this. But, having said all of that, Leigh and Sam both stress that the most important thing to focus on when working out isn’t calories burnt, but enjoyment.

“Whether you’re training for fat loss, maintenance or performance, it’s so important that you find something that you enjoy,” Sam says. “Calories in vs calories out will always be the equation behind physique-based goals, but it shouldn’t be the focus,” she explains.

We couldn’t agree more.