You may have heard me rave about this mysterious phenomenon before (probably because it's pretty awesome). I talk about it during my one on one sessions and I mention it on my website. But what does it really mean? What is this coveted Afterburn Effect and why is it as powerful as a lighting bolt from Zeus?

To really answer your question we’re going to have to get all science-y up in here but don’t worry, it will only be for a minute.

It’s less fun/more boring name is Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, but that doesn’t make a great marketing slogan (Lose More Weight in Less Time with Our Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption Workouts!) so I just stick to Afterburn.

But it does have a solid scientific foundation. See, when you combine certain types of exercises and you increase the intensity of those workouts, you trigger this remarkable effect. For example, I may have you do a small circuit of 30 seconds of pushups immediately followed by 30 seconds of squat jumps and then rest for 30 seconds before repeating it all again. This way, you are working your upper body and lower body and you're going at such a quick pace that your heart rate is elevated and your muscles are burning off fat like melted butter.

Essentially what happens is that in the hours following your workout your body will operate at an elevated metabolism. That means you burn more calories and you lose more weight in less time. 30 minute after burn workout vs. 60+ minutes on the elliptical. It's a no brainer.

It’s like your body has this switch that goes between normal operation and hyperdrive and my workouts kick that switch all the way on.

So even if you go home and rest you’re still burning extra calories, even though your workout ended hours ago.

Alright, so how do we activate this effect?

It has to do with the types of workouts I teach. When you combine resistance training with cardio and you time intensity with rest at all the right intervals, you’ll trigger the effect.

I design each of my workouts so that they adhere to this formula and trigger the effects. That’s right, I'm not just coming up with this stuff off the tops of my head. And every one of those workouts triggers the Afterburn effect.

And we aren’t talking a few measly calories here, either. The Afterburn effect can increase the amount of calories burned from one workout by hundreds. That’s whole slices of pizza or entire cheeseburgers you’re burning off while you sit and watch TV! (Not that you’re eating that kind of junk, anyway, right?)

The Afterburn Effect is just one of many reasons why my workouts are so effective, but it’s a major element of what we do here. It does get a bit more technical, as far as how to activate the effect and what kinds of workouts make it happen, but what’s so great about MY program is that you don’t need to worry about any of that technical jargon. You just show up, sweat, and get on with your day.

I'm with you for a reason. I make sure your workouts are as effective as possible and I'll always make sure that, whatever you’re doing, you’re triggering the Afterburn and burning hundreds of extra calories every day. I'll change the reps, sets, rest intervals, exercises so that your body is always guessing and can never adapt. We also like to have fun too!

Flame On!