Will fat consumption continue after aerobic exercise?

The answer is yes, but the extent and duration of this continuous consumption are far less exaggerated than many fitness marketing trumpets, and even academic circles still have considerable controversy over its actual fat-reducing value.

When I was trying to gain body fat two years ago, I tried running at a constant speed for 45 minutes every day for a week. After each run, I sat down and rested for half an hour. The heart rate monitor on my wrist showed that my heart rate was about 10 beats higher than my resting rate. I couldn't stop sweating on my back, and my whole body felt warm. In fact, my body was consuming extra energy at this time. This state of extra oxygen consumption after exercise is called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption in academia, which is also commonly referred to as EPOC in the fitness circle. To use an analogy, it is like you have driven dozens of kilometers on the highway. After the engine is turned off, the engine has to run for a while to dissipate heat and return the various components. The extra oil burned during this period is the extra heat consumed after exercise. A considerable proportion of this heat is indeed supplied by fat.

However, many researchers in the field of sports nutrition believe that we ordinary bodybuilders do not need to take this effect too seriously. Think about it, the EPOC brought about by moderate-intensity aerobics generally only lasts for 6 to 12 hours, and the total extra calories consumed is only 50 to 100 calories, which is about the amount of half a banana or a sip of full-sugar milk tea. If you feel after exercise that "you can still burn fat afterward" and eat as much as you want, then this extra consumption will be offset in minutes. If you are doing low-intensity aerobics, such as walking slowly in the park for half an hour at a pace that is not even strenuous for a conversation, then the EPOC is almost negligible, let alone subsequent fat burning. I've seen people burning fat like crazy for 24 hours after doing aerobics. That's just like cutting leeks. It's such a good thing that everyone can run for 20 minutes a day and then lie down and eat hot pot. How can there be so many people who have headaches for losing fat?

When I teach students, I often say that if we really need to rely on aerobic exercise to lose fat, instead of focusing on the subsequent consumption, it is better to first reach the target intensity and duration of each exercise. If we persist for a long time, the body's fat energy supply efficiency will gradually increase, and the resting metabolism will also increase by dozens of calories. This kind of small gain is much more effective than the fat burning after a single session of aerobic exercise.