On completion of any cardiovascular exercise or weight training, the body will continue requiring oxygen at an elevated  rate compared to before the exercise began.  This sustained oxygen consumption is known as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption).  This has originally been referred to as an oxygen debt.  From research it seems this hypothesis was first deduced in 1922. They theorized that the body needed to replace the oxygen used by the working muscles during mild to intense bouts of exercise.  However more recently, researchers have used the term EPOC to describe several different events that occur within the body as it returns itself to rest.

As the body starts to restore itself to its pre-exercise state, consuming oxygen at an elevated rate, the rate of energy expenditure is also elevated, meaning calorific burn is also higher.

The following occurs during EPOC:
1) Replenishment of Energy Resources:  Replenishment occurs for the immediate energy source, known as the phosphagen system, which is comprised of creatine phosphate and ATP (adenosine triphosphate).   In addition, lactate which is a molecule that is produced during more intense exercise is being converted to pyruvate for fuel utilization.  The body is also restoring the muscle glycogen that has been used during the exercise session.
2) Re-oxygenation of Blood and Restoration of Circulatory Hormones: During exercise, large amounts of oxygen is utilised to break down food stuffs for energy, therefore the body continues to expend energy after exercise to re-oxygenate the blood.  During the post-exercise period, the body restores the levels of circulatory hormones, which increased during exercise, back to normal levels.
3) Decrease in Body Temperature: As energy substrates are removed from the exercising muscle tissues of the body, heat is produced and the body must expend energy to return to the normal core body temperature.
4) Return to normal Heart and Breathing Rate: Energy expenditure is greatly elevated as the body rapidly returns to a normal Breathing and Heart rate.

Weight Management and EPOC
Due to the body continuing to expend energy after exercise, EPOC has an essential role to play when considering an exercise program devised for weight management or loss. It seems researchers are interested in the effect different forms of exercise have on EPOC.
The evidence suggests that a high-intensity, interval type training session has an increased effect on EPOC.  It also seems to appear from research that resistance or strength based training produces greater EPOC responses than steady state aerobic exercise. The research suggests that high-intensity resistance exercise alters the body’s homeostasis to a greater degree than aerobic exercise.  The result is a greater energy requirement after exercise to restore the body’s systems to normal.

Application of Training:

Irrespective of your type of sport or exercise activity, all participants should utilise high intensity / short duration training as a means of either maintaining weight or as a practical weight loss component.  It would be inappropriate for a beginner to begin such activity but when guided by a fitness professional, research suggests this will have a positive influence upon any individual.

Enjoy your training

Stefan

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PTHub welcome all feedback from Personal Trainers and Client who use there services

You should also read the Personal Trainer Marketing Blog at PTHub.com . Its updated regulary with posts such as …
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Shop Yourself Thinner!

Yes it’s true you can shop yourself thinner! Don’t think this means by running between shops, wearing fancy trainers, taking the stairs or carrying you’re shopping and doing squats every fifty meters with it. 

Some simple shopping advice to help you find the healthier options, four easy steps that could help you stop choosing the unhealthy options. We all know about whole wheat, sugars, brown rice, fats, five a day, three whole grains a day, friendly bacteria yoghurt’s yes it’s on the television, in magazines, billboards, and radio all day everyday.

When you are at the supermarket, ever suddenly felt hungry?, owing to the smell of the so called fresh baked bread, yes some supermarkets do cook fresh bread on the premises, however recent television articles have confirmed that a smelling solution is added to the air blowers in the entrance of supermarkets, so that your sense of smell picks it up and triggers of a chemical reaction, RESULT! For them as you head off to get bread, which is next to the cakes and from there they have you close to the inner sanctum, the unhealthy money making, fat building foods.

So how do we counter act this fact, some people say eat before you go to the supermarket it stops you wanting the unhealthy options, this may work for some, but if possible follow the four rules below and healthier options you shall find.

Label, ensure you read the nutritional food labels and on packaging, ingredients are all listed in order of their quantity.

Avoid just turning up and buying from memory, have a shopping list to hand and stick with it, you will save money as well by not buying any unnecessary items.

Manoeuvre, stick to the perimeter of the shop, here is where you will find mainly fresh ingredients, lean meats, poultry, fish, whole grain breads. After you have visited these areas stay at one end as you shop along the aisles look down them ask yourself, Do I really need to go down this aisle?

Buy it fresh and check the use and best before labels on packaging, try and only buy what your family needs quantity wise and try and eat your purchases before they go out of date or spoil.

By hopefully following the rules above you will possibly save money, and have a supply of lower calories and fat in your diet, resulting in a happier and healthy you!

Article by Brian Fernie - Founder of  TOD Coaching
Edited by Chris Laing - Personal Trainer Hub

The Ten Most Common Gym Mistakes Revealed

1) Not making any improvements.

Sounds simple right?, but the majority of gym user have not made any improvements in the last 1,2,3,4 months plus. For example, If you usually do level 8 on the cross trainer, and were also doing that 3 months ago you have broken the first rule of exercise and not changed your training programme! Also, Lifting the same weight as two months ago is another sign you have hit an exercise plateau.

This totally undermines your exercise and goals. You must change your exercise programme regularly. Change it next time you are in the gym, If you do level 8 do level 10, or if you usually do 15 reps a set then increase the weight and do just 10. You must force the body to respond and adapt to change.

2) Not warming up

 Give your muscles time to adjust to your exercise routine by working them gradually and increasing intensity over time.

4) Not stretching enough

Stretch after an aerobic exercise while your muscles are still warm and limber.

5) Not doing all four key areas of exercise.

In general, many women do just cardio and most guys just weights. You will not achieve your goals until you get a perfect balance of aerobic, resistance, core and flexibility training. Once these are all in place it is about how you do each of these methods. Remember that different people require different amounts of each exercise type. For example, some people would be better served spending longer on the weights than the cardio while other people the reverse.

6) Thinking a gym session has to be a certain length of time!

The reality of the issue is that as long as you do all four exercise areas in the right way you do not need to commit massive amounts of time. Too many people think they must hit their 20 minutes on the bike or the session has been a failure. Anything is better than nothing and a short bout even if just 10 minutes is better than getting out of the routine and disappearing for months on end.

7) Going too easy.

There is a certain intensity that you must reach to achieve your goals and training benefits. The key is to hit this intensity, which is unique to each person, while sticking to the principles of programme design. A sign of going too low is reading a book on the cardio machines. If this is you it would be wise to examine your training methods. Weights wise women are more likely to be guilty of lifting lighter than optimal weights as they worry about putting on bulk. A misplaced concern that just cannot happen. If you do 15 reps but could have done 20-30 reps you will be making little progress. Next time your are in the gym do not just stop at your goal number, stop when you cannot do anymore and lose your good lifting technique.

Going too hard

Where women are more likely to go too light the guys are more likely to go too heavy. If you can’t keep perfect technique for the desired reps your weight is too heavy. Cardio wise you do not need to be at deaths door to be attaining the benefits of the training. A common mistake would be to go 19 minutes at a comfortable pace before turning into a maniac for the last minute and nearly killing yourself. On completion that mad final spurt did not help the fitness too much and leave a nasty memory of how painful the gym can be.

If you find yourself jerking weights, go down to a lighter weight, which you can lift and lower with control. Improper use of weights can lead to strain and injury, particularly for the back muscles.

This article was written by
Chris Laing & Ben Wilson
Personal Trainer Hub & One to One Nutrition

Each week we’ll send you our latest news, articles and offers all related to Personal Training and Fitness

If you run a fitness related business or are a personal trainer and would like to contribute to our newsletter please do get in touch

thanks

Mim has many years experience in Ladies Health and Fitness and trains local celebs and ladies all over Birmingham and Solihull

Mim is dedicated to her own fitness and trains daily. She practices what she preaches and these videos will be hot property and for PT Blog readers FREE!

So ive put down a few ideas…

First off, as of today, i have 81 Personal Trainers on PTHub.co.uk  and growing fast, so i’ll post a random article on one of the Personal Trainers each week. I’ll pick one of the trainers at random and publish a link to there site. So make sure there is plenty of info about yourself in your profile!!! Or email some details if you want to be featured!

I’ll also invite everyone who wants to submit a guest post to do so, simply email me at chris@pthub.co.uk with a fitness article of your choice (it can be about anything related to the site). I’ll include links back to your website and a profile picture if you send one!

Every week (starting soon) Mim will post a Ladies Boot Camp article with a video clip of exercises for ladies looking to get in shape. Mim is one of Birmingham’s top female Personal Trainers. She trains clients all over the Midlands and can often be heard on Radio WM breakfast show talking about fitness and helping Midlands residents get fit.

Between us all (the PTHub Fitness Panel) we’ll also post Mens Health and Fitness Articles to help the guys get in shape

Me, Chris (pthub.co.uk owner) will make a post every week helping PTs with there marketing and promotion. I started my fitness career 15 years ago as an army PTI, i then worked at Virgin Active as a PT, progressing into Gym Management at Fitness First. I then set up and opened my own gym, i ran that for two years before selling and moving on. I moved to London where i managed a team of 30 Personal Trainers at Holmes Place where we consistently earnt over £30,000 per month for the club each month in Personal Training. After that, well here i am, i developed the PTHub to help promote Personal Trainers for FREE!

Each week i’ll keep you upto date on PTHub news and other fitness news related to our industry!

So, bookmark the PTHub Blog and keep upto date with everything to do with Personal Training

PTHub

With over £15,000 of new business referred to new PTs last month alone (thats 42 new clients introduced free of charge during March 2009) a Free account on PTHub is becoming an extremely popular way for PTs to promote themselves online

PTHub is becoming a strong site in Search Engines appearing on Page 1 or 2 for search terms like Personal Trainer, Find a Personal Trainer, Find a Gym, Personal Trainer Forum, Personal Trainer Birmingham and many many more listings.

All PTs get a full free webpage to promote themselves on, backed by a FREE 9 - 5 Monday to Friday support line for new clients to call.

PTs can register a FREE account by clicking here - Personal Trainer Directory Register