Sure, burning calories during your workout is awesome, and it's to be expected, but training in a way that also keeps those calories burning long after you've left the gym? That's a win-win-especially if fat loss is your goal.
5. Listen to your body.
One great way to ensure you’re continually challenging yourself during your workout-and thereby maximizing your calorie burn during and after-is to use heart-rate-based interval training. With this method, you alternate between bouts of work at a challenging pace (84 to 91 percent of maximum heart rate) with ones at an uncomfortable-but-doable pace (71 to 83 percent of maximum heart rate). The only caveat is that you’ll need a heart-rate monitor to use this training method, but many of the latest fitness trackers come equipped with this technology and studios such as Orangetheory Fitness use them during their row-run-strength training classes.
Do it: Hop on a treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike or another piece of cardio equipment. After a five- to 10-minute warm-up, increase speed or resistance until your heart rate reaches 84 to 91 percent of its max, says Ellen Latham, M.S., cofounder of Orangetheory. (Learn how to find and train in your personal heart-rate zones.) Then, reduce speed or resistance until your heart rate reaches 71 to 83 percent max. If you’re new to heart-rate-based training, start with a six- to eight-minute time block where you alternate between these two paces, and make the last minute as hard as possible. After a few sessions, you’ll get a better sense of which speeds and resistance levels will jack up your heart rate, and which will bring it back down, says Latham.
6. Work in superset exercises.
You can increase the intensity-and efficiency-of any strength-training routine by using supersets (performing two exercises back-to-back), says Campbell. While there are a few different types of supersets, a smart option to max out your burn is to pair two exercises that target the same muscle groups (e.g., deadlifts and kettlebell swings, which both target the hamstrings), as this compounds the stress on those muscles and connective tissues, he says. This, in turn, increases the demand for EPOC during the recovery period. The result? You burn more energy both during and after your workout than you would have burned if you’d stuck to straight sets.
Do it: Choose two moves that target the same muscle groups (e.g., jump squat and kettlebell goblet squat, which both target the quads and glutes), suggests Campbell. Perform the first exercise for the prescribed reps or time, then move right into the second exercise. Rest 30 to 60 seconds and repeat.
7. Max out with finishers.
Another simple strategy to make your strength-training session more challenging-thereby boosting EPOC-is to use weights heavy enough to make the last few reps challenging. "When you lift heavier weights, you exert yourself at a level that's uncomfortable," says Latham. That little bit of added discomfort increases the demand on your energy systems, as well as the wear-and-tear on your muscles, ultimately helping you burn more calories overall.
Do it: Swap out your weights for slightly heavier ones, she says. For example, if you're using 12-pound dumbbells for a set of walking lunges, move up to 15-pound dumbbells.
