In a recent post, we examined the concept of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, commonly abbreviated as EPOC, and its effects on our caloric expenditure following a workout. While EPOC has modest effects on how many calories we burn even after our workout is over, any additional caloric expenditure may have positive benefits on our long-term weight management goals.
Here is a sample total body circuit style workout that is meant to increase your heart rate, challenge your major muscle groups, and burn calories during AND after exercise (EPOC!).
After a light 5-to-10 minute dynamic stretching warm-up in the BLUE or GREEN zones, perform each exercise for 12 repetitions. Quickly transition from one exercise to the next with little rest between exercises. After you’ve finished all 10 exercises, rest for about 30-60 seconds. Repeat this circuit for a total of 2-3 rounds. Perform a short cool-down in the BLUE zone for 2-3 minutes at the end. We recommend doing some static stretching after to improve flexibility.
Try to remain in the GREEN and YELLOW zones for the majority of the circuit. The resistance you choose should be heavy enough that the last few repetitions are very difficult to complete. You might hit BLUE during the last two exercises because they are static (plank) or less dynamic (back extension). You may also hit BLUE during the rest between rounds.
Depending on how many rounds you perform, you can expect this workout to take anywhere from 20-50 minutes.
We designed this workout to be performed with barbells (plus a lat-pulldown machine), but you can substitute other forms of resistance.
We hope you love this workout! Let us know how it goes by posting to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtags #myzonemoves and #effortrewarded.
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Keep moving forward!