Keep your intensity high, but choose exercises you’re comfortable with. Popular exercise options for this workout include sprints on a treadmill or stationary bike, but you could also do burpees, jump rope, kettlebell swings or dumbbell thrusters (hold a pair of weights at your shoulders and squat down press the weights overhead as you stand). One classic HIIT formula is known as the Tabata protocol alternates 20 seconds of all-out exercise with a 10-second break for eight rounds. “Generally, short and intense training sessions like HIIT can produce more EPOC per minute of exercise than steady-state training like distance running,” Mariani says. If you want to achieve high levels of EPOC, your best bet is to focus on the intensity of your workout. That said, there are some general guidelines that may help you identify the best workouts and strategies for achieving maximum afterburn. “Since is a measure of the oxygen you consume, and not heart rate, you can only measure it inside a lab,” says Andrew Mariani, a trainer at the HIIT-focused fitness studio Fhitting Room On Demand. Unfortunately, it’s hard to know exactly how much afterburn you’ll produce from any given workout. However, research published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology suggests EPOC can last up to 72 hours. How long your caloric burn stays elevated post-workout depends on your age, gender, lean body mass, as well as the intensity of the exercise you did. The more oxygen it takes to restore your body, the more calories you’ll burn post-workout. To return to its normal resting state, your body uses oxygen to replace the ATP and muscle glycogen you used during your workout, restores oxygen levels in the blood, lowers your body temperature and works with protein to repair any damaged muscle tissue. “Our bodies do the same thing post-workout,” Reilly says. Your car remains warm until all the heat is released and it’s able to return to its normal resting temperature. Once you turn off the engine, the hood of the car is still warm to the touch. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.11.Think of your body after exercise like a car after a drive. Circulating levels of endocannabinoids respond acutely to voluntary exercise, are altered in mice selectively bred for high voluntary wheel running, and differ between the sexes. Wired to run: Exercise-induced endocannabinoid signaling in humans and cursorial mammals with implications for the ‘runner’s high.’ DOI: 10.1242/jeb.063677 Running exercise mitigates the negative consequences of chronic stress on dorsal hippocampal long-term potentiation in male mice. The transcriptional signature of a runner’s high. A runner’s high depends on cannabinoid receptors in mice. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. If you feel euphoric or deeply relaxed after a run, these molecules may be the responsible party. Like endorphins, exercise releases endocannabinoids into the bloodstream. This is the same system that’s affected by tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active compound in cannabis. These molecules act on your endocannabinoid system. Instead, new research points to another type of molecule: endocannabinoids. It makes sense - they do have a great deal of beneficial effects.īut in recent years, research has revealed that endorphins may not have much to do with it after all. That can act as a natural pain reliever, helping you endure longer periods of exercise.įor decades, scientists believed endorphins were responsible for a runner’s high. They also help you feel less pain while you’re running. Endorphins are often called the “feel-good” chemicals because they produce feelings of happiness and pleasure. Running and aerobic exercise release a flood of endorphins into your blood. Indeed, there are several physical benefits caused by the chemicals released when you’re running, and they’re not all related to your cardiovascular system.

How your body and brain respond to runningĪ runner’s high isn’t the only possible benefit of running or exercising.

Another word for running exercises