Afterburn Effect

Athletic preparation and diet with the afterburn Effect principle.

The Afterburn Effect is an increase in metabolic functions as a result of intense exercise.

Also known as Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption or EPOC is simply a reaction produced by the body in response to certain types of exercises.

Now why do I talk to you about this, simply because for a practicing martial arts and combat sports weight is important and use methods that make you do a good job with a big profit but you know the beautiful thing?

That the typical work done in martial arts has the characteristics to have this effect.

Athletic preparation and diet with the Afterburn Effect principle can be a method you can use but with the right adaptations to the world of martial arts and combat sports.

It can be used to burn fat up to 48 hours after each workout.

But to take advantage of it you have to build training sessions designed to do 20 minutes of athletic preparation at the top!.

How to do it?

The Afterburn Effect is not a new discovery:

It is well known that exercises involving more than one muscle group raise metabolism much more than isolation exercises and you who practice combat sports or martial arts use your body so a perfect workout to achieve this effect.

For example,:

• a squat against a dumbbell curl for weightlifters,
• kicks versus punches for those who practice striking,
• or run the sprawl if you do the fight.

But the news is that you don’t necessarily need weights to get this and so it lends itself well to the world of martial arts.

You can have really impressive results, using only your body and mixing together with multi articular exercises also the right amount of cardio.

But be careful: by cardio I don’t just mean an hour on the treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike.

In fact, it’s much better that you spend less time on the tapis and focus on the level of intensity you’re doing your aerobic activity at.

There are many aerobic exercises that you can do anywhere or in a small space:

• skip on the spot,
• jumping jack,
• step up,
• sprint,
• technical gestures of a sport,
• Etc..

Anything that elevates your beats to the right level can be fine.

Be creative, there’s not just a treadmill or an elliptical bike to make you lose weight.

What does this mean that you can perform exercises such as sprinting and then perform a series of combinations to focus pads or sacks, perform technical gestures of your sport after movements such as sprawling, etc.

20 minutes high intensity combined with the athletic gestures of your sport or martial art.

What is high-intensity interval training to create the afterburn effect?

A combination of exercises like the one described above can be called High Intensity Interval Training cardio based.

It is a training method based precisely on the Afterburn Effect, which involves the rapid alternation of exercises at maximum intensity (on phase) to active recovery exercises with lower intensity (phase off).

In America there are different types of training programs of this kind and they all work very well.

The method however that I recommend is (Afternburn Effect) WITHOUT the use of any weight, WITHOUT the use of tools but using the typical movements of your combat sport or martial art.

These are completely natural-dependent exercises that can be carried out anywhere: in the gym, inside the house, in the gym,in the office (we do not now exaggerate), in the park.

The alternation of basic exercises to raise the level of cardio and fundamental movements of your art for a total duration of 20 minutes can go to replace an hour of cardio training.

“I also use kettlebell or battle ropes to make combined movements before performing specific exercises when using tools differently only free-body movements such as burpees”

What are the advantages of this method?

The quality of muscle work improves (the exercises are more intense) and the muscles, thanks to the short active recovery do not overly fatigue.

The lactic acid produced in the ON phase is disposed of significantly during active recovery (off phase).

Muscles recover just enough to be brilliant again, while heart beats always remain within a training threshold.

This is why it is called interval training “cardio based”, because it is based on cardiovascular work.

During a high-intensity circuit, fast muscle fibers are stimulated the most, those to be understood that give a toned and dry appearance to the muscle.

The ratio of on-phase to off phase can be 1:1 (30 seconds of work followed by 30 sec active recovery) or 2:1 ratio (30 sec with 15 active recovery) or 30 seconds of work and 10 sec of total recovery, or very similar percentages.

The important thing is that the ON phase never exceeds 25-30 seconds in order not to over-raise lactate production; otherwise the muscles would lose brilliance.

Ps. For girls remember that excess lactic acid predisposes to the formation of cellulite.

A complete workout can last as little as 20 minutes in total.

Short but intense with the afterburn effect

But as you know I’m just talking about athletic preparation beyond the rest of the specific workouts of your martial art that are critical.

Training a fighter is not just athletic preparation.

Do not think that you already have to be trained to approach this method of training but my advice and to do before cardio sessions with machines if you are very overweight because it is useless to stress your joints or overflame yourself.

Ps. Even if someone tells you the exact opposite because it is a time-based system, everyone goes at his own pace, everyone tries to give his best and it does not change if you are alone in your apartment or in the park in a lesson with 50 people and that the challenge is only with yourself but still the type of exercise must be clean and correct and if after a few seconds you are in apnea you will do the Exercises few and made of shit and since you practice martial arts even in certain conditions the movements must be clean, explosive, precise and powerful.

They are training methods for those who already have a good state of form.

A gradual progression

If on the first day you manage to do a few repetitions in the set time, already after 4/5 workouts you will see your condition grow and increase your strength, endurance and aerobic capacity.

So you can say goodbye to long walks on slopes and hours on the elliptical: change the intensity of your workout and you will see your body change but really if you are too overweight do not start with this type of training but do at least for a month 40 minutes of elliptical every day except Sunday.

• Study 1: Various studies have compared the effectiveness of high intensity interval training with classical endurance training. An experiment shows how 2.5 hours of interval training produce the same effect on muscles as 10.5 hours of endurance training. (Reynolds, Jeff M; Kravitz, Len. “Resistance Training and EPOC”. 2005)
• Study 2: Another study shows a metabolic increase of up to 48 hours after exercise, but also an increase in maximum oxygen consumption compared with a pure endurance training (Børsheim E, Bahr R “Effect of exercise intensity, duration and mode on post-exercise oxygen consumption”. 2003 Sports Medicine)

What about the power?

We have seen that this type of workout is perfect for pushing your metabolism to the maximum,but it is all useless if you eat, trash food, snacks or drink alcohol after you eat.

“The abs are not done in the gym but in the kitchen“

The saying “Abs are not done in the gym but in the kitchen” exists for a reason: because it is TRUE! but what the hell do you care about the aesthetics you need functional abs but it is a good index to measure your fat percentage.

But remember, it’s not about eating little, but about eating well.

If you skip meals or snacks you will lose muscle tone and not fat, as well as damage your health, you also need energy to support your training sessions.

Good afterburner effect!

Stay Tuned!

Street Fight Mentality & Fight Sport

Andrea