Your trainer just had you perform 15 push-ups, 15 air squats and now she tells you to do thirty seconds of mountain climbers, burpees, or jumping pull-ups. The method behind her madness is simple: when you exercise your heart rate is elevated. When you exercise at high intensity or extended periods your heart rate remains elevated as it returns to a fully recovered resting state. This may take anywhere from 15 minutes to 48 hours. The longer your heart rate remains elevated the more calories you will burn at rest due to a little fat loss miracle called Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption.

The more intense the workout, the greater the EPOC, and the more efficient fat loss. This is how you workout smarter and not harder. Challenge yourself during these strength/cardio combinations to produce as much EPOC as you can to see faster fat loss results. EPOC is also known as afterburn or metabolic conditioning. EPOC is your fat-burning friend. EPOC is why, deep down, you know you love burpees, mountain climbers, jumping pull-ups, jump squats, sprinting…