Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption after different moderate physical activities in a healthy female population.

Aim: In the recovery period after exercise there is an increase in oxygen uptake defined as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). The magnitude of EPOC after aerobic exercise may depend on duration and intensity of exercise, on type of exercise (split exercise or continuous sessions) and on subjects’ training status and sex. Weight loss can be achieved by increasing energy expenditure (EE). EPOC causes an increase in caloric burn during the recovery period, to be taken into consideration in relation to energy balance and weight loss. It is not clear whether various modes of aerobic exercise affect EPOC differently. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acute effects of moderate intensity of cycling (C), treadmill (T), arm crank (A) exercises, cross-training exercise (CT) and moderate to vigorous intensity activities of daily living (ADL) on EPOC. Methods: Six young moderately active females (age, 24.2±0.8 yr; BMI, 21.5±2.4 kg/m2; RMR, 1288±78.2 kcal/day; V.O2peak cycle ergometer, 40.3±4.3 mL/kg/min; V.O2peak treadmill, 40.9±6.9 mL/kg/min; V.O2peak arm ergometer, 22.2±3.4 mL/kg/min) participated in the study over a three-week period. In the first week subjects filled a Baecke questionnaire on habitual physical activity, underwent a resting metabolic rate (RMR) measurement and 3 incremental tests to exhaustion (V.O2peak at treadmill, cycle ergometer and arm ergometer). In the second and third week they completed five bouts of 30 min of exercise at 60% of V.O2peak separated by 48 hours of rest: a continuous C, T, A, a combined running, cycling and arm crank (CT) for 10 min each and ADL (3-6 METs). Before (30 min pre) and after (2 hours post) each exercise bout a RMR measurement was carried out in a sitting position with indirect calorimetry (K4b2, Cosmed, Italy). A MANOVA and a repeated measures ANOVA were used for data analysis. Results: EPOC ranged in between 7% and 17% of Total Energy Expenditure. EPOC magnitude was also higher for CT than all the othe