Longer workouts may amplify the afterburn … but

Dear Coach,

I loved the info on the afterburn of exercise in one of your stories. But I was wondering if a smaller person uses the same amount of calories as a larger person? You also said you’d get better results if the exercise was longer, like 45 minutes or an hour. Does that mean if I run or do something else for three or even four hours that I’ll get three or four times the results?
J.T., Alton, MO.

All great questions, and that’s why I contacted the researcher after I wrote the last article on “afterburn” – i.e., the calories used after the exercising is done — since I in fact had some of the same ones myself! Here’s what I found out:

Larger vs. smaller person: I mentioned in the previous article from Sept. 7, 2011 (click here to read that again) that not all of the subjects were skinny endurance athletes. Researcher David Nieman, Ph.D., of Appalachian State University, said his team adjusted the post-exercise increase in metabolism per kilogram of lean body weight in a separate analysis not mentioned in the prior journal article. The analysis found that each of the male subjects, large to small, lean to muscular, had a similar adjusted increase in afterburn. So whether you are large or small, muscle-bound or a skinny Minnie, you’ll get comparable results.

Myself, I want to know if the same calculation would apply to women, with only the body size affecting the results just as it did, above. In fact, yes, Nieman said, similar results would be expected for women, but it “needs to be tested.”

Really long exercise: Indeed, multiple studies cited in the prior column found you can’t just dawdle around the block for a few minutes to get these results. What about all those obsessive types (we suspect J.T. is one … just like we are sometimes) who go out for a three- or four-hour-plus workout? Nieman said, yes, combining high-intensity with much longer duration “should amplify” the afterburn. In other words, the greater and more prolonged the exercise, the greater and more prolonged the afterburn. However, Nieman, being the inveterate researcher, added that too “needs to be tested.”

We shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out more, though. Seems Nieman has research in progress looking at the effects of gender and age. So stay tuned. Meanwhile, click here to read the previous column to find out how you can keep the calories burning long after the sweating it done.

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The “Coach,” Therese Iknoian, has her Master’s degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise physiology and is an American College of Sports Medicine-certified instructor. To read more about Therese’s coaching, outdoor and fitness background, click here.