The Study
EPOC Comparison Between Isocaloric Bouts of Steady-State Aerobic, Intermittent Aerobic, and Resistance Training
This study found that after doing weightlifting or fast bursts of running, people burned a little more oxygen for a few hours than after jogging slowly — but it didn’t prove that one kind of workout makes you burn more calories overall. It just saw a pattern in 10 guys.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
After working out, your body keeps burning calories even when you're resting. This study found that lifting weights and doing short bursts of fast cardio made your body burn more calories for hours after than steady jogging, even if you burned the same total calories during the workout.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 533 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even small differences in calories burned at rest over many hours can add up to meaningful total daily energy expenditure.
- 212 hours after: weights and bursts burned 4.7 and 4.6 mL/kg/min; jogging burned 4.3.
- 321 hours after: weights and bursts burned 3.7 and 3.5; jogging burned 3.2.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport
Year
2015
Authors
B. Greer, Prawee Sirithienthad, R. Moffatt, Richard T. Marcello, L. Panton
Related Content
Claims (2)
After doing weight lifting or short bursts of intense cardio, your body keeps burning more calories for hours afterward than it does after a long, slow jog—even if you burned the same total calories during each workout.
Resistance training is energetically inefficient in terms of total caloric expenditure due to predominant eccentric muscle actions and prolonged inter-set rest periods.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.