Metabolism after workout?

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RunningJustIncase
RunningJustIncase Posts: 81 Member
edited March 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
Could someone enlighten me on if metabolism is actually increased following a workout? I see various research studies that contradict one another. Thank you for any replies!

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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,654 Member
    edited March 2018
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    What do you mean or understand by "boosted metabolism"? I'm trying to understand your concern. Is it how many calories you burned? Is it whether exercise is good or useful?
  • RunningJustIncase
    RunningJustIncase Posts: 81 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    What do you mean or understand by "boosted metabolism"? I'm trying to understand your concern. Is it how many calories you burned? Is it whether exercise is good or useful?
    I meant increased. Sorry! And just wondering if exercise increases metabolism. I’ve read various studies on this and can find no definitive answer.
  • RunningJustIncase
    RunningJustIncase Posts: 81 Member
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    Aaron_K123 wrote: »
    Well if by metabolism you mean the breakdown of hydrocarbons/carbohydrates for energy then yes....activity level will increase that since activity requires energy which requires the release of energy through metabolic breakdown of molecules.

    If you mean will getting fit mean your basal metabolism will just be higher then no, not to a significant degree. If you are losing weight chances are your basal metabolism is slightly decreasing if anything.

    Thank you for this!
  • RunningJustIncase
    RunningJustIncase Posts: 81 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    @Aaron_K123's answer is the gold standard here.

    I'll just say one thing a little more rule-of-thumb-ish. There are likely to be some after-effects of exercise. Anything (weight training or otherwise) that challenges your muscles is going to consume some calories afterwards for muscle repair. Until you're quite fit (and even then, a little), any exercise that elevates your heart rate will keep your body perking along a little more energetically after you stop, compared to what would've happened if you hadn't done that exercise.

    But it's minor: A small fraction of what was burned during the workout, generally.

    I see people picking up the latest trendy workout, based on hype about burn and afterburn. In my opinion the magic is in finding an activity (or several) that you love so much you'd do them even if they weren't good for you. Doing things that are good for you, that you don't really enjoy . . . if your life gets busy or stressful, that's likely to break down fast.

    If you find something you truly enjoy, you may still set it aside if the rest of your Iife gets very challenging. But you're more likely to pick it up again later, because you love it. When life is routine, you're more likely to give it time slots, too. Theoretically substandard exercise you actually do always benefits more than theoretically ideal exercise you back-burner.

    For these reasons, I'm a huge advocate of picking activity based on personal joy and love, not afterburn. YMMV.

    Thank you so much for this!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I am just speculating but I imagine if an article claimed that "exercise increases metabolism" either they mean at the point you are actually exercising or they meant that exercise can cause muscle growth and muscle, in general, requires more basal metabolic rate to maintain than fat.

    That said you are only going to build muscle if you are lifting heavy and in caloric surplus. If you are doing cardio and trying to lose weight then that isn't going to be a thing.

    Basically someone who is 180 pounds and has 50 pounds of muscle will most likely have a slightly higher caloric need than someone who is 180 pounds and has 30 pounds of muscle. I guess you could call that a higher metabolism. If anything that fact is just a reason to make sure you do your best to maintain your muscle by losing weight slowly with a modest deficit while incorporating some weightlifting.
  • JMcGee2018
    JMcGee2018 Posts: 275 Member
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    There is (according to some research/sources) an after burn effect from some forms of exercise, while even after you stop exercising your body burns more calories than it would if you hadn't exercised. Depending on sources and types of exercise, this can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. That said, I don't know the veracity of any studies conducted or how much of a difference it makes. I would only count on the calories burned during ACTUAL exercise to help your weight loss goals, and consider any extra calories burned due to a possible after burn as bonus calories, much like being in a cooler environment burns more calories than a warmer one, but not necessarily to a measurable extent.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2018
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    It kind of depends on what exactly you mean.
    • Does exercise boost metabolism during the exercise? Absolutely.
    • Does exercise boost metabolism after exercise (i.e. the afterburn effect)? Yes, but the increase isn't significant/meaningful in the bigger picture.
    • Does exercise boost metabolism long term? Maybe. Increased muscle mass (tissue, not strength) does lead to an increase is base metabolism. The difference isn't significant over the short term, but small increases can add up over several years to be meaningful.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    Paul Revelia has a video out about weight lifting increase metabolism. James Kreiger on weightology.net also has a research review on an increased metabolism after weight lifting. Something lke 100 cals a day. Does not sound like much, but in a month, that could add up!

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