Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) is the amount of oxygen we consume above what we would normally consume at rest in order to return the body to its pre-exercise state. Quite simply, when we finish a period of exercise, we experience EPOC, often as ‘afterburn’ and breathlessness. The level of EPOC is relative to exercise length, intensity, fitness level and gender. EPOC measures the quantity of exercise-induced disturbance of the body’s homeostasis and the subsequent recovery demand (Wisbey).
First, we need to look at what occurs during exercise that disturbs or alters our body’s homeostasis. During exercise, the following occur:
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