Effects of Bodyweight Exercise on Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption and Metabolic Expenditure

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Body weight exercises (BWE; push-ups, squats, lunges) are popular modes of exercise, yet little is known regarding their effects on caloric expenditure. Classic hypertrophy training results in up to four-hour excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and elevated 24-hour resting metabolic rate (RMR). The purpose of this study was to determine if BWE 1) alters the length and amount of EPOC and 2) increases 24-hour RMR. METHODS: Four healthy adult volunteers (3 males, 1 female; age:22±2y, height:168±11 cm, mass:74.7±18.6 kg, body fat:27.8±4.7%) consumed standard diets and underwent two RMR measures [pre- (morning) and post- (following morning) BWE]. Three hours following pre-RMR, participants completed a BWE bout [4 sets of push-ups (~9 reps), squats (~14 reps), and lunges (~14 reps)], followed by a 4 hour EPOC test. To standardize the work done participants performed 1-repetition maximum tests for bench-press and leg-press (to determine number of repetitions for BWE). RESULTS: It was found that a bout of BWE elevated relative VO2 (rVO2; ml/kg/min) and energy expenditure post-exercise. When comparing pre-RMR to EPOC there was a significant difference at minute 15 in both rVO2 (p<0.02) and caloric expenditure (p<0.05). Yet, there was no significant difference in both rVO2 and caloric expenditure when pre-RMR and post-RMR were compared. CONCLUSIONS: As expected, we found that EPOC occurs after BWE, but is only elevated up to 30 minutes after exercise. This shows that BWE is an efficient and practical way to elevate metabolic rate, leading to increased caloric expenditure while potentially saving time and money. More participants are needed to fully understand the physiological implications of BWE related to caloric expenditure in healthy adults.