Research (Abstract)

Major:  

Ken Hedrich

Exercise Physiology

Degree:  

Department: 

The purpose of this study was to compare the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) following a single bout of resistance training exercise to the total EPOC following two bouts of resistance training where the total work for the single bout and the two separate bouts was held constant.

Eight trained male weight lifters (28± 3.2 yrs) completed a continuous training session followed by a split session 72 hours later.  Thirty-minute resting metabolic rate measurements were taken prior to each training session to establish baseline oxygen consumption values.  Prior to each training session, participants fasted for 8 hours to eliminate the thermic effect of food and were instructed to refrain from the ingestion of stimulants (i.e., caffeine, pseudoephedrine, etc.) for 48 hours.  The continuous session consisted of two upper body exercises and two lower body exercises followed by VO2 measurement to baseline via indirect calorimetry.  The split session consisted of two upper body exercises followed 8 hours later by two lower body exercises.  All lifts were performed to concentric failure in the 10-15RM range, 4 sets per exercise.  VO2 values returned to baseline within 50 minutes for all exercise sessions.

Results of a dependent t-test showed that the combined magnitude of EPOC following the split exercise session was significantly greater (p < .05) than the continuous exercise session (7.6 ± 2.4 L vs 6.1 ± 2.2L).  These results suggest that when the magnitude of exercise is held constant, split resistance training sessions can elicit significantly greater EPOC than can a single continuous session.