Rely on Luck - Suunto

HOW DOES EPOC ACCUMULATE?
The greater the intensity and the longer
the duration of a training session, the
higher is the EPOC value measured from
the session.
EPOC accumulates faster when the training’s
intensity increases than when the
duration increases. This means that low
-intensity training may not necessarily
result in a high EPOC value, even if the
duration of the training is exceptionally
long. With high-intensity training, however,
you can reach a high EPOC value
even in a short period of time.
In interval training, periods of high heart
rate and periods of recovery follow each
other. If the recovery periods are short,
EPOC can reach a high value, as it will
not have time to decrease during a short
rest.
The EPOC value attained from similar
exercise can vary from day to day. On a
good day, your body can handle the
training more efficiently, resulting in a
lower EPOC value, but on a bad day, the
physiological training load to your body
and EPOC may be higher. Many factors
affect EPOC during training, such as
your hydration status and the temperature
and humidity of the air. If you have
performance anxiety or are nervous,
this may increase the EPOC value.
250
100% VO 2max
90% VO 2max
80% VO 2max
225
200
175
EPOC (ml/kg)
150
125
100
75
50
70% VO 2max
60% VO 2max
25
50% VO 2max
40% VO 2max
0
30% VO 2max
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60
Time (minutes)
Figure 2. The effect of training duration and intensity (%VO 2max ) on EPOC
accumulation.
8 TRAINING GUIDEBOOK