Burning fat is an important process required for training adaptations. Whether it be for becoming and/or staying lean, feeling healthy or training specific energy systems, most people are interested to know how to do it. It would be extremely beneficial to keep burning fat long after finishing a HypoxicHIIT class or solo to enable further responses after finishing exercise – which is exactly what some research findings have shown!

Researchers in Canada have recently published a study investigating the effects of cycling on metabolism in a group of healthy males, in both altitude (~2700 m) and sea level conditions. Energy expenditure, and fat and carbohydrate oxidation (burning) was measured an hour and the morning after cycling at 150 W for 60 mins.

An hour after exercise, energy expenditure increased following both conditions and returned to normal levels the morning after. However, fat oxidation increased and carbohydrate oxidation decreased significantly in the altitude condition only, 60 mins after exercise. Further, this adaption was maintained the morning after, but no significant changes in the sea level condition were detected.

The findings of this piece of research show that, cycling for 60 mins at a moderate intensity raises energy expenditure. To manipulate our recovery processes, i.e., increase fat oxidation for greater fat burning after exercise, one should complete this exercise in an altitude environment, as this was not found in sea level conditions.

So, on a Friday evening after completing a HypoxicHIIT class or intense solo session, we can enter the weekend knowing that our fat metabolism is still soaring ready to go again Monday morning!

Study details
Kelly & Basset, (2017). Acute normobaric hypoxia increases post-exercise lipid oxidation in healthy males. Frontiers in Physiology.