EPOC (Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption)

EPOC is the elevated oxygen uptake that persists after exercise ends, as the body restores ATP and creatine phosphate, clears lactate, refills oxygen stores, and returns hormones and temperature to baseline. The effect is largest after high-intensity or resistance work and modestly increases total energy expenditure. Although often called the afterburn, EPOC is best understood as a physiological recovery process rather than a primary fat-loss mechanism.