EPOC

EPOC, or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, is the increased amount of oxygen your body consumes after exercising. When you work out, your muscles use energy and produce waste, which your body needs extra oxygen to process afterward. During recovery, your body continues to consume more oxygen than at rest to restore muscles, remove waste products, and return to normal. This elevated oxygen use can last from minutes to hours, depending on exercise intensity and duration. Think of EPOC as your body's way of "paying back" the oxygen debt built up during physical activity.