The amount of oxygen consumed during recovery from exercise above that which would be consumed at rest in the same period. The extra oxygen consumption helps restore the body to its pre-exercisc condition. EPOC was once referred to as oxygen debt or oxygen recovery because the extra oxygen consumed after exercise was thought to compensate for anaerobic metabolism during the exercise (see oxygen deficit). However, it is now thought that the physiological mechanisms responsible for EPOC are complex. involving the combination of several factors. In trained athletes, EPOC may be as high as 18 l.
Subjects: Sports and Exercise Medicine.