Excess Postexercise Oxygen Consumption Following Isocaloric Bouts of Resistance and Aerobic Exercise in Older Adults

Purpose: Albeit being a major determinant of exercise-related energy expenditure (EE), there is a lack of research on the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) after different exercise modalities in older adults. This study compared the EPOC after isocaloric bouts of resistance (RE) and aerobic (AE) exercise. Methods: The EE during exercise was determined through telemetric indirect calorimetry in ten physically active participants aged 63 to 82 years (5 women, 73 +/- 6 years, 70.5 +/- 9.9 kg, 161 +/- 8 cm). The target EE in AE corresponded to values achieved during RE, and the EPOC was assessed for 30 min in the supine position. Results: The EE during AE and RE were 126.0 +/- 30.7 kcal and 123.9 +/- 30.6 kcal, respectively. The time to achieve the target EE was 2.3 times shorter in AE vs. RE. The EPOC magnitude was greater after AE (7.9 +/- 2.4 L, 40.1 +/- 11.1 kcal) than RE (5.9 +/- 1.8 L, 26.9 +/- 11.5 kcal). Conclusion: Older adults showed greater EPOC after isocaloric sessions of AE vs. RE. Additionally, AE had better temporal efficiency than RE to elicit a given EE.