How To Make Your Workout Benefits Last Longer

We're all trying to get the most out of our workouts, embarking on adventurous new exercises, and spending hours and hours sweating it out in the gym — even when we'd much rather be doing anything else. So, how do we go about prolonging the benefits we've worked so hard for? How do we stop ourselves from plateauing, and as a result, losing interest in our exercise regimen? And, most importantly, how do we tap into the "after-burn" effect, which might help us burn fat for up to three days after working out?

I asked a variety of notable fitness professionals for their top tips on how to make those workout benefits last even longer, keeping your healthy lifestyle on track and your mind — and body — fully engaged.

As women, we can sometimes be scared to lift big, heavy weights, for fear of getting bulky. However, it's worth remembering that weight training, like HIIT, is ideal for producing that elusive after-burn effect.

As Valerie Bisharat, wellness expert, certified personal trainer and women's fitness specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, advises, "Weight training — using substantial weight — increases lean mass, which is absolutely critical in looking 'toned.'"

Buckley suggests mixing it up, so your body doesn't get bored. "Lifting heavy works even better if you do a workout featuring lots of different types of lifts, hitting muscles across the whole body," she says. If you work one muscle group and then move onto the next, "the body is going to work really hard — and take a longer time to recover, which lengthens the after-burn."

Regardless of your fitness level or long-term health goals, what you should definitely be drinking more of is good ol' H2O. Make sure to get enough water throughout the day, too, not just during your workout. As Mitrea notes, "Just because the workout is over, it doesn't mean that your body is done needing water and electrolytes."

Water has a multitude of benefits, as Nina Niyri, trainer and co-owner of 4U Fitness, advises, "Drinking at least 64 ounces daily will assist your liver in doing its job: fat metabolism. It can also increase energy levels and assist in the recovery process." It may sound obvious, but drinking less alcohol will help prolong your fitness benefits, too. As Niyiri explains, "Alcohol calories take priority in your body over other fuel sources. When you drink, fat-burning stops until you burn off those calories."

Another major part of recovery, that many of us neglect, is rest. It's important not to work out every single day, as doing so risks long-term damage to our muscles, or even injury. (Even professional athletes take at least one rest day a week). Rest is imperative in the building of lean muscle, too. Franklin Antoian, founder of iBodyFit and one of SHAPE's Top 50 Trainers in America, says, "Your body recoups and your muscles grow when you're resting."

Schmidt is even more emphatic. "Your body doesn't benefit from working out," he says, "It grows stronger, the heart and every other muscle, by recovering from working out." While most people assume working out leads to more #gainz, this is not the case. Taking at least one rest day off each week "is the best way to make the gains that you earned in the gym last as long as possible." Buckley further confirms that "it takes a lot of energy to get your body from the rested state to exercising intensely. Allowing recovery leverages this."

As imperative as it is to work out and rest properly, it's equally important to stay active throughout your daily life in general, so that your fitness level can remain consistently high. Frey explains how to maintain your NEAT (non-exercise thermogenesis — all physical movement that is not actual exercise), saying, "You should stay active after exercise [to avoid slowing down your metabolism]. Boost your step count, and maintain light movement throughout the day."

Spraul breaks it down further, noting that your workout is only a small part of your week and that you should maximize your exercise time elsewhere. "Your activity outside of that time really counts towards keeping your results for the long haul," he says. "Some great options would be playing sports, walking the dog, swimming, yoga, hiking, etc. Mix things up and keep it exciting!"

Consistency is important. With HIIT, you need to keep your heart rate up. With weight training, Jamie Logie, certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and health coach, advises to "make sure you are using a sufficient weight that you can keep moving safely to give the muscles that time under tension they need, which should last at least 30 seconds."

However, if your fitness regimen is stagnating, try spreading your workouts out over the week. Chapman says, "Multiple, shorter workouts are more effective than one or two longer workouts each week. Shorter workouts allow you to work with more intensity, which means that you can lift heavier weights and build strength and muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism." Brown even suggests breaking it up within the same day, doing 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 in the evening so "you're disrupting homoeostasis more than once during the day." Buckley doubles down on this idea, claiming that splitting your session into several short workouts could "drastically increase your fat burning and fitness gains."