Mark Schuenke interviewed for Chicago Tribune story on post-workout calorie burn

Mark Schuenke, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy, 51С»Æ³µCollege of Osteopathic Medicine, was interviewed for a Feb. 1, 2012 Chicago Tribune story on post-workout calorie burn.

The story explains that a recent, carefully controlled study by North Carolina researchers showed 45 minutes of intense exercise boosted the metabolic rate in male participants for a whopping 14 hours.

Schuenke, who co-wrote a 2002 study that showed that the body's oxygen consumption rate stayed elevated for at least 36 hours after an intense, whole-body resistance workout, explained that there are hormone and inflammatory responses. "In the early post-exercise stages, you also consume extra oxygen in an attempt to bring your body temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen levels back to resting levels."

"In terms of body adaptations, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption is all about recovery and growth," said Schuenke. "The more strenuous — and the more novel — the exercise, the more (muscle) microtears (that) need repair." The story was picked up by more than a dozen media outlets around the nation. 

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