The Efficiency Paradox: Why Your Workouts Might Be Burning Fewer Calories Over Time

When it comes to efficiency and exercise, we’re referring to a measure of how much EXTERNAL work you get for a certain INPUT of energy.

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Exercise efficiency is broadly defined as “the ratio of mechanical work rate over energy expenditure”

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

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Essentially it means, the more we do something, the more effective our body becomes at doing it.

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WHY IS THIS RELEVANT?

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Let’s start with an example and some practical application.

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If I start walking at 3.5mph on a treadmill every day, after a few weeks, my body will become more “efficient”. MEANING, while performing this activity, my heart rate will be lower than in previously was (my heart won’t have to work as hard to pump blood around the body), my respiratory rate will be lower than it was (my lungs won’t have to work as hard to get oxygen to my muscles), and I’m burning less calories (my body is perceiving this activity as less work than it previously did).

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My 3.5mph treadmill walk is not as much “work” for the body as it used to be. This is “efficiency”.

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TO PUT IT SIMPLY…

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A highly trained body will be VERY efficient at exercising.

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For instance, a marathon runner or long-distance runner is going to have a very well developed circulatory system with tons of new vessel development in their tissues (we call this vascularization).

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Their body needs to work effectively and efficiently to transfer energy as best as possible. As a result, their mitochondria will be nearly machine-like and their heart will pump more blood with every single heartbeat.

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ON THE OTHER HAND…

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Let’s take a beginner to exercise. OR something who is switching sport types (like going from an avid runner to a powerlifter).

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Whatever they’re “new” at, their body will be very “inefficient” at. The slightest degree of effort toward their new sport will seem much harder and they may feel “out of shape”.

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So, does that mean it’s a good thing to be “efficient” at exercise?

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Well, if our goal is to be one of the greatest athletes of all time, then yes, efficiency is great. It means our body is using less energy to do more work. Strictly from a performance point of view, higher efficiencies are better.

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That said, if our goal is FAT LOSS, we technically want our bodies to work harder and use more energy. We WANT our energy output to go up as the body struggles to do complete as task, set, or activity. However, the more efficient we become, the less calories we burn at X task.

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This is one of the reasons we don’t like to “abuse” cardio during a reverse diet or during a building phase. We WANT the body to become less efficient at cardio when we’re not dieting so that when we DO want to add cardio in as a tool for caloric expenditure, our body’s will be INEFFICIENT – meaning, we’ll burn more calories when we do re-introduce cardio.

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Side note: My intention is not to demonize cardio or deter you from doing cardio – certainly our cardiovascular health is incredibly important. This is simply an example for practical application purposes.

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Overall…

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Efficiency is how we get stronger, faster, more athletic, and often-times healthier. When we exercise; be it walking, weightlifting, running, or any other sport, we are asking the body to adapt to the stimulus we’re providing it with and to “step it up” so it’s easier for the body to handle the stimulus next time. Sound familiar? Hint hint, wink wink, progressive overload.

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