Splitting up exercises throughout the day

Elleposh119

Hey all, I'm a new mom and I'm trying to take off this baby weight, I have little time to myself throughout the day, my question is, if I do workouts in increments (a set of squats, then wait an hour and do a set of situps, another few hours another exercise etc), will that have any effect on toning and helping me lose weight or do I need to do it all in one session?

HoneyBadger302

Doing it is what matters, not when it's done. Consistency is more important than timing.

And, I'm sure you know this, but losing weight has to do with the food you're eating, not the exercises you're doing (exercise is great, don't not do it, just keep in mind that some squats and sit ups aren't going to really effect weight loss much if at all - but they WILL help you regain some muscle and build up some strength).

Elleposh119

Thanks! I'm also watching my calories. My main concern was that since I do my workouts so far apart from eachother and not all at once that it won't help tone/burn calories.

collectingblues

As long as you're not trying to do an endurance event, what you're thinking is totally fine. (Like, if you were training for a half marathon, and you were thinking you could run a couple of miles, several times a day, that wouldn't work.)

Keep in mind, though, that what you lose is mostly based on what you eat/don't eat, and less based on bodyweight exercises and calisthenics.

NorthCascades

Don't do situps, they're bad for your back.

Technically everyone stops doing one thing, some time passes, and then they do the next thing. Sometimes it's seconds between exercises, sometimes people have to wait for the right equipment. Your body just knows work in this context, it doesn't care about timing.

Elleposh119

Do I still burn the same amount of calories? I read that you have to keep your heart rate up.

lorrpb

It’s ok, but you’ll never be fully warmed up, so I think it could limit your progress. I’m able to get the most from a workout when I’m fully warmed up.

cwolfman13

Elleposh119 wrote: »

Do I still burn the same amount of calories? I read that you have to keep your heart rate up.

You're not going to burn very many calories doing calisthenics, regardless of whether you're doing a set here and there are a workout that's all at the same time. Resistance training is for muscle retention, gaining strength, maintaining bone density, etc...it has many benefits, but resistance training doesn't provide for a substantial calorie burn.

Your calorie burn is a bi-product of the amount of work you put in...not necessarily your heart rate. Your heart rate can serve as a proxy for effort, but that's about it. Getting your heart rate up and keeping it up is more about your heart health and overall cardiovascular health than anything.