consecutive exercise

kelly__bee
kelly__bee Posts: 4 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Apologies if this has been asked recently. I did a search and didn't turn up much. :smile:

Are there any drawbacks to exercising (let's say using a stationary bike) for 60 minutes a day but breaking it up: doing it for 20 minutes each 3 times a day? I sometimes have a hard time carving out a significant amount of time to exercise and/or motivation to keep doing it for that long. Am I still technically burning the same amount of calories by breaking it up, or am I losing a significant amount by breaking it down like that? I was thinking in terms of heart rate, etc.

I hate working out (but know I need to) and I think I'd be more inclined to do it (and KEEP at it for more than like a week) if I could psych myself into it by going "it's only 20 minutes!" a handful of times a day.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • Chronicle113
    Chronicle113 Posts: 205 Member
    You always want to exercise that you would like to do for fun otherwise it will be a chore to you. As for drawbacks of exercising, there's really no drawbacks for exercising for long periods if you don't warm and cool down your body with stretches. Doing bike consistently for 60 min does build up your stamina but works on the same part of the body. If you split it up then do a variety of exercise to confuse the muscles and work on your entire body if that is your intent. Mixing it up will relieve the repetitiveness of exercising IMO.
  • kelly__bee
    kelly__bee Posts: 4 Member
    The drawback for exercising for 60 minutes straight is more psychological than physical. I'm not a very physically active person and don't really find any sort of activity to be "fun," honestly.

    What I'm wondering is if there is any drawback for exercising for 3 sets of 20 minutes over the course of a day instead of 60 minutes in one straight go?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Most studies done on the topic show equal or greater fat loss results by doing shorter sessions more frequently. The reason for greater results may be due to the reduced hunger and higher energy levels after short cardio sessions.

    As far as strength training (which hopefully you're doing), you can keep the sessions short by doing an upper/lower body split on alternate days. Good music will make the time fly by quick.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    Just going by my HRM, I burn more on one long run than I do on two shorter runs together as I sometimes do in morning and afternoon. Equaling the same length mile wise. So for my and my unofficial experiment I'd do it all at once, that being said - even if you do it for 20 minutes one time, you did better than if you did nothing. So, do what works for you.
  • kelly__bee
    kelly__bee Posts: 4 Member
    Jennloella wrote: »
    Just going by my HRM, I burn more on one long run than I do on two shorter runs together as I sometimes do in morning and afternoon. Equaling the same length mile wise. So for my and my unofficial experiment I'd do it all at once, that being said - even if you do it for 20 minutes one time, you did better than if you did nothing. So, do what works for you.

    About how much on average would you say the difference is between one long run vs two shorter runs? I'm curious if it is a significant difference.

    Thanks for the responses so far!
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
    kelly__bee wrote: »
    Jennloella wrote: »
    Just going by my HRM, I burn more on one long run than I do on two shorter runs together as I sometimes do in morning and afternoon. Equaling the same length mile wise. So for my and my unofficial experiment I'd do it all at once, that being said - even if you do it for 20 minutes one time, you did better than if you did nothing. So, do what works for you.

    About how much on average would you say the difference is between one long run vs two shorter runs? I'm curious if it is a significant difference.

    Thanks for the responses so far!

    One of the reasons that a HRM would measure less for two short runs than a single run is that when you start running your HR is low and for the first 5 - 10 minutes your HR will increase until it stabilizes based on your speed/intensity. The HRM will calculate lower calories burned during that initial phase as your HR increases. When you split the workout into multiple sessions you add additional HR ramp-up phases that are recorded as having lower burn rates.

    It is also possible that while the total distance is the same that the total time for the two session is less. If the calories per minute are the same then there would be less time to accumulate burned calories.

    The primary drawback to doing multiple sessions instead of a single long session is that you will not develop the same endurance. However if you do not have a goal to run or bike long distances, then it does not matter.

    By splitting the workout into multiple sessions you can actually increase the intensity. By doing multiple 20 minute sessions instead of a single 60 you should be able to increase your speed or bump the stationary bike's resistance up a few notches. This would increase your calorie burn and allow you to get a higher total burn than you would from a single long session.

    One thing to keep in mind is that even if you burn less calories doing the shorter sessions it is still more than you burn if you end up not working out because you don't have time for a single 60 minute session.
  • pknjhh
    pknjhh Posts: 117 Member
    Chronicle113 wrote: »
    You always want to exercise that you would like to do for fun otherwise it will be a chore to you. As for drawbacks of exercising, there's really no drawbacks for exercising for long periods if you don't warm and cool down your body with stretches. Doing bike consistently for 60 min does build up your stamina but works on the same part of the body. If you split it up then do a variety of exercise to confuse the muscles and work on your entire body if that is your intent. Mixing it up will relieve the repetitiveness of exercising IMO.

    Completely agree. If you don't enjoy it you won't really get far. Find something you enjoy doing for exercise. That's the best way to do it. Also breaking it up doesn't work as well because you have to get your heart rate up. So your losing 5 minutes each time. Calories it says you burn are not what you actually burned. That's just there to make people feel better. If me and you both did the exact same cardio there is no way it would be the same calories. That goes for anybody. Don't go by that lol
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Oh boy. You have plenty of time to get your heart rate up. In fact, you have a better opportunity to get your heart rate up in 20 minutes rather than in a long 60 minute block because you can sustain a higher intensity for twenty minutes and then recover than if you just did the whole block all at once. I agree that you should find something you enjoy for exercise.
  • Billtrek613
    Billtrek613 Posts: 22
    For longer times of exercise, watch Netflix, amazon, etc to get your minutes in and binge watching in, :) esp on a treadmill or exercise bike.
  • kelly__bee
    kelly__bee Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks everyone. :) I think I'll break my exercises up to make them more palatable.

    I don't enjoy working out at all (for those of you saying "do something you enjoy!" - some people don't actually like it) so this will make it much more likely that I will actually do something.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
    I have split up exercise (bit in the morning, bit in the evening) and done it all at once (lazy mornings) and it hasn't affected my weight loss at all - I don't know if the 'calories burned' is different (as I just log it and eat it without really paying attention lol) but IMO it all contributes to a healthy lifestyle and cardiovascular fitness.

    I used to walk everywhere, and I doubt anyone would say that it was better to drive everywhere and then walk all your miles on the treadmill at night, instead of walking to the shop in the morning, then to the bus stop and back, then around the park in the evening.

    So you do what you can do!

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