Exercising In Segments Helps Burn Fat

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Exercising In Segments Helps Burn Fat

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/78228.php

Sitting for 20 minutes between 30-minute workout sessions burns fat

faster than exercising without a break, Japanese researchers are

reporting.

The researchers tested the blood of seven men -- average age 25 --

during and after exercise on a stationary cycle. The men

participated in three different activities: one hour of exercise and

one hour of rest afterward; 30 minutes of exercise followed by a 20-

minute rest and then a second 30-minute workout followed by an hour

of rest; and an hour of rest without exercise. The men sat in a

chair during the rest period.

The workout that was broken into two half-hour segments resulted in

more fat breakdown than the other two activities, the researchers

report in the June issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology. The

second half-hour workout also showed a greater boost of epinephrine

and a rapid decrease in insulin as a result of lower plasma glucose.

The researchers theorized that these chemical events contribute to

the fat breakdown.

The researchers noted that the American College of Sports Medicine

recommends moderate exercise for 45 to 60 minutes to burn fat.

However, the researchers argue that their results show the benefit

of a rest period during the workout.

" Many people believe prolonged exercise will be optimal in order to

reduce body fat, but our study has shown that repetitions of shorter

exercise may cause enhancements of fat mobilization and utilization

during and after the exercise. These findings will be informative

about the design of [future] exercise regimens, " lead researcher

Kazushige Goto, of the University of Tokyo, said in a prepared

statement. " Most people are reluctant to perform a single bout of

prolonged exercise. The repeated exercise with shorter bouts of

exercise will be a great help [in keeping up with fitness]. "