Alan,
I've seen (and respect) the various articles you've written regarding cardio. I came across an article (excerpt below) that I hope you'll comment on. If, in order to oxidize FFAs, they need to first be mobilized and transported, I'm having difficulty seeing how two 15 minute cardio sessions per day will burn more calories that a single 30 minute session, unless the 2 session are at a significantly higher heart rate for the duration than the single session.
Any insight would be helpful.
"Just by cutting your usual 30 minute cardio session into two 15 minute sessions per day can nearly double your benefits but utilizing almost double the amount of calories. Researchers at the University of Kansas investigated this topic and published the results in the Canadian Journal of Physiology (23:433-443, 1998). These scientists took 18 male subjects and asked them to perform two different training sessions on different occasions, but both exercise sessions were of equal intensity. On the first occasion the men exercised for a straight 30 minutes. On the another occasion they exercised for two 15-minute sessions separated by six hours. Post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) was used to assess the amount of calories burnt from the exercise.
"Results showed that although the total training time and intensity level were equal, when the men exercised twice in one day they burnt almost twice as many calories compared to the one off bout. That is a very big difference.
"However, training twice a day doesn't necessarily mean double the work load. Two bursts of around 15 minutes of high intensity work may be much more effective than one long session for achieving the results you want.
I've seen (and respect) the various articles you've written regarding cardio. I came across an article (excerpt below) that I hope you'll comment on. If, in order to oxidize FFAs, they need to first be mobilized and transported, I'm having difficulty seeing how two 15 minute cardio sessions per day will burn more calories that a single 30 minute session, unless the 2 session are at a significantly higher heart rate for the duration than the single session.
Any insight would be helpful.
"Just by cutting your usual 30 minute cardio session into two 15 minute sessions per day can nearly double your benefits but utilizing almost double the amount of calories. Researchers at the University of Kansas investigated this topic and published the results in the Canadian Journal of Physiology (23:433-443, 1998). These scientists took 18 male subjects and asked them to perform two different training sessions on different occasions, but both exercise sessions were of equal intensity. On the first occasion the men exercised for a straight 30 minutes. On the another occasion they exercised for two 15-minute sessions separated by six hours. Post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) was used to assess the amount of calories burnt from the exercise.
"Results showed that although the total training time and intensity level were equal, when the men exercised twice in one day they burnt almost twice as many calories compared to the one off bout. That is a very big difference.
"However, training twice a day doesn't necessarily mean double the work load. Two bursts of around 15 minutes of high intensity work may be much more effective than one long session for achieving the results you want.