Which is better???

Question

I've been reading you should do between 30-60 minutes of cardio at least 4 days a week. I read somewhere that it's actually better to break it up throughout the day. Which way will burn more calories and help with weight loss? I'm so confused everytime I read an article it tells me to do things one way then a few days later I'll find a different article that totally contradicts it....how is a person to know which way is the most effective...does anyone else experience this problem????

Answer 1

i dont think breaking it up is a good idea. consider this: once you get into your target heart zone (may take a minute) after a warmup, you need to keep your heart rate in that zone for at least 12-15 minutes just to MAINTAIN your current heart status...any more than 15 minutes you do BENEFITS your current heart status...and doing anything less than 12 minutes means you don't really have any effects on the heart and its just like sitting at home. if you break it up you get less time in your target heart zone and therefore less cardio benefit for the same amount of effort.
in terms of calorie burning, its about the same if you break it up. but why not just exercise once in the day - it'l help with your heart better, it means you don't have to shower twice and its more convenient!
the article says 4 days aweek...however, after 24 hours following your last good exercise (more than 15minutes of target zone cardio) you start to lose the benefits. so if you can spare the time, its best to do it everyday. you can start by doing it in 20 minute exercises everyday, increasing by a few minutes everyday or when you feel comfortable..working up to what you would like.

Answer 2

The reason some people say to break it up is because many people use the excuse that they can't find 30 minutes a day to exercise. However, some of those same people can find 10 minutes here and there, and this is much better than doing nothing at all, using the excuse that you don't have enough time.

I do agree with a previous poster though that to get the maximum benefit from cardio exercise you must go for sustained periods of time. But, if for whatever reason you can't do that, it would be best to fit in a few shorter exercise sessions.

Answer 3

Cardio is not a good tool for weight loss unless you eat less than 2000 cal per day. It IS a good tool for a healthy heart. Exercise, as a general statement, is for your muscles (cardio for the heart muscle), and diet is for your weight.

As far as timing on cardio - your heart rate needs to be elevated for at least 20 min at a time to be effective for your heart. That means a min of 30 min at a time. Now if you have the choice of 2-30 min sessions or 1-60 min, but 1-60 min is better for your heart because your heart develops more endurance. It also gives you more energy since you become use to expending a lot of energy before you start to recover.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Conflicting health advice is always so frustrating! Best bet is to do what you're doing -- ask around, do research, use common sense.

According to the Kimkins.com certified athletic trainer both ways have benefits. If you do cardio for >20 minutes, then you begin burning body fat because the available carbs have been used. But if you do cardio for 5-20 minutes several times, you're still burning some carbs AND raising your metabolism for a residual period.

Try both ways for 10 days and see which works better according to the bathroom scale.

Answer 5

Whether combined or spread out, I believe you're going to burn the same amount of calories in 30 (or however many) minutes together as your are in 30 min. if you spread it out throughout the day. Doctors recommend exercising and keeping one's heart rate elevated for 30 min. (in one go) a day though. I think doing it all at once would be better for heart health, although for exercise purposes I think you could do either one. With all of the exercise and weight loss advice out there it can get confusing. Just do whichever you feel is right for you.

Answer 6

Here's the thing. You've got to experiment yourself! You can't rely on what others tell you. Yes its true that you must exercise 30-60 minutes a day, but you also need to try what people have told you out. Like if they say do it all at once, try it like 2 weeks like that. If your satisfied with what it's doing to your body than stick with it, if you don't like the results try other ways. It all depends on how your body works not on how others work.

Hope this helps :)
Jalapeno10
P.S.- I recommend doing it all at once as splitting it up may mess with a schedule and ruin your time management! :)

Answer 7

You want to lose weight then eat properly ( no carbs) and exercise safely!
No use in knocking yourself out when you do cardio. I like to do at least 30 mins per day of high cardio exercise sometimes more, but listen to your body when it's time to quit for the day.

Answer 8

find out wants best for you if you have the time to do a work out 3 times a day then OK, if you like to do it in the morning , or maybe at night its up to you. working out should be fun for you, so you keep it up. everyone has a different opinion just find out the one you like the most, and stick with it.

Answer 9

Both will work. The key is just sticking to it.