Is it OK to Split up your Workout?
Ben Greenfield
Maria recently wrote in, saying:
I’m short on time and I was wondering if I’d get the same benefits from doing half of my training routine in the morning and the other half in the evening as I would from doing it all at once.
When you exercise multiple times during the day, you raise your body’s temperature, oxygen consumption and blood flow, all of which will directly increase metabolic rate and calorie-burning. So if you have the choice to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes in the morning, or instead do three 10 minute treadmill sessions at multiple points during the day, the latter option will give you greater fat loss benefit.
Furthermore, if your goal is to gain muscle, and you have the luxury of going to the gym twice in a day, your muscles will have a better chance to repair, recover and refuel if you do two shorter workouts vs. one long workout. Finally, research suggests that pleasurable activities become even more pleasurable if broken up into several portions, rather than completed all at once. So if you really enjoy exercise, that is another reason to split up your workout! But, if exercise is not enjoyable for you, you may just want to get it done all at once.
Working Out image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.