There is no difference between continuous and accumulated patterns of exercise in terms of effects on fitness , blood pressure , lipids , insulin and glucose .
There is some evidence from a small number of studies that changes in body mass and LDL cholesterol are more favourable following the accumulated condition .
Collectively our findings suggest that adults are likely to accrue similar health benefits from exercising in a single bout or accumulating activity from shorter bouts throughout the day .
Public health guidelines suggest that physical activity can be accumulated in multiple short bouts dispersed through the day .
A synthesis of the evidence for this approach is lacking .
Our objective was to undertake a systematic review and meta- analysis to examine if exercise interventions consisting of a single bout of exercise compared with interventions comprising the same total duration , mode , and intensity of exercise accumulated over the course of the day have different effects on health outcomes in adults .
Effects of Long versus Short Bout Exercise on Fitness and Weight Loss in Overweight Females
Objective : The specific aim of this study was to determine if three 10 minute bouts of exercise per day ( 3 × 10 ) and two 15 minute bouts per day ( 2 × 15 ) were as effective as one 30 minute bout per day ( 1 × 30 ) for improving VO2 max and weight loss . Methods : Overweight , female college students ( body mass index ≥28 kg/m2 ) were recruited and assessed at baseline and post-treatment for aerobic fitness ( Astr and maximal cycle test ) , weight , skinfold thickness ( 7-site ) , and circumference measures ( 4-site ) . Following measurement of  resting energy expenditure ( REE ) , subjects were asked to follow a self-monitored calorie restricted diet ( 80 % of REE ) for the twelve week duration of the study and were assigned ( non-r and om ) to one of four treatment groups : 1 ) a nonexercising control group ( control , n = 8) , 2 ) a 30 minutes continuous exercise group ( 1 × 30 , n = 12 ) , 3 ) a 30 minutes accumulated exercise group ( 2 × 15 , n = 10 ) and 4 ) a second 30 minutes accumulated exercise group ( 3 × 10 , n = 8) . The exercising subjects participated in aerobic exercise training at 75 % of heart rate reserve three to five days per week with all exercise monitored . Results : VO2 max increased significantly while weight , body mass index , sum of skinfolds , and sum of circumferences decreased significantly from baseline to post-treatment in the 1 × 30 , 2 × 15 and the 3 × 10 groups , but not in the control group . A tertiary finding was that exercise participation did not differ among the exercising groups with regard to the average number of days per week . Conclusions : These results support the hypothesis that exercise accumulated in several short bouts has similar effects as one continuous bout with regard to aerobic fitness and weight loss during caloric restriction in overweight , young women
There is no difference between continuous and accumulated patterns of exercise in terms of effects on fitness , blood pressure , lipids , insulin and glucose .
There is some evidence from a small number of studies that changes in body mass and LDL cholesterol are more favourable following the accumulated condition .
Collectively our findings suggest that adults are likely to accrue similar health benefits from exercising in a single bout or accumulating activity from shorter bouts throughout the day .
Public health guidelines suggest that physical activity can be accumulated in multiple short bouts dispersed through the day .
A synthesis of the evidence for this approach is lacking .
Our objective was to undertake a systematic review and meta- analysis to examine if exercise interventions consisting of a single bout of exercise compared with interventions comprising the same total duration , mode , and intensity of exercise accumulated over the course of the day have different effects on health outcomes in adults .