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 .
TWO SHORT,DAILY ACTIVITY BOUTS VS.ONE LONG BOUT: ARE HEALTH AND FITNESS IMPROVEMENTS SIMILAR OVER TWELVE AND TWENTY‐FOUR WEEKS?
This study sought to determine whether a 12-week intermittent ( INT ; 2 3 15 min·d−1 ) exercise program yielded similar improvements in cardiovascular health and fitness , compared with a traditional 12-week , 30-minute continuous ( CON ; 1 X 30 min·d−1 ) exercise program . A second purpose was to determine the effects of switching exercise programs and continuing training for an additional 12 weeks . Twenty women and 17 men , ( age 48.8 ± 9.0 years ) were divided r and omly into 2 groups : INT ( n = 20 ) and CON ( n = 17 ) . Aerobic exercise was performed 4 d·wk−1 for 12 weeks . Subjects then crossed over to the opposite training program for an additional 12 weeks of training . Subjects exercised incrementally for weeks 1–4 and training was conducted at 70–80 % heart rate reserve for weeks 5–24 . Both groups showed comparable exercise adherence , completing 96.6 ± 12.2 % ( CON ) and 96.3 % ± 17.7 % ( INT ) of the prescribed exercise time . The INT walked at a lower percentage of & OV0312;O2max , maximum heart rate , systolic blood pressure , and diastolic blood pressure ( p < 0.05 ) . Maximal oxygen consumption increased by 4.5 % in CON and by 8.7 % in INT . Following the second 12 weeks , & OV0312;O2max increased by 3.6 and 7.7 % in CON and INT , respectively . Treadmill test time increased by 41 seconds in CON ( p < 0.05 ) and 71 seconds in INT ( p < 0.05 ) after 12 weeks of training . High-density lipoproteins significantly increased in the INT group following the first 12 weeks of training . This study suggests that an INT exercise program , which is incremental in nature , provides comparable , and in some cases greater , health and fitness benefits than those expected following traditional CON exercise training
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 .