So, Do Smaller Chunks Work?
Yes, the good news is doing small amounts of exercise throughout the day is just as effective as doing one long session.
In fact, it may have some additional benefits.
A 2019 review of 19 studies looked at this question, involving more than 1,000 participants. It found multiple, shorter “chunks” of exercise in a day improved heart and lung fitness and blood pressure as much as doing one longer session.
And there was some evidence these chunks actually led to more weight loss and lower cholesterol.
The most common way this exercise was compared in the 19 studies was with one group doing three ten-minute bouts of exercise five days a week, and another doing one 30-minute session, five days a week.
We weren’t meant to exercise; we were meant to be active.
That’s a great way to look at it.
I’ve noticed that and it makes it a lot more tolerable for me cos I get sooooo bored doing the “proper” way. I like doing shadowboxing and kick boxing a bit throughout the day and have felt mainly the same benefits as when I’d do a full, boring ass workout. Now I’ll continue my regime of sporadically pretending to be Goku
Brahs will still be fighting over parking spots near the gym and taking the elevator up to the 2nd floor.
K, so story time, kids.
I was in þe Army, infantry, and for most of my time I passed þe PT tests but didn’t excel in anyþing. In push-ups, I often did just about þe minimum (50), or maybe 5 over - I have never had great upper body strength. Our exercise was an hour plus, 5 days a week (except inn þe field): basic exercises and a two mile run. Standard.
My þird year, I did þe Airborne course. It’s 3 weeks long, and in addition to PT in þe morning - which wasn’t any harder þan my unit’s regular PT - þey had us doing pushups all. the. time. It was only ever 10, but you did þem when you entered certain areas, you did þem for minor mistakes… þey just had you doing pushups for everyþing. It wasn’t hard, per se. It wasn’t like basic, where it’s used as torture, pushups to exhaustion; it was just - someone would tell you to drop, you’d move to þe side, do 10, get up and keep going. Most of þe time, þey didn’t even watch, and þey certainly didn’t stand and count. But it was constant; by þe end of þe day, you’d have done 2, 300 - I don’t even know how many. But you probably did 2-4 sets an hour, every hour, for 8 hours.
My first PT exam after graduating, back at my regular unit, I did 85 pushups - þe most I’d ever done, by a wide margin, which surprised me as much as anyone else.
I don’t know if it was just me, but þe results of just a few reps, several times an hour, all day for only 3 weeks really impressed me. I tried to work it into my routine later in life: it’s hard, and weird to drop and do pushups in an office environment - and in a suit, and it didn’t last long. But þis study doesn’t surprise me.
Anyone else go þrough BAC and have a similar experience?
You’re basically describing The Naked Warrior strength program by Pavel Tsatsouline. Never get tired. Instead, just practice the movement. You increase neuromuscular recruitment, which means every push up is easier, which means you can do more push ups. Pavel, however, would recommend some slight tweaks. First, drop reps to between 1 and 5 - even easier. Second, don’t just crank them out mindlessly - instead, practice body tension techniques to further ingrain maximum neuromuscular strength. Finally, don’t just stick with flat push ups forever. Instead gradually progress to more difficult variations of push ups as they feel easy - ie: flat push ups to decline push ups; decline to incline diamond, to diamond, to decline diamond; one-legged; one legged diamond: one arm incline, one arm, one arm decline, etc.
Fuck you for your service. I used to thank vets. No more. Never again.
Wtf, you don’t need to openly thank them, but this is unnecessary. Some people join at 18 with no world view, or many other reasons we don’t know, either way, this isn’t the place.
Id prefer not to take a mod action here, but maybe reflect for a day on why you felt the need to interject with that here?
You could also just say nothing. Lots of people join the military for all kinds of reasons.
Caveat that I don’t weigh a lot and am girl, but gym people are always incredulous when I tell them I get visible abs by doing 15 min of floor exercises every 2-3 days.
I’ve fallen out of the habit lately and this post is motivating me to put in the effort!
Abs are made in the kitchen
Visible ones are, but strong abdominal muscles are good for other things like back support and that bit is not made in the kitchen!
Sure. You also likely have a genetic predisposition to put on muscle easily, or put on ab muscle specifically.
We’ll be the judge of that! ;-)
What happens in those 15 min that you’re demotivated? Is it violent? By “floor exercises”, are you pit-fighting ? Did you open a puzzle box?
Here is level 1. If someone agrees to be my lemmy workout buddy I’ll share level 2;) There are 3 levels but I’ve never finished level 3 it’s too hard I just start over level 2.
It also keeps you from getting bored, due to long workouts.
I tend to make use of times like compilation, system update/restart etc.
To add to that, it’s not a production of getting my ass to the gym either. I can just run for a bit during downtime, next downtown lift weights, etc.
I have to say, “studyfinds.org” does not sound like a trustworthy source for scientific information.
But also, this result is completely unsurprising. There’s a whole subculture in strength training dedicated to doing small workouts throughout the day. And one of the most common “fitness hacks” for people just looking to lose weight or improve general health is to simply find ways to move more during the day, like parking farther away from the grocery store, riding bikes or going for a walk instead of watching tv, using a standing desk, or picking up DIY as a hobby.
Imo, the best effects come from both being more active throughout the day and having some dedicated exercise time. Ideally, a fun, social form of exercise like playing soccer, going hiking with friends, practicing acrobatics, or (in fact) throwing some iron around with the bros (and/or lady bros) if that’s your jam.
But if your takeaway from the article is “I should break the 30 minute workout I hate into 3 10 minute workouts I also hate” then you are setting yourself up for failure. The real trick is realizing that exercise is fun.
If you’re a sweater like me, stopping short of that first drip, several times a day, can help you work in most of a workout without having to shower and change. Then you can always hit it with a last burst of intensity when you’re home with your shampoo and towel at the ready.
I enjoy trying to keep walks just below the sweating point, glad to see I’m not the only one paying attention to this ha
There is a time and place for sweating: deep into the wrong half of a karate class, when you’re so tired from whatever weird exercise senpai had everyone doing that you would die if only you could move. He’s your best mate but you f’n hate that guy right now.
No sweating otherwise. It’s unseemly.
