Taking a break during your workout may result in your burning more fat than the same amount of exercise without a break.
Kazushige Goto and colleagues from the University of Tokyo studied seven men with an average age of 25. On different days, the men did no exercise, exercised on stationary bikes for 1 hour, or exercised at the same intensity for two half-hour periods separated by a 20-minute rest.
During the rest period, levels of free fatty acids in the men’s blood increased rapidly, indicating that stored fat was being mobilized. The levels were also higher in the second half-hour of exercise if this followed a rest period than when it was part of a continuous bout, and remained higher during the hour after exercise finished, the researchers reported in Applied Physiology.
