If you've been exercising for awhile, you may have reached a plateau in your fitness levels. If you continue to do the same workout in the same way day after day, not only will you stop seeing improvements in your fitness levels, you may actually experience an increase in body fat. Unfortunately, your body tends to adapt to performing the same fitness routine on a daily basis so you end up burning fewer calories at the same workout level. This is an example of body efficiency that you don't need.
Fortunately, there's a simple solution that can help you break through that plateau and even double your fitness gains. The solution is to split your cardio workout into two separate sessions on the same day. With this technique, there's no need to increase the total time of your workout, just how many times a day you're doing it.
This finding is the result a study conducted at the University of New Hampshire on 37 individuals. Half of the group did a single aerobic exercise workout lasting 30 minutes, while the second group divided their workout into two 15 minute aerobic exercise sessions carried out twice a day. The second group was found at the end of the study to have increased their fitness capacity after 12 weeks of this routine when compared to the first group.
Why is the split cardio routine more effective than a single cardio session? There are a variety of thoughts on this. It's possible that you're able to work at a higher intensity during a short session since the time period is shorter. In addition, intense exercise tends to raise your fat burning capacity for several hours after completion of the session. Scheduling two workouts at different times of the day means more time spent at a higher metabolic rate, meaning more fat loss for you.
Making the switch to a twice a day cardio workout can be a nice change of pace to your normal fitness routine. Performing the same routine on daily basis can make exercise into a mindless, uninspiring activity. A change in routine can sometimes spark new motivation and fitness inspiration in addition to jump starting your metabolism.
If you've seen your fitness performance drop off over time or have noticed you've gained a few pounds, you can use the twice a day cardio method to jump start your routine and start to see improvements in your fitness performance, endurance, heart rate, and your ability to burn fat. Give it a try!
Good work. Keep it up!