comments +
Could Working Out Less Help You Lose More?
New research says lengthy sessions may actually keep you from dropping pounds. Our expert weighs in.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012 | Liz Miersch
One explanatory guess from the study's authors: The hour-long exercisers ate more post-workout. Equinox Tier 4 coach Paul Spector, M.D., thinks it's a bit more complex than that. "There is this threshold over which more exercise does not translate into greater weight loss," he says, "When you go beyond a certain point, there are mechanisms in the body that kick in to make sure that you actually stop burning fat so you don't deplete your energy stores. It's actually a survival instinct."
If you needed a reason to keep workouts short and sweet, you've got one now. "Trainers and coaches have understood for decades that shorter-duration sessions of increased intensity have the ability to burn more calories and change metabolism," Spector says. "We may not have always had a good explanation for it, but we know it works, and now science is finally catching up."
Read more of our weekly features on Details.com.
Photography by Alex Cayley/trunkarchive.com
