315 adults with abdominal obesity lost body fat once a week and three times a week
A study found that if it is difficult to find time to exercise several times a week due to a busy daily life, exercising in droves at once can be a way
A total of 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week were driven at once, so one person also divided it into three times a week, showing a decrease in body fat similar to one person
According to scientific media on the 10th, researchers at the Hong Kong University School of Public Health recently compared the effects of body fat reduction according to the number of exercises in adults with abdominal obesity. The results of the study were published in the international journal Nature Communications
The study involved 315 adults who were overweight and had abdominal obesity. The researchers randomly assigned 105 participants each to a control group receiving only high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT) once a week, HIIT three times a week, and health education. The exercise program lasted 16 weeks and was followed by changes until week 32
The total weekly exercise time of the two exercise groups was the same as 75 minutes. The exercise group worked out three times a week for 25 minutes each. The once-a-week exercise group performed the same amount of exercise per day. The exercise was carried out in a fast walking manner on a treadmill, and an interval method was applied to repeat high-intensity exercise and recovery sections
The results showed the possibility that it is more important to secure a certain amount of exercise during the week than how often you exercise. After 16 weeks, body fat mass decreased significantly in both the once-a-week exercise group and the three-a-week exercise group compared to the control group that received only health education
The average amount of body fat loss was 0.8kg for the once a week exercise group and 1.0kg for the three times a week exercise group. Both exercise methods confirmed the effect of reducing body fat, and no side effects related to the study were reported
There was also an improvement in waist circumference and cardiopulmonary fitness. In particular, the effect of reducing body fat slowed during the additional follow-up period after the exercise program was over, but the decrease in waist circumference continued. The internal fat accumulated in the abdomen is closely related to the risk of metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, so it is also meaningful to reduce waist circumference
This study is the result of focusing on the so-called “weekend warrior” exercise method. It is a method of exercising intensively on certain days such as weekends after not being able to make time on weekdays. It can be a realistic option for people who can’t start at all because of the pressure of exercising every day or several times a week
“In general, interval exercise three times a week is recommended for the treatment of obesity, but this study shows that once a week exercise can provide similar benefits if the total exercise time is the same,” said Hong Kong University Professor Xu Ming-pai, who led the study. “The once-a-week interval exercise can also be considered an effective alternative.”
