For example I do 120 squats in 2 quick bursts, I do 80 consecutive squats without stopping, take a few seconds break, and finish the rest in another burst. It’s pretty intense and I get really hot and sweaty and I feel the burn in my legs. If I were to do that same number of squats but less intense, as in not doing 80 nonstop squats and taking small breaks in between intervals (let’s say every 20 squats or so), and I don’t feel much of a burn when I’m finally done, would it burn the same amount of calories or would it be less?
From my knowledge, doing the exercise quickly like that won’t burn more calories but just increase the heart rate, but I’m no expert
Wouldn’t increasing heart rate automatically burn more calories? The heart is a muscle as well after all, but I’m not an expert either
Yes, as you do endurance training your body adapts in many physiological mechanisms. One positive adaptation is a lower submaximal heart rate intensity during your aerobic workouts at a given oxygen consumption.
Calories burned depends on what kind of exercise you are doing- such as cardio or strength. Strength workout is for maintaining muscle builds, which doesn’t burn much calories during the workout, therefore doing a) or b) won’t matter. However you should do strength workout for better overall health and because muscles burn more calories than fat to maintain even when you’re not doing the exercise, at approximately burning 50 calories per pound of muscle.
Calories burned also depends on the intensity of the workout. For cardio, if the intensity is moderate, then maintaining it for at least 40 minutes is necessary to have the significant after burn affect. If the intensity is hard (i.e. cannot be maintained for longer than half an hour), then breaking it up into 30 minutes each may be a better choice. Adding on to Leo Polovets, it makes you do more physical movement, plus it makes you more focused/energized for the exercise.
Working out twice in one day may burn a few more calories. A recent study showed that exercising at a high intensity for 45 minutes raises your metabolism for up to 14 hours and leads to burning approximately 150-200 extra calories over that period of time.
Assuming this holds true for 30 minutes of exercise, too, then working out in the morning and in the evening could help you burn 150-200 more calories than working out just once, and would keep your metabolism elevated 24/7. Note that the workouts themselves burn the same number of calories, regardless of how you split up the time, and it’s the post-workout periods where you can burn a few additional calories.
That said, it’s useful to also think about the effort involved in splitting workouts. You’re going to the gym twice, warming up and cooling down twice, taking a shower twice, etc., all to burn an extra 150-200 calories. Walking an extra mile during the course of the day will burn approximately the same amount while taking up a lot less time. Just park 4 blocks from the store when you go shopping and that’s half of the calories right there.