THE EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS VERSUS SHORT BOUT EXERCISE ON VO2 MAX, WEIGHT LOSS, AND ADHERENCE.

1758 The specific aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two 15 minute bouts of exercise per day to one 30 minute bout of exercise with regard to aerobic fitness, weight loss, and exercise adherence. Obese female college students (body mass index ≥ 30) were recruited and assessed at baseline for aerobic fitness (Balke submaximal treadmill test). Dietary guidelines were provided to all participants (American Heart Association). Subjects were then randomly assigned to one of three groups; a nonexercising control group (C; n=6), a 30 minute continuous exercise group (30; n=10), and a 2 X 15 minute per day exercise group (15; n=7). Subjects assigned to the exercising groups(15 and 30) were asked to complete 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training at 65-70% of maximal heart rate, 5 days per week. All sessions were monitored by a trained exercise leader who was responsible for recording attendance and exercise heart rates. The predicted VO2 max increased significantly(p<0.05) from baseline to post test in both the 30 and the 15 groups (11% and 13% respectively) but not in the C group. Weight loss from baseline to post test was observed in all groups, however, the differences were not statistically significant. Exercise adherence did not differ significantly between the 15 and 30 groups with regard to both the total number of days (3.2 vs 3.4 days/wk respectively) and total minutes accumulated. These results suggest that short bouts of exercise have the same effect as continuous exercise with regard to aerobic fitness, weight loss, and exercise adherence.