Effects of split exercise sessions on excess postexercise oxygen consumption and resting metabolic rate

This study involved examining how splitting a 30-min exercise bout on a cycle ergometer into two equal sessions affects excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and resting metabolic rate (RMR). In this study, 10 male volunteers (age = 23+/-3.8) participated in two exercise trials, which were randomly assigned in a counterbalanced design and separated by 40 hr. One trial was 30 min of exercise at 70% VO(2)max (CONT), followed by a 40-min measurement of EPOC. The second trial was divided into two 15-min sessions (SPLIT), separated by 6 hr. A 20-min measurement of EPOC followed each SPLIT session. Results indicated that the combined magnitude of EPOCs from SPLIT (7,410+/-1,851 ml) was significantly greater than that from CONT (5,278+/-1305 ml). Data indicate that dividing a 30-min exercise session in to two parts for these individuals significantly increases magnitude of EPOC but does not affect RMR.