Imagine you live on top of a hill. The top of the hill to the very bottom of the hill consists of 3 city blocks. You decide to go run and design a route like this: run one block down then back up, run two blocks down then up, finally run three blocks down then back up. So here's the question: Which is more strenuous? Start by running 3 blocks down then up, then two then one or start by running one block down, then two, then three? I would guess start 1-2-3 would be harder than 3-2-1 since the last leg of the run you have to go all the way down then up. Or is it the same???

 

It's the same.

 

The work is the same, but for excercise purposes, you should probably do 2-3-1.

 

high school physics class will tell you that you did no work at all since you finish at the same place you began.
but in real world conditions i'm pretty sure 1-2-3 will feel a lot easier then 3-2-1.

 

It likely depends more on your psychology than anything. If you're enthusiastic about exercise, 1-2-3 is probably best. If you're reluctant, 3-2-1 is probably best.

 

if we are talking about exercise, then i recomend to tie a rope around your hip and a used old tire on the other end of the rope then do some laps at your local HS track.

 

^

 

I would disagree only because of the thought process. If you start with the longest leg first, by the time you are worn out and exhausted there is only 1 more left. Easier to give that last push "only one more to go".
Now imagine running 1-2-3 and when you get to the bottom of the hill on the 3, turning around and having to go back up all the way to the top "all that way".

 

Even a high school physics student would know that this statement is absurd.

Work is defined as force times distance. (Obviously, when the force is variable this simple formula must be replaced with a definite integral; the following argument is, if anything, even stronger in that case.) The force applied is not zero and the distance covered is not zero. (Please don't try to use a vector argument to claim that the net distance is zero; even in that case the statement is incorrect because the force vector changes direction as well.)

 

i think it depends on your body type,...if u are a power runner or an endurance type......... i dunno though