Are fewer but longer training sessions better

Hello,
I generally limit my gym to 3 session of 2 hours (Mon, Thu and Sat) each per week just because it is easier for me to fit this into my schedule. I always do one hour cardio (step with a 15cm step) and one hour of weight training (e.g. body pump or condition training with weights) - I am not disciplined enough to train with free weights. Am I losing out because of this "fewer with more"? I ask this as I have another 4 kilos to go before I am on target and am getting nowhere and I tend to favour exercise over diet when it comes to getting results.

My personal experience has been that I do better when I get some form of exercise in every day. I have done both ways where I would work out only a few times a week and now I do more workouts, small but frequent and it seems to have kick started my metabolism more. Of course every body type is different, so maybe try to do some changing up if your body is getting used to its routine. When we get used to the routines we do they become less effective.

You need to be careful. Sometimes exercising for too long can hurt your body, and also not get you the results you desire. Many books and articles suggest not working out for more than an hour, or at most an hour and a half. You end up pushing your body too far, and your body might become too tired and in need of energy (especially if you didn't eat beforehand) to effectively carry on. In such a state, continuing to work out might not really yield more results.

I'd definitely just stick to maybe 1 hour workouts, but perhaps more often. Also, you can use a rotational system, exercising a specific muscle group each day, thereby giving it time to rest.

If you do the weightlifting component too often, you won't do your muscles any good. In the gym you are basically breaking them down, and then they repair when you sleep, and the following day when you are not lifting weights. Going at it five days a week, or say five days straight will not benefit you, but rather fatigue your torn down muscles.

The way around this is to isolate the musles you are working, i.e. do upper body one day, lower body the next, but don't work the same muscle groups two days in a row.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll try to be less manic in my approach, but with a tough schedule one has to make compromise. Informed decisions are best so thanks again for the input. I am now 3 kg from goal, and am starting to wonder if the muscle gain is why I am not reaching my target.