Length of workout?

[thorstenn]

A friend of mine told me I was in the gym way to long?

I am 41, 5'10" 236 pounds, most likely 20+ % BF (had held meter). I train 5 days a week, Monday/Thursday upper body 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day.

Tuesday/Friday lower body and back, 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day.

Wednesday, abs/core and some cardio 1 1/2 hours

Saturday/Sunday rest. All training days have 10 minutes of cardio. I like to train to exhaustion is this bad? I want to gain size, as much as I can until I can no longer lift!

Protein 300 g, charb's 450 g, fat 90 g, cal's 3800.

What do you think?

[DJBrickman]

My workout is 1 1/2 hours to 2 1/2 hours 6 days a week. Listen to your body instead of others. It will tell you when you have been there long enough.

[kimsquit]

A friend of mine told me I was in the gym way to long?

I am 41, 5'10" 236 pounds

What do you think?

I think you're old enough to decide for yourself just how long you want to spend at the gym


out of curiousity, of that 2.5-3 hours, how much would you say is spent under load? if you're not sure what I mean, just subtract the time spent resting, walking around, eyeing the hot chicks, BSing with people, waiting to work in and searching for that one pulley grip that always goes missing.

[OZBB]

yeah 2.5 - 3 hours is probably too long, especially if the majority of this time is actually working out. From what I've read and found in myself is that the magic number seems to be between 1 to 1.5 hours, but closer to just the hour... any more and you start to go backwards....

In the past when I've worked out longer than this, for what ever reason, I find I lose my pump and just get too fatigued to really push... so at that point I'm just wasting my time..... by then my body is screaming out to be fed Protein and Carbs...so I leave the weights behind, down a Protein Shake soon to be followed by a proper meal. We need to counteract the cortisol that's pumping through our bodies at the end of the workout... so if you keep working out at that point you could actually be doing more damage than good.

This is a case where the old adage "Less is More" applies....

OZBB

[alex2363]

if you feel like you need it then go for it, but its not beneficial according to the experts, then again most of the time is prob less due to breaks between sets times, minus that and your prob in the 1 1/2 hr range which is ok. i sometimes take a 2 min break between sets and prolong my 1 hr w/o to 1 1/2 hrs

[jdtemple]

I'm done in an hour. I'm also only taking 60 second rests between sets.

[paqua17]

The length of your workout is dictated from your own schedule. If you enjoy staying at the gym for as long as you do and there are no conflicts with the rest of your schedule then stay there as long as you like.

My workouts range from 45 mins to 2 hours depending on what I plan to accomplish that night (albeit my typical upper body workout is around an hour with lower body around 1.5 hours).

[Firminator4]

I'd be more interested in how many work sets you are doing for each muscle. Time spent in the gym doesn't always equate to quality time in the gym.

[Welsh76]

I spend about 45 minutes in the gym, but I go there just to work out and not socialise.

I go alone which I find much easier, when I went with a mate we would spend about 1 1/2 hours but only seem to get through the same number of sets because we were too busy talking.

[-=FLEX=-]

A friend of mine told me I was in the gym way to long?

People have told me that too.

I couldn't care less. I do what I want.

[mslman71]

People have told me that too.

I couldn't care less. I do what I want.

^^^ This. If you're getting what you want out of it then who cares what other people say?

[tnthudson]

I agree that total sets and weight are more important than time. That said, I work out with my wife and try to set the workouts up so that we're always alternating sets to speed things up. Usually 1-1/2 hours total for the both of us.

[JerryB]

Those are long hours. What is the volume of sets per work out?

For example my workouts are one and half to two hours. The range of sets average about 24. The majority of the time is used for exercise set-ups; I train at home, and recovery between sets. I’m not a one minute between sets person. I lift weights to primarily stress the skeletal muscles not the heart muscle.

[Runic]

Man that's a lot of time in the gym unless you just love being there. My workouts for lifting ranges 60 to 75 minutes with the majority of that time over 140 BPM heartrate.

[Dsum74]

My work outs take about 50 min except leg day an hr 15 min .. I use to train for 1 to 2 hrs but wasn't growing stoped marathon training then I started to grow

[Karl_Hungus]

A friend of mine told me I was in the gym way to long?

I am 41, 5'10" 236 pounds, most likely 20+ % BF (had held meter). I train 5 days a week, Monday/Thursday upper body 2 1/2 to 3 hours a day.

That is an awfully long time to be spending in the gym. Makes me wonder whether you are getting any additional benefit out of that third hour.....

Personally, my workouts are about an hour long .... 4 days per week.

[CB55]

My work outs take about 50 min except leg day an hr 15 min .. I use to train for 1 to 2 hrs but wasn't growing stoped marathon training then I started to grow

I'm the same way. 45 to 50 min and can usually do about 20 sets in that time. Legs do take longer.

[thorstenn]

6-8 work sets per exorcise, no more than 1 minute between sets except for inverted leg press about 1-2 minutes between sets. I do a lot of exorcises when I go. Might be over training ?

I'd be more interested in how many work sets you are doing for each muscle. Time spent in the gym doesn't always equate to quality time in the gym.

[Marius_Ursus]

Usually around 45 minutes.

[Getsum]

Around 45 minutes to an hour for me for lifting.

[WonderPug]

1 hour to 1.5 hours, depending on body part(s), with time under load about 20% to 25%.

[ironwill2008]

I do a lot of exorcises when I go. Might be over training ?

Progression is the determinant.




Are you lifting more weight and/or more reps, week-to-week?

If yes, nothing else matters.

If no, you're either training too much, eating too little, not getting enough sleep/rest, or some combination of all three.

[w8lifter351]

I'm done in an hour. I'm also only taking 60 second rests between sets.

Same here. Ofcourse this is what works for me.

[jayluk4600]

35-50 min for me depending on what I am training. I dont talk to anyone I have seen the same people for 3 years now at my current gym the only person I know is the owner and 2 of the employees. I am very social person but at the gym get the funk away thats my time. I am in and out and I get on with my life.

But thats how I like it. Do what you enjoy 1 hr, 2 hrs, 3 hrs who gives a shiot it's your time and your body. Train hard and enjoy it or you will get burnt out.

It's your reflection in the mirror do how you do to make it look like how you want it to.

[kenjen]

It doesn't matter what body part I working out. Gym opens 6AM I have to be leaving @ 7AM to get to the train on time.

[Rebel11]

keeping workouts short and effective is key. It is usually after 45-60 mins that the body begins to release Cortisol into the bloodstream, and its catabolic effect is, of course, counter-productive.

"If you stay in the gym for more than 1 hour, you're making friends."
Charles Poliquin

[VanHermanator]

55-70 mins. Usually between 25-30 sets. No more than 1 minute rest between, and I try not to sit down between sits and keep moving. That gets too hard towards the end. I'm completely done when I walk out. And I never talk to anyone either - just me and my music.

[MecGen]

Hey, does anyone stretch and warm up?? I stretch and warm up for 15 min...
Work out for 1.5 hrs
Back in the day I would finish with 50 min of cardio (bike). Dam close to 3 hours total.

Regards

[thorstenn]

I do a little cardio but rarely stretch. I usually get injured when I do. Been that way my whole
life, I know it's odd! but I do warm up a lot

Hey, does anyone stretch and warm up?? I stretch and warm up for 15 min...
Work out for 1.5 hrs
Back in the day I would finish with 50 min of cardio (bike). Dam close to 3 hours total.

Regards

[thorstenn]

For upper body 69 sets at 10 to 12 reps. after writing it down it does seam a bit excessive

Those are long hours. What is the volume of sets per work out?

For example my workouts are one and half to two hours. The range of sets average about 24. The majority of the time is used for exercise set-ups; I train at home, and recovery between sets. I’m not a one minute between sets person. I lift weights to primarily stress the skeletal muscles not the heart muscle.