My full body workout routine takes ~2 hours, is this bad?

[Bobdabuilder1]

Hi,

I'm a beginner looking to bulk up and was hoping for some advice as I enjoy my workout routine but it often takes over 2 hours and I've been told this is bad.

I tend to do 3 - 4 days a week, one day on, one day rest and my workout generally goes something like this:

Squats: 5 x 5
Deadlifts: 5 x 2
Barbell Row: 5 x 5
Pull ups: 7 x 3
Lat machine: 8 x 3
Cable flies: 10 x 3
Dumbell chest press: 8 x 3
Shrugs: 10 x 4
Overhead tricep extension: 10 x 5
Bicep curls: 8 x 4

Rest between sets is usually about 2 minutes.

My friend said that I should be able to burn myself out after an hour but I could still quite easily carry on after 2. I take a pre workout drink with a berocca as well as ginkgo biloba, ginseng and green tea and caffeine supplements before my workout and use beta alanine as well as a testosterone booster along with creatine and protein powder throughout the week.

I appreciate that I'm mostly skipping leg day here and neglecting abs and cardio so I'll try to go to the gym on a rest day to get these done. I generally feel good after my workouts, and ready to go again 2 days later, the 2 hours in the gym isn't a chore so I'm wondering if I really need to change anything here?

Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks.

[OldFartTom]

A workout for someone who wants general fitness and endurance may not look the same as someone who is into powerlifting

What are your goals? in priority order...

[Bobdabuilder1]

A workout for someone who wants general fitness and endurance may not look the same as someone who is into powerlifting

What are your goals? in priority order...

Valid point, thank you. My main long term goal is to build lean muscle and look ripped. Health is also important to me. I'm not looking to become a power lifter or a body builder, this is more about transitioning from being a p***head with no self control into a health and fitness addict who has taken control of his life.

[ElrondHubbard]

A full body routine 2 hours long is not unusual or excessive if you're going for a fair amount of volume and have decent rest periods.

A lot of people don't have that much time available, which is why they break it up into 4 or 5 day workout programs. If you have the time, and you enjoy it, go for it!

[Bobdabuilder1]

A full body routine 2 hours long is not unusual or excessive if you're going for a fair amount of volume and have decent rest periods.

A lot of people don't have that much time available, which is why they break it up into 4 or 5 day workout programs. If you have the time, and you enjoy it, go for it!

Thanks, I was kinda hoping that would be the case but everything that I read seems to be suggesting that it was in some way wrong to work out for that length of time.

I'm a single guy with no kids so now that I've quit alcohol, I have all the time in the world.

[Oleg1975K]

Bob,
If you are not afraid of lengthy workouts in the 5x5 style, I would suggest the Jason Blaha^s Ice Cream Fitness program. This program is more thoughtful than yours.

[dgoyena216]

There is a lot of fluff in that program where it doesnt belong. Full body programs should really just consist of big compounds.

Squat, bench, deadlift, chins, press, rows all of which can be done with just a barbell and a rack.

Figure out how to set those up for 3 days a week.

Doing curls, flies, and stuff like that are a waste of time and energy for a full body program

[Bobdabuilder1]

Bob,
If you are not afraid of lengthy workouts in the 5x5 style, I would suggest the Jason Blaha^s Ice Cream Fitness program. This program is more thoughtful than yours.

Ok, I think you've swayed me. I'd seen somewhere that this ICF workout was getting really good results for people but I think the fact that I didn't immediately recognize what some of the exercises were put me off. I might just ask a personal trainer at the gym to walk me through the exercises and give it a shot.

[Bobdabuilder1]

There is a lot of fluff in that program where it doesnt belong. Full body programs should really just consist of big compounds.

Squat, bench, deadlift, chins, press, rows all of which can be done with just a barbell and a rack.

Figure out how to set those up for 3 days a week.

Doing curls, flies, and stuff like that are a waste of time and energy for a full body program

Thanks for the input. I'll try to have a go at switching to the icf 5x5 and see how that goes.

[Nelg1993]

Fierce 5 novice is a great program, got me from 125lbs to 150lbs, bench press from the bar (literally) to 135 for 5, squat bar to 185 for 5 and deadlift 95 lbs to 225 for 5.

You do not need that excessive amount of volume. Workouts took 45min when starting and 1h15 after a while. If you can go 2h straight, your intensity is too low. Another important thing is programming balance, which fierce 5 covers quite well.

Now I’m doing a push-pull split 4 days a week, 45 min each session and a bit more weekly volume than 3x full body, 170lbs atm. That’s the right way to progress imho.

“Do the least amount of work/volume which keeps giving you results & don’t fix what ain’t broken.”
- a very smart gym bro I once met

[Wildtim]

Bob,
If you are not afraid of lengthy workouts in the 5x5 style, I would suggest the Jason Blaha^s Ice Cream Fitness program. This program is more thoughtful than yours.

I'd agree with this.

Additionally I will say that if you have been doing 5x5 squats for any time with normal beginner progression you should be taking longer than two minutes between sets. Oh yes, and you won't want to continue working out after a two hour blast.

That said two hours door to door at the gym isn't insane. I've seen and done longer, though the hardest part of a really long workout is remaining focused enough to get as much out of it as you can. Short but very focused can lead to some amazing results.

[TheShadowMan]

Due to your status as a beginner, you can make nice results without isolation lifts at all. It will cut down on your lifting session times considerably, as well. Focus more on compounds for now, full body 2-3 times a week as it will take you quite a long way.