How Long are you in the Gym?

[jeanxon]

When you hit the gym, how long do your workout programs take?

I just wrapped up a 8 week program with veganfitness.com and one of the hardest things to get used to was how long the workouts took in the gym. That made me wonder, Were these times what everyone deals with and I'm just not used to it?

So I've been just doing weights (not including the 45 minutes of cardio) taking 1.5 to 2 hours. For example here is one routine that easily took 1.5 hours.

3 x 15 Dumb bell Lateral Raises

4 x 8-12 Arnold Press

4 x 8-12 Dumb bell front raise

4 x 8-12 Upright barbell row

4 x 8-12 Rear Delt Flyes

4 x 8-12 Plate Front Raise

4 x 8-12 Dumb bell Shrugs

4 x 8-12 Barbell Shrugs

4 x 15 Cable Front Raise

3 x 30sec Planks

3 x 15 v-ups

3 x 15 Bicycle Crunches

 

[nika882]

@jeanxon 2 hours including warm up, cool down, sauna and shower

 

[entheos1249]

@jeanxon I usually spend about 35-45 mins all together

 

[dawn16]

@jeanxon About two hours or so.

 

[creek78]

@jeanxon Thats a ridiculous amount of work for shoulders (unless you're an ifbb pro that is).

If you want to make awesome gains and be out of the gym quickly you could do 5x5 overhead press and follow up with a few sets laterals/rear delts - shouldn't take more than about 20 minutes.

 

[jeanxon]

@creek78 This workout was one day of 5 as part of a 8 week Shred challenge this spring so yeah, it was a bit much but on purpose. I'm going to be integrating this work into my normal summer routine which is more relaxed. But I was curious if I should be increasing volume in my normal program if it is more common to spend more time.

My coach was Nimai Delgado who is an IFBB Pro.

 

[janmoon]

@jeanxon 1-2 hours if I’m lifting AND cardio

 

[dawn16]

@jeanxon If I’m doing cardio and lifting I expect about an hour. Lifting alone about 40 minutes.

You should watch some videos by AthleanX on YouTube, I love his suggestions and they work for me. One of the best tips I got was that it’s not about the time you spend in the gym, but the intensity you have.

IMO people who are in the gym for more than 90 minutes probably are not working at a high enough intensity.

 

[jeanxon]

@dawn16 I have seen some of his videos. I don't buy that it is that simple that someone in the gym for more than 90 minutes is not working at high enough intensity. Particularly if you are in a public gym where what equipment you get to use when is dependent on others.

The intensity argument also depends on what your goal is. If you are looking to build muscle thus strength, volume is going to be very important. That doesn't eliminate the idea of having intensity in your workout. But it does call for more than simple intensity.

 

[dawn16]

@jeanxon Fair enough, everyone works out in their own way.

But to your point - if you are in the gym for ages because you are waiting on equipment, then that must also mean that your intensity suffers as a result. It’s not on purpose, but time spent waiting for equipment is wasted effort.

And IMO, to get pure muscle mass you need much less time in the gym. To build large muscles you often will do sets of just 6 reps with short breaks in between, which is a really high intensity workout.

If you are comfortable with having long workouts then power to you, but I would recommend cutting down on the number of sets and upping the intensity. Here’s a video to that affect if you’re willing to give him a listen:

 

[ross_souls]

@jeanxon I'm doing greyskull with a few accessories. Generally takes about 1 hour

 

[losingyour]

@jeanxon 45-60 minutes.. About 30-40 minutes of weight lifting, and 15-20 minutes of cardio...

 

[ljb302]

@jeanxon Around 45 minutes from first to last rep following a push, pull, legs routine (ON/ON/ON/OFF)

 

[jaycejones]

@jeanxon 45 minutes, but I run at other times during the day