Just How Long Should I Workout?
When you’ve been a personal trainer in Austin as long as I have, you can imagine, a lot of questions get thrown your way by beginners, as well as advanced lifters and athletes. There’s a myriad of mythology surrounding the health and fitness world concerning everything from nutrition, bogus supplements, proper techniques in the gym, and so on. In my blogs I do my best to dispel these erroneous myths, rumors, and “bro science” findings and give my readers the truth which will help them steer clear of unhealthy supplements, bad nutritional advice, as well as, of course, impersonal trainers which can wind up causing more damage than good. One of the most frequently asked questions I field is, how long should I workout?
There is no way for me, or anyone else to intelligently and factually answer the how long should I workout question with a blanket statement or answer. Like everything and everyone I have encountered as an Austin personal trainer for 21 years, everything is individual, and if it’s not treated as such, is basically useless fitness advice as it will at best, only follow the law of averages.
If, for example, you are new to the gym environment, not exactly in your peak of physical conditioning, and you asked me the famous how long should I workout question, I obviously wouldn’t respond the same way as I would to a professional athlete. The truth of the matter is that there is no set in stone answer to that question. Of course, you don’t want to overdo anything and risk injury or even burnout, but you naturally don’t want to slack too much and minimize your potential results. I usually answer the how long should I workout question by asking the trainee to feel their way through the workouts, especially if they’re just getting started in a gym. For advanced lifters and professional athletes, of course, the answer will be far different. Sport specific training with a professional athlete is by definition, far more intense, advanced, and grueling than a workout for someone looking to simply drop a little bit of weight.
A lot of factors come into play when figuring out the how long should I workout dilemma, especially with professional athletes. What supplements are you using? Are you taking steroids? Which ones, and at what dosages? How much rest are you getting? What are you eating? When is the competition? What imbalances and injuries are you dealing with? The list goes on and on. A newcomer to fitness would be asked how much time they are willing to dedicate to training per day and per week. I would also need to know their goals as well as their medical history, and so on. As you can see, it’s a very individual thing, as I stated previously.
General guidelines are there, and they, like most sweeping statements, are based upon the law of averages. They say you should workout for a minimum of 30 minutes if you’re looking to put on a little muscle, but no more than an hour, as your testosterone levels fall off dramatically after such time. Is that true? Perhaps in some people it is entirely true, and in other cases, it’s nowhere near reality. As a longtime personal trainer in Austin, my best advice would be to start slowly for the beginners and take it easy. In time build up to longer and more intense workouts, but do it your own pace. For more advanced lifters, I would advise them to use more feel than formula. If you feel you’re getting a great workout in at 45 minutes into it, then call it good. Naturally, your workout style is going to weigh significantly in how I would answer the how long should I workout question. If you are going around form one station to the next like folks do when circuit training, less time will be needed to accomplish the workout. If, on the other hand, you are lifting heavy weights and therefor need to rest several minutes between sets to allow your creatine levels to rise, then you will end up being there longer. There is no need to spend more than 90 minutes working out in most all scenarios unless you’re working at cutting weight for a competition that has weight classes. For general purposes, however, start slowly and gently, and work your way up from there. One thing that’s crucial to remember is, like I say, feel always trumps formula.
Ready to Get Started?
Andy
Latest posts by Andy (see all)
- Workout Motivation: How To Get Motivated To Work Out - March 9, 2022
- Body Fat Types: Subcutaneous and Visceral Fats - June 1, 2019
- Why Diets Work If You Stick With Them - April 1, 2019
