How Long in the Gym?

[Primal]

Hey all, it's been pretty widely debated how long someone should spend training. I didn't really care much for it until I read a T Nation article about pertaining to hard gainers and easy gainers. One part of the article read that "training longer than 45 minutes will break down more muscle than he can rebuild." What's up with this? There are plenty of people who say that its fine training over an hour and then others say that anything longer than 45 mins is detrimental. Wouldn't this be dependent on what you do in the gym too? For example, if I'm only doing 3 sets of deadlifts but they're starting from my 1 rep max and then moving down, wouldn't he be in the gym much less time than someone who is focused on doing more volume? So shouldn't this be more individualized to the persons goals instead of generalizing the 45 mins is too much for everybody? What are your guys thoughts?

The article is this one: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...syhard_gainers

-Primal

[cog]

Hey all, it's been pretty widely debated how long someone should spend training. I didn't really care much for it until I read a T Nation article about pertaining to hard gainers and easy gainers. One part of the article read that "training longer than 45 minutes will break down more muscle than he can rebuild." What's up with this? There are plenty of people who say that its fine training over an hour and then others say that anything longer than 45 mins is detrimental. Wouldn't this be dependent on what you do in the gym too? For example, if I'm only doing 3 sets of deadlifts but they're starting from my 1 rep max and then moving down, wouldn't he be in the gym much less time than someone who is focused on doing more volume? So shouldn't this be more individualized to the persons goals instead of generalizing the 45 mins is too much for everybody? What are your guys thoughts?

The article is this one: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...syhard_gainers

-Primal

Depends on you.Lee Labrada and Mike Mentzer liked short intense workouts.Beckles claimed past 30 minutes was a waste of time.If your energy drops before the end of the workout the remaining sets likely will not spur any serious growth,but are better than skipping them.How you recover should be a gauge.You should have some additional strength in your major lifts every workout if you are striving to gain strength.

[Praetorian]

Depends on your strength level...if you are squatting 500 for sets of 10 good luck even getting warmed up in less then 30-40 mins. Most guys fall for that quick workout BS because they are lazy...you want to grow youll need to spend some time under the bar and thats not going to happen in 45 min. The other issue is the workout turns into an aerobic exercise not a muscle building exercise. For a decent leg workout it takes me 1.5 to 2 hours...try doing curls, squats, presses, extensions, stiff legs, etc in 45 min...good luck. Most upper body workouts can be done in 60-75 min depending on strength levels.

P

[Primal]

Depends on your strength level...if you are squatting 500 for sets of 10 good luck even getting warmed up in less then 30-40 mins. Most guys fall for that quick workout BS because they are lazy...you want to grow youll need to spend some time under the bar and thats not going to happen in 45 min. The other issue is the workout turns into an aerobic exercise not a muscle building exercise. For a decent leg workout it takes me 1.5 to 2 hours...try doing curls, squats, presses, extensions, stiff legs, etc in 45 min...good luck. Most upper body workouts can be done in 60-75 min depending on strength levels.

P

Ok that's good to hear because I always thought it was stupid when people said that you can get done your workout in 45 minutes if you do everything right. To me, an hour is required at least before I even feel like it was worth the walk or drive just to get there. Thanks for debunking!

-Primal

[cog]

Short workouts did it for Haney.Labrada did some leg workouts inside of 25 minutes.Danny Padilla did back workouts with a training partner taking 35 -45 second rotations.This is harder than most people are capable of.You won't need a sled.There is also the issue of recovery....

[scottlove]

Alot of guys think they workout 2 hours per day but if you watch them train, they're actually talking or texting for at least half of that and when they do finally get around to doing a set, it's half-assed and useless anyway. I have respect for the guy who comes in with his earphones in, know's what he's doing and doesn't give a shit about who's dating who or any other bullshit going on in our gym. This is what I look for in a good partner.

[Primal]

Short workouts did it for Haney.Labrada did some leg workouts inside of 25 minutes.Danny Padilla did back workouts with a training partner taking 35 -45 second rotations.This is harder than most people are capable of.You won't need a sled.There is also the issue of recovery....

Yeah I also depends on which day it is too right? For me, I'm toast when the hour strikes every time I hit legs, but chest and back I can usually go an hour to two hours. Haha, my partner and I used do a set and then spot the other afterwards. It would be pretty gruelling! In terms of recovery, I heard that you need to stay away from a particular muscle group after you hit it for about 48 hrs to avoid breaking it down further than need be? Is that true do you guys know?

-Primal

[Praetorian]

Short workouts did it for Haney.Labrada did some leg workouts inside of 25 minutes.Danny Padilla did back workouts with a training partner taking 35 -45 second rotations.This is harder than most people are capable of.You won't need a sled.There is also the issue of recovery....

Again the workout becomes an aerobic exercise not a muscle building exercise. I wouldnt compare guys like Haney, Labrada or Padilla to every day folks in the gym...you are talking two different species here. Haney won the IFBB world championships and received his pro card before touching gear...nuff said! Also talk is relatve as most of these guys were in the gym much longer than an hour or two but total exercise time under the bar may be 45 minutes...huge difference.

P

P

[TT Eric]

Alot of guys think they workout 2 hours per day but if you watch them train, they're actually talking or texting for at least half of that and when they do finally get around to doing a set, it's half-assed and useless anyway. I have respect for the guy who comes in with his earphones in, know's what he's doing and doesn't give a shit about who's dating who or any other bullshit going on in our gym. This is what I look for in a good partner.

Agreed. I only had 2 training partners in 13 years and the one I actually have now, for the last 7 months, that was him who came to me as he saw how I was training and wanted to follow, the poor thing, he said he never trained as hard, barfing through his nose, blacking out, etc... he admitted that a few time after training he went directly to his bed shaking into fetal position. Lol But you know, that's what makes him a great training partner, he's not half-assed, he's committed and he walk the talk, those are rare, especially in a GL. This guy's progress has been tremendous in those last months.

Eric

[St]

Give both ways a shot, but i like shorter workouts.
The more you do sets like a marathon runner, the inroad... ie breakdown in tissue is to much for most.