How long do you spend in the gym?

deadlybuzzman

I surprised myself this morning. Normally on squat day I can be in the gym anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes depending on what I've planned.
Today I had barely over an hour and I was half skeptical going in the door but I figured I'd tear through the lifts superset it with light stuff and just get through as much as possible.
Granted I didn't do a load of heavy top sets just 1 top set and a lot more volume building up to it but it felt as good or better a session in 60 mins as I've done with much more time.
So I'm just wondering how long does everyone else spend in the gym just lifting? Excluding rolling etc

Zillah

45 minutes per session these days. I used to spend much longer but I'm much smarter about how I use the time now. Heavier weights, shorter breaks. I think I'd prefer a full hour to round things out but I usually go at lunch so that won't happen.

(I should put that in context saying that I do no warm up, foam rolling or anything like that. 100% of that time is lifting. I cycle at other times separate to the gym)

Alf Veedersane

An hour max. I time rests just to keep an eye on it and superset where appropriate. The higher volume the last while has made sessions longer and the weekend session is closer to an hour and a half because there's more in there on account of having more time.

Wanderer78

2-3 hours, sometimes longer

Mr. CooL ICE

Including mobility and warmup, I'm usually there for 1h - 1h15. I used try keep everything around the 45 min mark but I started Candito's linear program a while back and it's got more workload than I'm used to.

The_Kew_Tour

About 90 mins

I spend hour between Crosstrainer or Bike, 5 minutes cooling down and spend about 20 minutes in weight section and vary there too

I'm trying to get weight off so it's more cardiovascular, but I'm also like tone a bit too.

I go 3-4 times, with 4 being more likely times.

LostArt

45 mins usually, just over an hour on leg day

deadlybuzzman

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

Including mobility and warmup, I'm usually there for 1h - 1h15. I used try keep everything around the 45 min mark but I started Candito's linear program a while back and it's got more workload than I'm used to.

That's the thing, there's some programmes I'd read and just think I'd be half the day doing them particularly at the percentages prescribed.
I thought about doing madcow 5 x 5 again but that always took about an hour and a half once the percentages got higher and that's just more time than what I have at the moment

Hanley

Excluding warm ups and mobility?

Usually 2.5hrs.

deadlybuzzman

Hanley wrote: »

Excluding warm ups and mobility?

Usually 2.5hrs.

Yeah but it probably takes you an hour to load and strip the bar considering how many plates you use

heroics

Normally 45-60 mins. Only use the weights section cardio etc is done at Gaa/Rugby training.

Useful.Idiot

Doing Stronglifts and it says it should only take 45 minutes but I'm usually in the gym for about 1h15-1h30 mins.

JJayoo

If you want to cut down on your time in the gym then it's a good idea to do your foam rolling/mobility stuff on off days at home. For example witht he time it takes for a kettle to boil you could.
Roll both shoulders
Do wall slides
Do Shoulder dislocations
Do Band pull aparts

Zillah

I'm not convinced that foam rolling does anything unless you have a specific injury or flexibility issue that needs to be worked on. Same with warm ups. I walk in and start lifting the heaviest weight I'm going to that day.

Reps4jesus

Generally just over an hour on push and pull days, about an hour and a half for legs would be the usual for me

JJayoo

Zillah wrote: »

I'm not convinced that foam rolling does anything unless you have a specific injury or flexibility issue that needs to be worked on. Same with warm ups. I walk in and start lifting the heaviest weight I'm going to that day.

While I disagree with you I am intrigued. If you were training legs what would your gym session look like?

Mr. CooL ICE

I kinda agree and disagree with Zillah. I used to spend 5 mins per leg rolling, but realised it made little difference to my session and doing something for warmup like bodyweight squats or small box jumps was time better spent. But then I got too complacent with a lack of rolling and my IT bands went to absolute sh1te.

Nowadays, I would only roll properly when I have doms. If no doms, I still do a very quick roll and just focus a on any bits that feel like they need it, and then some more on the ITs. Could be 2 mins overall, could be 10 mins if bad.

As for warmup... I badly need it cos I go before work and am still half asleep with a cold body

Zillah

JJayoo wrote: »

While I disagree with you I am intrigued. If you were training legs what would your gym session look like?

I walk in, I put on all the plates I'm going to use and do 6x6 squats, then 5x8 deadlifts, something like that - depending on how I was feeling. I'd do calves on a different day. I also cycle to and from work every day so I'm hesitant to work my legs too much because it makes my commute a total pain for the rest of the week. I usually cycle to the gym which is 3 or 4 minutes if that counts as a sort of warm up.

As for foam rollers: I don't have any strong opinions on them, I just remain very sceptical. Anyone that I've asked why they do them they usually just say very ambiguous things about it being good for you without being able to tell me why.

Hanley

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Yeah but it probably takes you an hour to load and strip the bar considering how many plates you use

Lol. It's the volume tbh.

Today (including warm ups)

A) Trap Bar Jumps:
5 sets

Deadlift:
60kg 2x3
100kg 2x2
140kg x2
180kg x2
220kg x1
242.5kg x1
255kg x1
200kg 8x5

C) Floor Press:
60kg 2x5
80kg x3
100kg x1
120kg x1
140kg x1
150kg x1
137.5kg x5
132.5kg 3x5

D) SSB Squat:
60kg x5
100kg x5
135kg x5
145kg x5
155kg x5
140kg 3x5

It's just long.

Wanderer78

personally finding foam rolling very relaxing. my injuries seem to be going away since ive started rolling but that could be due to the fact of just going to the gym in general and also rolling. hard to know whats actually fixing the problem. i ll be keeping up the rolling though.

I think it was maybe 45 mins to an hour on the last program I was doing. I do warm ups for squats and then warm up sets as well. Yes that's right I do warm ups!
Any foam rolling i do at home
i'm still in the "oh the rack is free grab it go go GO" mentality ...

once in a blue moon I might do that then do 30-60 mins on the xtrainer ... then if I'm in the nice gym i could swim and sauna after ... lol
a nice day in the gym

deadlybuzzman

Zillah wrote: »

I'm not convinced that foam rolling does anything unless you have a specific injury or flexibility issue that needs to be worked on. Same with warm ups. I walk in and start lifting the heaviest weight I'm going to that day.

Do you not find though that it takes a few sets to wake up the muscle groups? If I did that I'd fail on rep 1 no question. What percentage of bodyweight would you be lifting?

deadlybuzzman

Hanley wrote: »

Lol. It's the volume tbh.

Today (including warm ups)

A) Trap Bar Jumps:
5 sets

Deadlift:
60kg 2x3
100kg 2x2
140kg x2
180kg x2
220kg x1
242.5kg x1
255kg x1
200kg 8x5

C) Floor Press:
60kg 2x5
80kg x3
100kg x1
120kg x1
140kg x1
150kg x1
137.5kg x5
132.5kg 3x5

D) SSB Squat:
60kg x5
100kg x5
135kg x5
145kg x5
155kg x5
140kg 3x5

It's just long.

No wonder you said a few weeks back you hated training! What sort of rest periods are you taking between sets?

Zillah

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Do you not find though that it takes a few sets to wake up the muscle groups? If I did that I'd fail on rep 1 no question. What percentage of bodyweight would you be lifting?

I generally find I'm my strongest at the start. I never really feel stiff or the need to wake up, though I never go in the morning. Like I said I don't work my legs too hard, the squats would be 125% bodyweight or so, but I'm 6'5" and most of it is in my legs so I don't think I'm ever going to be great on the big compound movements.

heroics

I kinda agree with Zillah. I don't really do warm ups before the gym. Only able to work legs at the moment and would do 1 set of 5 at 60 for the squat and 1 set at 100 for the deadlift to warm up then straight to the working weight.

Only really foam roll at home if I was feeling stiff/sore

I'd always do a warm up before Gaa/rugby though mainly to get heartrate up

Tar.Aldarion

An hour as I go at lunch time. Generally will be 50 mins of crosstrainer at high resistance or weights + stretches.
I do a lot of lifts at smaller weights which takes time, I don't really rest between sets, I just do one lift then move to another and do a little circuit with no rest.

power pants

think foam rolling is just the latest fad, perhaps a minority use it and gain from it but the rest use it as other people use it.

I spend around 50 mins and 1.5hours doing legs

I take very quick breaks though and do some supersets as well

colossus-x

Well it would totally depends on what kind of program your on.

Strong lifts 5*5 which I've never done takes 45 minutes.

If I'm supersetting I'd be done in 40 mins. Doing standard it would take an hour or so.

I stop when I feel I've lost the pump.

The length of time you spend in the gym is not a good measure of how much you've exerted yourself. Your body won't go 'oh Iv'e been here for 1.5 hours therefore I better well grow'.

And of course there is no need to stay on the same style of program month in month out. If nothing else that would get boring. So as I said before looking at from a time perspective is not a good measure of progress.

Since I started doing HIIT cardo instead of long boring hour long runs I feel I've improved my overall cardiovascular health. Takes 20 mins.

Mellor

Zillah wrote: »

I'm not convinced that foam rolling does anything unless you have a specific injury or flexibility issue that needs to be worked on. Same with warm ups. I walk in and start lifting the heaviest weight I'm going to that day.

At the start of a session, before you do anything,
Check your overhead shoulder extension
Now do T-spine extension over the roller,
Then roll the crap out of your lats and teres (ie your armpit)
Check your overhead shoulder extension again

rustynutz

Regarding foam rolling, I started doing a bit of it for the first time as part of Defrancos limber 11 pre workout and find rolling, along with the stretching has improved my hip mobility and flexibility noticeably. I recently started traing Krav Maga and have really struggled with the kicking side of it due to my age (37) and lack of flexibility, I have found the limber 11 has made a big difference to the height I can kick the days I do it before a workout. Anyway, off topic, I usually take 1 hour for a workout including warmup

Mellor

As for time, anywhere between 45mins and 3 hours - depending on what I'm doing.

deadlybuzzman

Mellor wrote: »

As for time, anywhere between 45mins and 3 hours - depending on what I'm doing.

Out of curiosity what would you be doing in the 3 hour session?

COH

I'd routinely spend about 3 hours training as well.

The_Kew_Tour

3 hours!!! What!!??

I thought 1 1\2 hours was stretching it.

Fair play, is it weights or cardiovascular that ye do?

deadlybuzzman

COH wrote: »

I'd routinely spend about 3 hours training as well.

It's replies like this that have me curious. With the law of diminishing returns, as the weights start to get heavier and heavier e.g. over double BW squat etc. Can you still train effectively (although maybe not optimally ) with shorter 1 hour or less sessions or does recovery between sets mean you just have to take longer?

Mr. CooL ICE

How exactly would one keep themselves fuelled for 3 hours?

Hanley

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

How exactly would one keep themselves fuelled for 3 hours?

I usually have a coffee with cream pre workout.

Sip aminos thru the session.

And after the first movement of the day (normally squat or DL, which takes 60-75 minutes) throw down a banana and nibble on a protein bar.

Mellor

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

How exactly would one keep themselves fuelled for 3 hours?

A 3 hour session isn't going to be at the same intensity as a 5km run. It won't require triple the energy as 60 min session either imo. The energy demands aren't as high as you might initially think.

I'd just have a decent meal a few hours before, usually a coffee closer to training. And maybe sip on a scoop of whey+ a scoop carb powder (powerade mix or similar).

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Out of curiosity what would you be doing in the 3 hour session?

Typically it's 45-90 mins of striking/body-weight/movement/weights followed by 90 mins grappling. I do that maybe once a week. Other days I'll split it between two sessions.

COH

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

3 hours!!! What!!??

I thought 1 1\2 hours was stretching it.

Fair play, is it weights or cardiovascular that ye do?

Powerlifting

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

It's replies like this that have me curious. With the law of diminishing returns, as the weights start to get heavier and heavier e.g. over double BW squat etc. Can you still train effectively (although maybe not optimally ) with shorter 1 hour or less sessions or does recovery between sets mean you just have to take longer?

It just takes as long as it takes to guarantee the quality of effort for the end goal in mind. I think the hardest session I did recently was working up to 245kg (ish) for 2-3reps in knee wraps, then 5 back off sets also in knee wraps. The recovery is one thing, but also have to take into account how long it takes to use the equipment etc. (knee wraps are a pain, no pun intended). Then the accessory work is generally pretty high volume also (anywhere from 4-7 exercises depending on phase of training)

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

How exactly would one keep themselves fuelled for 3 hours?

I eat my last meal about 2 hours before I train, thenI have a protein bar with my pre-training coffee as I'm warming up, then I have a 2 litre water bottle with a load of BCAAs that I sip on. Sometimes I'll grab a shake before I finish training, usually have food ready to go pretty soon after the session is done. If you eat to support your training when getting bigger/stronger is the primary goal its pretty hard to run out of gas anyway.

Myself and Hanley are both working in training facilities, are both relatively advanced in our training experience/exposure etc. so we represent the exception rather than the rule. We both coach people for a living, I would say (for my part anyway) that the vast majority of programming for genpop is tailored to fit a 60minute window (possibly up to 90mins for some of my clients who have extra stuff that they are allowed to on their own time).

Can you get a good workout done in 30/45/60 mins? Absolutely.