Stop Spending Hours at the Gym!
Being a personal trainer in a gym, there is one thing I notice far too often… Some people are there for 2-3 hours!!
Now this could be for various reasons. They could have gotten caught up in a conversation, they’re on their phone in between every set, they’re dragging out every workout taking massive rest times, or on rare occasions, they’re doing way too much every day and over training.
Why is this bad?
If you’re one of these people, you’re killing your gains!! Giving yourself that much rest in between workouts is lowering your intensity and not making your body really work. Of course if you’re doing a main lift like squat, deadlift, or bench you’re going to want to rest 3-4 minutes in between each set to make sure your muscles recover in order for you to perform as best you can. However, that’s only because lifts like that take much more energy than something like a tricep rope extension where you’re isolating one muscle. Ideally, you should only allow yourself to take 1-2 minutes in between each workout.
How long you’re at the gym depends on your goals as well. Someone trying to bulk or put on weight may be lifting heavier, therefore they may need more time to recover in between sets. That being said, they still shouldn’t wait too long as the pump and intensity will fade, not allowing them to hit hypertrophy (increasing the size of your muscle fibers, developing large muscles in areas that you work out the most). If you’re someone trying to lose weight, you should probably be doing HIIT workouts (link to blog below) or circuit training. These techniques involve low rest times while still including strength training. You also are probably incorporating cardio which can very well extend your stay at the gym.
What’s a good length of time to be at the gym?
Again, this will vary for everyone, however I’d say no matter what, an hour or less. This may seem low to many of you, but I can tell you first hand, it’s very possible. You’d be surprised how much you can get done in just 30 minutes. For the main lifters out there, you should easily be able to get done within 45 minutes leaving you with 15 minutes of leeway for more lifting, stretching, or light cardio. For the “want to lose weight people” you may want to do 30-40 minutes of cardio, so this will prolong your stay. However, your workouts should be quick and efficient with HIIT or circuit type training. Therefore, with your workout being 30-40 minutes and your cardio being the same, you should be there an hour and 15 minute MAX!
If you happen to be one of the rare breeds that is doing 10 different workouts every day for 2-3 hours, then you need to chill. Overtraining is a thing and you’re way more prone to injury. Your body needs time to recover in order to actually get stronger. So take it back a notch and do 5-6 workouts max and choose different muscle groups each day instead of hammering away at the same few.
Stop being at the gym for 3 hours! You’re not helping yourself and can be way more effective in less time!
You Got This!
https://corecalisthenics.com/workout-education/hiit-workouts/
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