Amount of time at the gym

Perseus · 15-Jan-07, 05:36 PM

A friend told me you're supposed to do 3 sets of 12 reps on 3 different exercises per muscle group, and one muscle group a day.

I did 2 muscle groups today, abs and biceps, and I did what he had recommended but it only took 30 minutes, and by that time I was supposedly done for the day?

Am I doing something wrong? I have a lot of time to spend at the gym, but since I'm only working out one or two muscle groups a day and going by what he said was the right way to do it, it only takes a short amount of time.

Any suggestions on how to make that time longer?

**.V.** · 15-Jan-07, 05:54 PM

30-45 minutes in the gym is just fine.

**gymgirl** · 15-Jan-07, 05:58 PM

i agree with welch, 30-45 min is just fine, but if you have time to kill you can always work on flexability. are you warming-up before you hit the weights?

**MAURER** · 15-Jan-07, 06:35 PM

45 mins for me is a long workout since i've been working out based on muscle groups. however, there is definitely something wrong if you are not worn out by the end of the workout. Just because a workout is short doesn't mean that its not supposed to be hard. Keeping up a high level of intensity is key for muscle growth.

I'll add that if you do want to work out for a longer period of time, then maybe you should consider an upper/lower body split or even a total body split performed more frequently than you would train each muscle in a body part split. these workouts usually take closer to an hour. This type of routine can be very effective and maybe you should try it if you are interested in a longer workout session.

tim_mcf · 15-Jan-07, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Just because a workout is short doesn't mean that its not supposed to be hard.

It should be short AND hard. If you still have anything left in the tank after 30 minutes, you're not working hard enough.

CF-OC_gal · 15-Jan-07, 07:08 PM

There are so many ways to design workouts you are not going to get one right or correct answer to this question from everyone here. We all have our own preferences, styles and fitness agendas.

If you are fairly new at working with weights I think you should be doing a more overall program like full body in one or two workouts. (All major muscle groups). The other thing is that as you increase your intensityand lower the #of reps per set, there easily can come a time when you need longer rest longer between sets and exercises, thus making your gym time longer.

Of course what you do with your workout time should be based on your goals and where you are at in your development.

So what exactly are you training goals?

**maverick** · 16-Jan-07, 09:49 AM

I couldn't possibly finish my workouts in 30 minutes, probably not even in 45 minutes. The workout should be as long or as short as it needs to be to achieve your goals for the day. My goals are more weight in every workout with an upper/lower body split, so I take a good bit of time between my final sets. Don't get too wrapped up into the science of catabolism and glycogen stores, it'll drive you nuts.

That said, I would never use a whole gym session for just biceps and abs. What does your weight training schedule look like?

sooner_ed · 16-Jan-07, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perseus

A friend told me you're supposed to do 3 sets of 12 reps on 3 different exercises per muscle group, and one muscle group a day.

Only Brat asked what your goals are.

Your friend told you 3 sets of 12 based on what information? Everything always depends on what your goals are.

Not that everyone else didn't give you good advice, but what's good for one person isn't always what's good for another.

**maverick** · 16-Jan-07, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooner_ed

Only Brat asked what your goals are.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverick

I couldn't possibly finish my workouts in 30 minutes, probably not even in 45 minutes. The workout should be as long or as short as it needs to be to achieve your goals for the day. My goals are more weight in every workout with an upper/lower body split, so I take a good bit of time between my final sets. Don't get too wrapped up into the science of catabolism and glycogen stores, it'll drive you nuts.

That said, I would never use a whole gym session for just biceps and abs. What does your weight training schedule look like?

ehem!

sooner_ed · 16-Jan-07, 01:16 PM

Ok maverick, I missed that!!

maverick and Brat!!!

Maxgain · 16-Jan-07, 03:14 PM

I done shoulders today in 20 mins. Hit a max for the shoulder press failed on the next set.
What was the point in doing any more?

BoneyBoy · 16-Jan-07, 04:16 PM

my workouts are normally 1 hour because I normally work two muscle groups per day, but if i am only working one group (i.e. bicep days), I can normally get done in half an hour. Length of time just depends on your format of workout and (like said earlier) what your goals are. I have workouts where I need to rush so i work 2 or 3 muscle groups and get done in 30 minutes because I do trisets/supersets with no extra time of rest in between than I would normally take. As one can imagine, these workouts end up being much more grueling than my normal 1 hour workouts...

**LiftGirl** · 16-Jan-07, 05:08 PM

Don't forget to do cardio to exercise your heart. It's the most important muscle in the body!

Perseus · 17-Jan-07, 07:39 PM

My goals are basically to put on some more muscle and gain more weight.

I've been doing one muscle group a day but I've found that I set up my workout incorrectly, so I went to bodybuilding.com to find a program good for me and I've narrowed it down to 4, but solely based on their descriptions because I really dont understand most of what's going on. Here are the 4:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/work...=&exercount=28
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/work...rcount=20&s2r=
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/work...rcount=33&s2r=
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/work...D=Seated+calve

Can anyone tell me some differences in the workouts and which one I would be better off with?

**.V.** · 17-Jan-07, 07:55 PM

Perseus, I take it you are a relative beginner? Those look like rather advanced workouts which may work well, or may lead to overtraining and loss of motivation.

Here is some reading for you:
Strength and size.
New Lifter

Size and strength
AST Sports Science - Max-OT Introduction

Size and well, more size.
Hypertrophy-Specific Training : : Official Home of HST

These are all rather effective at getting you bigger and stronger, or stronger and bigger, whichever it is. There are many more ways, but these are the simplest and most effective I've found so far. And all are appropriate for beginners because you will be working with loads and intensity levels that are individual to you.

You don't have to spend all day in the gym to grow. If your body can deliver enough intensity for long enough time and recover from it, it would be fine. However, unless you are in the very small percentage with the genetic ability to become pro bodybuilders, you simply don't want to overdo it.