How long should training in the gym last ? Before proceeding to a detailed discussion of this issue, we dwell on some theoretical data. According to the results of scientific research, it will be optimal to spend 40-60 minutes in the gym, including warm-up, stretching, short breaks.
Hormone change
Arguing over how long the training should last in the gym, it should be noted that during the training, anabolic and catabolic hormones are released. The first group includes: insulin, testosterone, growth hormone. They are responsible for creating new and repairing damaged tissue. Cortisol, which belongs to the second group, is designed to increase blood glucose levels, immunity, and metabolic processes.
How long should the training in the gym last so as not to harm the person? Experts note that with prolonged release of cortisol, there is a sharp surge in glucose in the blood, blood pressure rises, inflammatory reactions appear, and the effectiveness of the immune system decreases. Cortisol can cause a violation of the "repair" of muscle tissue, provokes the accumulation of fat released as a response to stress.
Answering the question: how long should the training in the gym last, we note that it depends on the individual characteristics of the body. The body perceives any burden as stress, while secreting an increased amount of cortisol.
Interesting Facts
As a result of many studies, it was possible to find out how long the training in the gym should last, so as not to harm the person. Since an hour after intense exercise, the level of cortisol increases sharply, the duration of the classes should not exceed 60 minutes.
How long should strength training last? Scientists believe that the optimal period is 45-60 minutes.
Side effects
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts (USA) conducted studies, the results of which established a relationship between the duration of training and negative side effects. An hour after the start of intense exercise, the following problems occur:
- testosterone production is reduced;
- growth hormone levels are reduced;
- increased production of cortisol;
- the risk of injury increases.
Neuromuscular burnout
Long-term strength exercises lead to tension of several systems of the human body. The muscular and nervous systems in this process are depleted. The level of wear is determined by several factors:
- intensity of classes;
- type of activity;
- the duration of the exercises.
In order to get a positive effect, you need a certain time to restore the body.
Knowing how long the training should last, you can get the desired result without harming your health. The frequency of classes should not exceed 1-2 times a week.
For example, professional bodybuilders determine the fine line between injuries and condition. They distinguish the “off-season period”, which allows you to recover, not to expose the body to stressful situations.
Energy channels
How long should the training last? This question excites not only athletes, but also ordinary citizens who decided to prepare themselves for the new beach season. Exercise is a great way to burn extra calories. But not everyone knows that there are several channels for obtaining additional energy. So, the body relies on different types of fuel (substrates), which differ for each activity of different duration and intensity.
Knowing how long the training should last in the gym, unpleasant consequences can be avoided. In particular, during high-intensity training (sprint, weightlifting), the duration of the exercises is 1-2 minutes, while the body produces additional energy without oxygen. The body relies on muscle reserves of glycogen and creatine phosphate in the form of glucose retention. With low-intensity training and prolonged exercise (cycling, walking), the body consumes oxygen, burning fat and glycogen. This is important to know in order to evaluate how long a workout for weight loss should take.
Strength training
When performing a variety of physical exercises, the muscles rely on limited reserves of creatine phosphate and glycogen. If the first is enough for only 10 seconds of intense exercise, then glycogen ends 3-4 minutes after the start of training. Of course, each person's reserves of these substances are significantly different.
Their number is affected by diet, lifestyle. When answering the question of how long the training should last, it is necessary to realize that during classes of 30-40 minutes, glycogen reserves are depleted, the body “breaks” muscles, using special proteins as an energy source. With an increase in the duration of exercises (more than 30-40 minutes), destruction, rather than muscle building, occurs.
Cardiovascular training
Analyzing how much strength training should last, we note that it is important to take into account its main goal. If you just need to tone the cardiovascular system, disperse blood throughout the body, 10 minutes of moderate speed aerobic exercise 2-3 times a week are enough.
If the plans include a significant reduction in body fat, in this case, aerobic training should be carried out for 40-60 minutes. Further, the body uses fat as the main source of fuel. 2-3 times a week (45-60 minutes each) is the best time for cardiac activity to part with extra pounds.
Conducting a strength training before an aerobic session leads to depletion of glycogen reserves, which stimulates the burning of fat calories.
Practical tips
Now we’ll try to find out how long the training should last for the mass, using practical advice from professionals. In order to obtain the desired result, without affecting the state of health, it is necessary to reduce the time between separate approaches.
Excessive breaks between sets of exercises not only increase the length of stay in the gym, but also reduce the effectiveness of the exercises.
Spending time on gatherings, unnecessary conversations, people cease to control their time. This leads to the fact that there is no reduction in excess weight, and time is wasted.
HIIT method
We continue the conversation about how long the training should last. Experts recommend using the HIIT method, which involves switching between small intervals of increased intensity and reducing pauses. Intensive high-intensity training is an excellent accelerator of the training process. It is difficult to choose any other method of muscle training and fat burning, which would give the same performance.
Many gyms are equipped with TVs. If a person, before he plans to perform a set of exercises, “hangs” at the television screen, the training turns into a trip to the cinema. It is important to remember the purpose of your visit, not to respond to inviting pictures.
If the plans include the simultaneous "killing two birds with one stone" in one training session: burning fat on cardio machines and pumping up muscles, it is difficult to count on achieving the desired result.
Planning
Using a series of exercises is a great opportunity to maximize the involvement of different muscle groups in the work. For example, moving from pull-ups to push-ups, you can achieve an excellent result from a workout.
According to the results of numerous studies, it was found that music stimulates chemical processes in the human body. It promotes the release of adrenaline and endorphin - hormones that increase intensity, stimulate training.
It is important to have a clear plan in which the set of exercises is noted, the duration of its implementation, the breaks between the various elements are indicated.
A good coach does not recommend coming to the gym during peak hours, because you have to wait 10-15 minutes to release the simulator. If the plans include weight loss, it is better to choose a period when there will not be a large crowd of people in the gym, it will be possible to fully implement the plan.
Water to the hall
Going to the "rocking chair", it is advisable to take a bottle of water with you. The reason for this thirstiness is in those time costs that will be associated with adventures for water from the gym. During strength training, it is necessary to use up to 1.5 liters of water for men, at least 1 liter for women. If you divide this volume into cups (200 ml), each of which will have to go separately, you can safely add another 30-35 minutes to the time of training.
To summarize some of the results.
To summarize, we can say that the average time for visiting the gym is 45-60 minutes.
If you are in the gym, actively performing various sets of exercises for longer, there will be difficulties with the restoration of the body, it will be difficult to fully work the next day.
It must be remembered that it is important not only to be in the gym, but also to work actively in it. Watching television programs, empty talk, walking for water is a waste of time and material resources.
Training less than 45 minutes will not bring the desired result, you will have to increase the number of visits to the gym, which not all can afford.
40 minutes after the start of intense sports, a weakening of the brain (mental center) occurs.
Such tips are relevant for beginner athletes whose training experience does not exceed 1 year. Of course, each person is an individual, therefore, it is important to select the “manual” duration of the performance of various strength and cardio complexes.
For example, if for one athlete an increase in training by 10-15 minutes becomes effective, for another it is advisable to reduce the set of exercises by 5-15 minutes. Professionals recommend listening to their own body, which will certainly tell you both the duration of the training and the intensity of various exercises. The final result of training in the gym is influenced by several factors at once: program, nutrition, duration of training.
The main enemy of athletes is "overtraining". If the muscles do not get enough time for a full recovery. In this case, it makes no sense to go to another training session until the moment the body is fully restored.
Also, the duration of training is affected by the set of exercises that the athlete has chosen. For example, in the case of aerobic training, it takes 40-60 minutes to burn fat. For work with power simulators and a bar 45 minutes are quite enough. Note that the implementation of the preliminary warm-up is not included in the overall complex. Among the most popular systems, two are currently distinguished: split (working out of individual muscle groups), full body (a circular training option).
Selection of a program for beginners is carried out by an experienced instructor. This allows you to avoid excessive loads, makes it possible to treat the body wisely. Gradually, you can increase the time spent in the gym, as well as change the complexity of the exercises.
Beginners should understand that the use of a large number of simulators is not a guarantee of achieving the desired result in a short time.