How long is your workout?

shanerylee

Hi. Wondering how long everyone works out per day? I am new to this and battling with how long I should do cardio and how long should I do weight training. I have been doing about 50 minutes cardio and wonder when you bump it up.

jjwilsn

I do cardio approx 1 hr 6x/week--and weights, etc twice a week for approx 45 minutes. On weights its best to up either repitions or weight once you are no longer 'shaky' on last rep--at least that is what I've heard. For cardio, I use the treadmill and use to walk, now I run/jog part of the time and sporadically increase my incline.

ddss37

I work out from 60-90 minutes a day - 6 days a week. Cardio, abs, and stretching everyday; 2 days of weights; 2 days of circuit training. My cardio consists of elliptical, step aerobics, and martial arts/kickboxing.

Donna

erickirb

I lift weight 4 days a week 1/2 hour at a time and do cardio 2-3 days a week for 25-30min at a time at fairly high intensity (22 min 5K's on treadmill or elliptical)

Dive_Girl

I think because I work at a desk all week I just HATE being inside unless I absolutely have to be so gyms don’t work for me. I just started running this past fall and I am up to 3-4 mile runs 4 days a week. On the weekend I try to do something different like snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking or something to get me out and moving. I really need to integrate strength training in there somewhere but I haven't figured out a way to do it outside consistently yet. However, I find that if I enjoy what I am doing, I look forward to the activity instead of dreading it. Then making time for it wont be so much of an issue.:happy:

ccdo

my workout consists off spin classes everday 6 days a week and then followed by another hour in the gym and on sunday i do only the gym with high intensity cardio i dont do weight training at all tho i should incooperate it with my workout i use stair master and manily treadmill and especially not forgettin elliptical machine :flowerforyou:

oats4breakfast

I do a 5 or 10 minute row to warm up.
Then I do a workout of various strength exercises, typically ~10, that takes me about 45-50 minutes.
Then I spend another 10 minutes stretching.
Total time about 65-75 mins.

The strength exercises are typically in a rotation. I'll do 3 different workouts a week, and do those same 3 for 4 weeks, then change them all (I have some PT help in figuring it all out, which order and which exercises are best).

There'll also be a 4th one that I'll do in there, that's not part of the 3 and is more "high energetic" than weights ... like med ball circuit (most fun) where you can run around your backyard and stop and do pressup on the ball, or twists with lunges, curunches, throw it up, leg lifts etc where the ball is the weight - if you want to use weight that is.
It's like your very own bootcamp.
The med ball starts out pretty light, but after you've been running around with it for 30 minutes, doing a number of different exercises, 10 pounds starts to feel like 50:)
You can also incorporate a bit more of a workout with the med ball when you're running the circuit between exerises. e.g. Run the loop for 2 minutes, but you have to hold that med ball under your right arm the whole time. Then the next run, it's under the left, then over head. You can alternate it so that it's not a full 2 minutes, like change every 10 seconds .... but you need a beeper to stay on track for that.
That could work for your out door work ..... you could also take a med ball with you on your 3-4 mile run (maybe start out 2 mile) and just carry it as best you can. That'll work you out. If you feel like doing more, just workout some places to stop on your way and do a few exercises. We used to do that in the military. A lot of fit young guys would drop like flies after 2 miles of running a few 200 yards, then stopping and doing 10 exercises, then moving on .. it was the inability to rest that killed them (us).

The 3 workouts however, I typically do 3 sets of 15 where the weights are at a level so I can complete all sets, but still struggle to get through them. Between sets, I'm only allowed a 45 second rest. That's it, no more, no less. Other times, it may be heavier weights with 10 reps and 60 seconds rests, or an 8 rep superset with 60 seconds, or maybe a 15-20 rep with 30 second rest.. That's what helps keep the intensity of the workout up (and allows you to stay on schedule), the rest times in conjunction with the exercises.
Between sets, I don't really rest, I just setup and start the new exercise .. just like a "superset" or circuit.

smae1980

I do 30 min of cardio 6 days a week and about 40 min of strength training three days a week plus crunches every day. Don't forget to stretch!

April0815

The most cardio I do is 45 minutes(per trainer) 5 times a week. I strength train 3 times a week with a personal trainer for a hour. She told me not to do more than 45 minutes of cardio.

SHBoss1673

I do between 30 and 45 minutes when I do my HIIT training or hard cardio, I usually average 76 to 80 % max Heart Rate, when I do weight training it's usually about 25 minutes of actual training, and a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down and some stretching after as well.

I have found, after a few years of doing all different kinds and types of workouts, that you really don't need to work our really long, you just need to work smart.

These are my rules when I develop a workout for myself:

Rule 1: Keep your muscles guessing, never do a workout more than 3 times in a row.

Rule 2: Always choose shorter, higher intensity over longer, lower intensity

Rule 3: When weight training, always work to technical failure of a muscle.

Rule 4: If something starts to hurt, stop! (this one is big, I've seen more people seriously injure themselves because they refused to listen to their body)

Rule 5: Never base your workout on how it may look to someone else. If someone thinks you look silly or weird, that's their issue, not yours.

Rule 6: Never give an excuse to not work out. Either do it, or don't. If you don't work out one day, and you didn't have a good reason, don't make one up, face up to the fact that you were lazy that day.

These rules aren't the only way to train for everyone, but they are for me.

Mangoaddict

Thanks Banks! Great advice, as always!