Too much time at the gym???

JulsiePie
JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Am I spending too much time at the gym in one session? I plan on spending 1.5 hours there tomorrow. If I have the time, I like to do that....anyways, someone I talked to today said there's no point in working out that much. 30 mins tops is all that will be useful to my body. He's on a body building forum and is trying to get more muscley. Is he right? I don't think he is, but he seemed to know the right terms and lingo lol.

I just started a healthy lifestyle change 23 days ago, I'm a 27 year old female with 140ish pounds to lose (not sure if that matters), and even though it is intimidating, I try and go to the gym 4 times a week for 1-1.5 hours.

Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • xoxmariahxox
    xoxmariahxox Posts: 33
    That is total crap. If you can afford 1.5 hours at the gym - go for it. Do not listen to that.
  • JMoore221979
    JMoore221979 Posts: 266
    I always say to each their own. I am only in for 45 to 60 minutes maybe a hair longer if I am doing any cardio after I lift.
  • cuinboston2014
    cuinboston2014 Posts: 848 Member
    That's total crap.

    If you can only spend 30 minutes at the gym, then you only spend 30 minutes there. If you want to and can spend 1.5 hours there, you will burn more calories. Maybe he was talking about a high intensity workout for 30 minutes vs a easy 1.5 hour work out?

    In any case, you can do your body good after 30 minutes. The only days I don't do workouts longer than an hour are days where my only time to workout is over lunch or in the morning and I sleep in too late.

    Even if you do high intensity workout for 30 minutes and 1 hour of easy-moderate activity you are still burning calories.

    Like the above said, to each their own.
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
    Well right now my workouts feel highly intense to me lol, but good to know that I wasn't wasting my time!

    Thanks :)
  • Sunitagt
    Sunitagt Posts: 486 Member
    I agree with what they said, if you want to and you can spend that much time at the gym, go for it! I can only do like 45 min 3x a week. You're fine!
  • Ilikelamps
    Ilikelamps Posts: 482 Member
    muscley? If he said that word then he is completely invalid in anything he has to say.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    Exercise is beneficial, no matter how little or much time it is. An hour and a half is awesome if that's what you can do. Mine are usually 45min-an hour just because I want some extra cardio on the ends of my strength training routine.

    On that note, remember not to use less time as an excuse to not go to the gym! "I only have an hour today, I might as well just not go." Do the hour and a half if that's what you like—that's great—but remember that any time you can get to the gym is valuable.
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
    muscley? If he said that word then he is completely invalid in anything he has to say.

    LOL - sorry, my word. He said "crisp"....
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    I spend anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours at the gym. It really depends on my schedule and what I'm doing and how long I'm resting between sets.

    Part of it is that I try to spend some time doing stretches or mobility work. If I'm just lifting or just running, it is 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
  • Platform_Heels
    Platform_Heels Posts: 388 Member
    If you only have 30 minutes then do 30 minutes. If you have longer, than do longer. It really doesn't make a difference. My workouts are about as long as yours, sometimes a little longer depending on what I'm doing. Sometimes I'll do two workouts in a day. Whatever works for you.
  • 2dare2dream
    2dare2dream Posts: 104 Member
    personally i do a variation but never less than an hour and i always do brisk walk to gym and back which adds another hour and can burn lots of cals lol. Some days i walk there and do workout with trainer then go to aqua fit class then walk home and that can take up all off my morning. Do what works for you best .. but remember excercise is the way to lose those pounds quicker and also helps create that new shape with curves in right places ... grins
    good luck sweety
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    lol "crisp"

    are you doing any sort of program or routine?
    sometimes different days take me longer or shorter, depending on the day.

    do what you wanna do. it sounds to me like you and your crispy friend have different goals.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Depends on your plan... I mean I do 30 minutes minimum for lifting and 20 for cardio plus I walk a lot. You should always factor in time spent waiting for machines, equipment too.. So 1.5 seems like no problem. Do what makes your body happy
  • wonderbeard101
    wonderbeard101 Posts: 75 Member
    Honestly, he's probably a pretty terrible "bodybuilder" if he is only in the gym for 30 per session. There are too many 13 year old bros on many bodybuilding sites and it sounds like you hit the jackpot.

    Edit to say: You're on the right track, and he's a giant doodieface who's giving terrible advice. Even you were trying to muscle up, it's still terrible advice. Keep doing what you're doing :-)
  • JulsiePie
    JulsiePie Posts: 166 Member
    Yeah.....not sure what crisp means...

    Right now (on an ideal day), I do 30 mins of a hill interval on the treadmill, 30 minutes of to something that looks like an elliptical but can be like a stepper too (don't know what it's called), and then 30 minutes doing various exercises on the mat (lunges, core exercises, etc).

    I do not know much, but I have given myself the goal to lose 40 pounds by September 1st and then invest in some training sessions. I've done research into various exercises to do and the proper technique so I don't hurt myself lol.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It really just depends on your fitness goals. My workouts are generally done in 45 - 60 solid minutes and I usually see no reason to go beyond that unless I'm specifically training for something. I don't see 90 minutes as something over the top...hours upon hours is another story, but a 90 minute workout is pretty standard for a lot of people I would think.

    Bottom line is your fitness regimen should be both sustainable and effectively helping you meet your fitness goals. If that is the case then you are winning.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Maybe have the crispy friend go on bodybuilding.com forums and share his 30-min maximum workout time knowledge. Stand next to him and watch the carnage.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    I'll take between 25 mins -> 90 mins for my workouts.
    Actual time moving weights up and down about 3-5 minutes according to jefit.
    Having my own stuff means I can take long rest periods and not worry about hogging equipment, as well as doing other stuff inbetween sets.
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    On my own, I was probably spending about 90 minutes. I started working with a trainer and it only seemed to go up, which was a surprise. He has warm-up things for me to do and then we spend a hour together. He told me that the warm up should take me about 30 minutes and the workout an hour. On days I just do HIIT runs though, I'm just spending an hour (with warm-up, stretch and run)

    Do what works for you and what you enjoy.
  • Seanb_us
    Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
    Any exercise is better than none, sez I.

    Moreover, I find it takes me 15 minutes to warm up -- on the elliptical, for example, raise my heart rate and break a sweat. So, ideally, I like to exercise for 45 minutes minimum, if possible, only because I consider that first 15 minutes as throwaway. Still, any exercise is better than none, IMHO.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I do believe that there is a point, more so with cardio, where it is just not necessary unless you are training for a specific event. Even wih strength training there would come a point of diminishing returns.
    That said, I don't think 90 minutes is too much particularly if you are doing both strength and cardio.
  • RobertHButler
    RobertHButler Posts: 50
    I do 30 min.s on the treadmill, 30 min.s on the stationary bike, and 20-30 min.s on the strength training circuit, 6 days a week
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,377 Member
    You might find this Layne Norton interview interesting.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcM8HablpZk

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