Half an hour at the gym - is that enough?

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Replies

  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    No one can answer your question without knowing what your diet looks like.

    THIS^^
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
    My god, so much misinformation in this thread :/

    Half an hour is plenty if you train at high intensity. Look into High-intensity interval training (or HIIT)
    Either that, or working out with weights, doing supersets or making it a quick circuit.

    It's better than nothing even if it's low-moderate intensity, doing what you're doing.
    Diet is the most important thing when it comes to weight loss, anyway.
  • sandylion
    sandylion Posts: 451 Member
    I think that it's probably not enough time to look like a model or a pro-athlete, but any time you add more exercise and don't add more food, you are going to loose weight. You can only do what you can do, and should not feel discouraged because you're not going hard-core enough. I don't spend any time at the gym and try to go for 5 walks a week varying between 20 minutes and an hour, and I've lost about 18lbs. If you want to get 'ripped', half an hour 3xweek probably isn't going to cut it, but to just loose some weight and try to be fitter, think you will see results.
  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,066 Member
    I've lost 45 pounds and am stronger than ever. I did it 30 minutes at a time.
  • sumeetn
    sumeetn Posts: 56
    Depends on how you structure your workout. You could make it work, especially as you are gaining fitness in the early stages.

    1. Circuit training is your friend, do not stop at all. Warm up for 3 minutes on a cardio machine. Go straight to the weights, do one set, move directly to the next machine (or exercise with free weights). Do your all of your 1st sets. Rest for 30-60 seconds. Do set 2 back to back. Do set 3 (if time allows). Do a 2 minute sprint on the cardio machine and stretch. Your gym may also have a 30 minute circuit setup to use.
    2. Do intervals on your walk. Don't go at the same speed. Go normal speed. Then go fast for a minute or 2. Slow down again and repeat for your entire workout
    3. Reclaim 10 minutes here and there for some exercises. There are loads of 10-15 minute workouts available on youtube/online etc. Try blogilates.
    4. Have a plan for every workout so you don't waste time thinking about what to do while you are at the gym

    I don't spend much time at the gym. Around 45 minutes 3 to 4 days a week. My goal is to be as efficient as possible with my time. Circuit training and intervals are pretty much the best way to do this.

    sound advise
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    Here's my .02.

    If that is a schedule that you can maintain for the rest of your life, then it is perfect. I don't think you need to workout 5 days a week at the gym, 30 minute walks at lunch and then find a sport for the weekends. You can, but I suspect going from 0 to 180 is going to burn you out. The goal here is to be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I could be wrong, but I suspect your goals are not to become a ripped fitness model or train for a triathalon.

    If you are getting in 30 minute walks at lunchtime, then the gym time I would spend doing weights.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    You could do StrongLifts 5x5 in 30mins at the gym, do that 3 times a week plus your walking and you'll be golden. :)
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    if you really have only 30mins for the gym, i'd just do a really quick warm up then weights for the whole time you're there.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    When I first started I did between 15 and 20 minutes on the treadmill and that was that....something is better than nothing and you can walk a mile and a half in 30 minutes. Keep in mind you need your heart rate to stay up for 20 minutes to make the best workout. So 20 on the treadmill or something like that is real good. I now do (for the most part) 20 minutes on the treadmill and 20 minutes on the bike, I love the bike. One day soon I will try to add something else to the routine
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    You don't need to do ANY exercise to lose weight, you just need a calorie deficit! Exercise helps by giving you more of a deficit, which you can chose to eat back so you have more energy for the next workout, feel less hungry and are more likely to stick with it.

    Your work-out sounds perfect for a beginner, and to be honest even as a gym veteran, I often do very similar. Yes, you could work out harder in the same time (running instead of walking, lifting heavy, doing HIIT for gym cardio) or workout longer.

    BUT as I say to any post asking, "What's the best exercise?" it's what you love and can stick with. If you find it gets dull or easy, just change it up a bit.

    Hope that helps :flowerforyou:
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    personally i frequently have only half an hour to spend. I would normally go hell for leather on a cardio machine to burn themost calories in this time.
    Personally I don't think 30 mins is any where near enough if you are trying to mix weights and cardio, so I would do either or. Maybe two sessions do cardio, and do one session a week just weights.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    You don't need to do ANY exercise to lose weight, you just need a calorie deficit! Exercise helps by giving you more of a deficit, which you can chose to eat back so you have more energy for the next workout, feel less hungry and are more likely to stick with it.

    Your work-out sounds perfect for a beginner, and to be honest even as a gym veteran, I often do very similar. Yes, you could work out harder in the same time (running instead of walking, lifting heavy, doing HIIT for gym cardio) or workout longer.

    BUT as I say to any post asking, "What's the best exercise?" it's what you love and can stick with. If you find it gets dull or easy, just change it up a bit.

    Hope that helps :flowerforyou:

    I'm with Berry. A half hour a day is plenty. No one "needs" to spent 2 hours at the gym. And weight loss boils down more to what you're eating than how you're exercising.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    An hour and a half of exercise a week is not enough for exercise to be a significant part of your weight loss. That doesn't mean it is completely useless, it just won't help as much as you want, and you will have to rely on diet really diligently if you want to lose weight.
  • Moriarty_697
    Moriarty_697 Posts: 226 Member
    I'd say that combining a half hour at the gym with a half hour cardio outside of the gym is pretty good.
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    NO...go back and do the other 1/2 hr. Joking. As long as it's productive and you're working and not standing around talking. I can get in a great 30 minute workout if I really WORK!
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I'm with Berry. A half hour a day is plenty. No one "needs" to spent 2 hours at the gym. And weight loss boils down more to what you're eating than how you're exercising.

    A lot of people are missing the point... 30 minutes might be plenty if she were going 6 days a week. She's going to the gym THREE days a week. That's really not a lot of exercise.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    3 days a week for 30 minutes is plenty of gym time. Additionally she's walking for 30 minutes on top of that.

    No need for more than that for good health.
  • vkwiatkowski84
    vkwiatkowski84 Posts: 1
    In my honest opinion, depends on what kind of activities you are doing. Cardiovascular, 30 minutes is great, although that is the minimum requirement per day for an average adult.

    I'd say mix it up, for resistance training, do upto an hour, no more, depending on your access to equipment. 30-45 minutes doing Cardio.

    Hope this helps.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    OK. you can lose weight without EVER going to the gym if your calories are at the right level, so that has no relation to the question.

    In terms of "toning up" and getting fit - well, it depends what you are doing at the gym. You could easily make improvements to your body with two 30 minute heavy lifting sessions a week and one high intensity cardio session. Really, as long as you start doing more now than you have done before then you are making enough changes to be getting on with.

    You would get better, faster results with spending more time there, but if you are just starting out and getting into the swing of things then three 30 minute sessions is pretty good. No sense taking on too much too soon and putting yourself off altogether!
  • georgia_ann40
    georgia_ann40 Posts: 21 Member
    Time seems to be an "issue" for you in the mornings. Can you shower, get ready for work at the gym? I keep a locker at the gym just for this purpose. So I can leave straight from the gym to work. Working out some is much better than not working out at all! Great job for you trying to squeeze in the time when possible! Remember, exercise and working out is addictive. Especially once you start seeing results :)
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    A lot of people are missing the point... 30 minutes might be plenty if she were going 6 days a week. She's going to the gym THREE days a week. That's really not a lot of exercise.
    And lunchtime walks. Done every working day that adds up to eight exercise sessions a week, more than many people on here do. Walking is awesome exercise, and everyone here, even the most hardcore athletes, can do it an a level that challenges them.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I'm with Berry. A half hour a day is plenty. No one "needs" to spent 2 hours at the gym. And weight loss boils down more to what you're eating than how you're exercising.

    A lot of people are missing the point... 30 minutes might be plenty if she were going 6 days a week. She's going to the gym THREE days a week. That's really not a lot of exercise.

    And you're missing the half hour of walking she does on lunch every day. :smile:
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
    a half hour walk does not do much in terms of calorie burn, personally I wouldn't even log it. A short walk should be a natural part of life for a healthy person not "exercise" as such.
  • Ahluvly
    Ahluvly Posts: 389 Member
    How much weight are you wanting to lose? The 20kg that's on your tracker? My advice would be for you to up your exercise to 4-5 times a week, 1 hour blocks if you can. There's no need for you to be doing more than an hour really (of cardio). Vary the type of exercise you do too otherwise you'll get bored and your body will get used to it. It's good to mix up your routines every 6/8 weeks.

    Anything which is a planned piece of exercise should be considered into your weekly exercise.

    However, make sure 50% of your exercise each week is weight bearing as this will help your weight loss through converting fat into muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the more effective your body will be at burning fat.

    I hope that helps.

    :)
    Hello all! Trying to get back into the groove of things and thought I'd ask around to see if anyone can help me out.

    I plan on going to the gym 3 times a week - half an hour each week and I also plan to go for half an hour walks during my lunch break. Is this sufficient to lose weight and tone up or should I be investing more time? I go to the gym in the morning (from 6 am to 6:30am) because I'm usually too tired to do it at night and it's winter over here so I'd rather be rugged up at home.

    The 30 mins I spend at the gym will be 10 mins - cross trainer/cycling, 10 mins - rowing machine and 10 mins - core workouts/weights
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    30 minutes of walking isn't incredibly significant either. Sorry but I walked that much every day (usually more) when I was still overweight and it didn't make a difference. If you want serious results, a time commitment is important. I think that 30 minutes at the gym would be better spent weight training. BUT I do agree that if she's a beginner looking to start a weight loss journey or get into the gym scene without it being overwhelming, there's absolutely nothing wrong with 30 minutes at the gym.
  • scoobiesaan
    scoobiesaan Posts: 9
    It depends on how hard you work out. You can burn a good 300 calories or so in 30 mins. Best advice I can give you is to get a HR Monitor, that is the best judge of how many calories you burn.
  • emzmc
    emzmc Posts: 85 Member
    It's not the time you put in, it's what you do with the time.

    An intense 30 minutes is better than a moderate hour or two.
    A moderate 30 minutes is better than a boring hour or two.
    A boring 30 minutes is better than nothing at all.

    Just my two cents.

    This x100

    It's not like you can't increase times at a later stage, when you can find time.
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
    I only spend 20 minutes in the gym because I bike everywhere and my strength circuit takes about that long. All my cardio is outside the gym. If I do go there for cardio, I can burn a good amount of calories in a short period of time. No one says you HAVE to spend hours at the gym getting good results.

    I've only done light biking this week and lost 3 pounds mostly by watching what I eat.
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
    First off buy the book The new rules for lifting for women and then lift weights rather than doing cardio. You'll only need 30 to 45 minutes in the gym with alot better results.
  • emzmc
    emzmc Posts: 85 Member
    My god, so much misinformation in this thread :/

    Half an hour is plenty if you train at high intensity. Look into High-intensity interval training (or HIIT)
    Either that, or working out with weights, doing supersets or making it a quick circuit.

    It's better than nothing even if it's low-moderate intensity, doing what you're doing.
    Diet is the most important thing when it comes to weight loss, anyway.

    This x100

    Forgot to say, I lost 30pounds just with diet and the smallest of excercise.

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