Ya, I’m sure this post has been done before but answer me anyways. I ask because my workouts have gotten progressively shorter; I used to work out for an hour, then 50 minutes, then 40 minutes; yesterday I had my shortest workout to date, 30 minutes!!! I wanted to do more, but there comes a point when I know I’m done. I give it 110% for as long as I can, but when I feel my best effort becoming lame I stop.
I’m thinking that I might be starting off too intense. I usually take almost every set to near failure throughout the workout. I know everyone will ask, “well, is it working for you?” Yes, it is, and I will continue to do it this way until it stops. I try to lift weights 5 days a week, sometimes 6, and I think these short intense workouts help me recover better. Anyways, post about your duration, intensity, and how many days a week you work out.
Lifting
*2-3 days/week (depends on work schedule)
*~30 minutes each
*whole body workouts
*typically 5-6 exercises built around variations of bench, deadlift, squat, shoulder press, pull-ups and a little extra on some lagging body part
*weights ~85% of 1RM
*goal is to add a little more weight or 1 rep each week on the same exercise
I try for 20-30 minutes of ‘cardio’ 2 days/wk depending on my work schedule. These tend to be very optional since family time and sleep are valuable commodities.
Best thing I did was to start wearing my watch during workouts and set a specific rest interval between sets. It keeps 30 minute workouts on time and productive.
Workouts currently are 35 to 45 minutes 4 times a week. I do some running and sprinting 2 or 3 times a week as well so I like to keep them on the shorter side.
Being over 30 and having a full time job doesn’t help with recovery.
Not post jacking, just looking for similar advice… My fullbody workouts are pushing into about 2 hours. I do squats and deadlifts 3 times a week and they just bust my intensity. Any advice on how I should proceed? Should I do splits to keep the intensity up or stay with fullbody for the huge shock it causes? With the splits I am concerned with taking Surge 5 or 6 days a week. That might break the bank… I hope this helps both of us Markdp. Thanks!
[quote]CrvtWanabe wrote:
Not post jacking, just looking for similar advice… My fullbody workouts are pushing into about 2 hours. I do squats and deadlifts 3 times a week and they just bust my intensity. Any advice on how I should proceed? Should I do splits to keep the intensity up or stay with fullbody for the huge shock it causes? With the splits I am concerned with taking surge 5 or 6 days a week. That might break the bank… I hope this helps both of us Markdp. Thanks! [/quote]
Well are you making progress with what you are doing? Getting bigger and stronger?
Yes I am growing but I question the efficiency of what I am doing Matt. I think I could could go balls out with a split program but I would go broke using all that Surge!
[quote]CrvtWanabe wrote:
Yes I am growing but I question the efficiency of what I am doing Matt. I think I could could go balls out with a split program but I would go broke using all that surge![/quote]
If you are growing, don’t mess with it. I am a firm believer in - If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
[quote]CrvtWanabe wrote:
Yes I am growing but I question the efficiency of what I am doing Matt. I think I could could go balls out with a split program but I would go broke using all that surge![/quote]
You could try saving the Surge for you leg, back, and chest days and using nonfat milk + hersheys syrup + whey on your shoulder and arm days.
50- 90 mins. If I hit the hour point, I pop 3g of BCAAs to hopefully enhance recovery and prevent all that bad stuff that happens when you train too long.
This thread brings up a question. Does rest time count when you’re working out when talking about not going over 45 minutes a workout? I ask because of that rule that says lactic acid buildup or something goes up after that time? Sometimes I like to take longer rest breaks to lift more also.
BTW I workout somewhere around 1 hour, not including the time that I hit the speed bag and heavy bag sometimes if that even counts.
[quote]sed26 wrote:
This thread brings up a question. Does rest time count when you’re working out when talking about not going over 45 minutes a workout? [/quote]
Ive wondered this as well… if anyone has the study/studies that determined this id like to see them or know what kind of workout the participants were completing
another interesting point is that apparently in that study there was no pre, peri, or post-workout nutrition… which may fend off the catabolic state for a longer period of time
[quote]CrvtWanabe wrote:
How detrimental is training past and hour? I mean a catabolic state for an extra 30-60 min…? Can someone point me to a good split program?[/quote]
Stress hormones like cortisol come into play once the workouts last longer. To remedy this, use peri-workout (during workout) nutrition or try a high density protocol like EDT.
