just curious to see how long (on avg.) you take to finish your workouts.
mine’s usually 2 - 2.5 hours: 2 bodyparts and ancillary muscles.
How often do you do that? I do a 4 day split and spend about an hour each day or 1:30 if I add some cardio
An hour and fifteen minutes, hour and a half tops. That’s warm-up included. 20-30 minutes of that is building up to my 1 RM on max effort bench or lower body day.
2-2.5 hours is probably way too much. If you insist on keeping the volume the same you should try supersetting antagonistic muscle groups(chest and back, bi’s and tri’s) or at least two that don’t overlap (abs and legs, chest and bi’s, etc.).
I saw in another thread where you said you did over 20 sets just for biceps. You really need to do some reading, and not the fiction found in Flex.
Luckily, you’ve come to the right place. I challenge you to do 6 weeks of Chad Waterbury’s Anti-bodybuilding Hypertrophy Program. Look it up in the archives. I bet you gain at least a half inch on your arms with no direct arm training.
If you doubt the effectiveness of the program, read in Chris Shugart’s weblog a post called “Project Evolution: The Missing Link.”
Good luck!
70-90 min.
I agree, 2-2.5 hours is way too long, so either stop dicking around and time your rest periods, or re-evaluate your routine.
RIT Jared
WOW! that is a long time. Since I go at lunch it takes me around 45 min to an hour without cardio.
Shamr0ck,
A single training session should be 60-70 minutes tops! Duration of training is one of the instances where less is better.
The problem is that after more than ~60 minutes of intense weight training most of the growth hormones have peaked and are declining while the catabolic hormone cortisol is raging. Lots of info on this site conserning this.
T-Bone2
You are seriously overtraining. 20 sets for arms? My Olympic/power lifting program now doesnt even have me doing 20 sets for the whole body in a day! My advice to you is take a week off training first and just rest and let your body heal. Then like Dave said, try something like ABBH or something else here.
I currently go between 45-60 minutes, including 5 mins of ab work at the end, if time permits because. I workout before work and have to catch a train, so if I hit snooze too many times, I cut out abs. Right now, I do this 4 times in 8 days (1 on, 1 off) hitting each bodypart twice (Legs/Bi’s, Pecs/Delts/Back) stressing a different grouping in each workout.
For example, today (workout #1) I did Squats/GM’s agonist/antagonist 5x5s, Leg Curls/Single Leg squats (agonist/antagonist for 2 sets, low reps on SLS, mid reps on LC), Hammer Curls 4x5, abs. When I do workout #3, I will go with DL/RDL 5x5s, Single Leg Curls/Farmer Carries, Straight Bar 3x5-5-5’s, then abs.
I am just starting out this rotation, so I’m not sure how it will work out, but I am trying to bulk up my lower body, which has always lagged my upper body somewhat.
Back in college days, I too used to go for 90-120 minutes. Of course, I was reading M&F back then and using their workouts, which were a lot like yours appear to be - multitudes of sets for each body part. I kept in good shape, but I never put on any mass and I was in a never-ending plateau. I also suggest you take 1-2 weeks off and then start up with a program that is greatly reduced in time and sets.
About an hour and a forty-five minutes that includes cardio
I train for about forty-five minutes. Sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more, depends on how things are feeling. If I’m taking it pretty easy, I go longer to get enough work in. If I’m beating the shit out of myself, I cut it a little short to avoid injury.
And I’ll cast another vote for 2-2.5 hours being way too long.
Buff Daddy:
Your Avatar is awesome! I just spent 5 minutes staring at it.
I try to keep it around an hour. 45-minutes at the inside, an hour and 15 at the outside.
If you’re working out for over 2 hours you’re probably doing way too much stuff you don’t need. Especially if you are doing lots of isolation work, you could replace 2 or 3 isolation exercises with one good compound movement and get better results in less time.
I used to do the super-long, super-volume workouts when I was younger and poorly informed, and my results were mediocre and the long workouts would just drag me down. The only way you can spend 2.5 hours in the gym is through a combination of lacking intensity and making poor exercises choices.
With lifting quality always trumps quantity, and no matter how much time or volume you do it will never make up for training smart in the first place.
Nick
[quote]shamr0ck wrote:
just curious to see how long (on avg.) you take to finish your workouts.
mine’s usually 2 - 2.5 hours: 2 bodyparts and ancillary muscles.[/quote]
That’s ridiculously long unless you are a professional athlete or have no other commitments.
And if you are training on a typical “bodybuilding” split, then you definitely need to change it up.
Divide your workouts into upper body/lower body days or total body workouts. You should be able to accomplish your goals in 3-4 days a week and an hour or less.
Seriously, look over Chad Waterbury’s stuff. I’m currently following his recommendations. You will work hard and get out of the gym in under an hour.
Also, maybe you should check out Westside for Skinny Bastards. It’s another good program with similarities to Chad’s stuff.
prosecution: @#$%!@#
judge: has the defence anything to say?
defence: no, we have not, your honor…
judge: jury, what say you?
jury: HANG HIM!
finally! now i can reply. yesterday night my http function was just messed up and i badly wanted to reply, but couldn’t, however, now i will…
ok, let me give you the details:
0) warm up about 10’
- one body part takes me 1 hour (ie 2 hours)
- extras like calves and forearms take about 15-30’
- i do this split 5 days a week (in a row) with sat and sun completely off.
- been doing it for 5 months straight, no problems
- stretching for 5-10’ (yes, they laugh)
i’ve only burnt out once in a middle of a workout - illness related.
ok, that was my side of the story.
this is not something that i’ve followed … it has instinctively developed when i work out. i have the time, so i just fill in the excercises i wish. of course, when i’m pressed for time, it’ll be a whole different ball game.
ok, bottom line, WHAT should i do? what should i change? i should keep it down to 1 hour? but if i do that i can only 1 body part properly with perhaps 3 (max 4) excercises and perhaps a little warm up, stretch and ancillaries.
just give me the articles and advice and i’ll slowly work my way towards them…
thanks for everything, and keep the heaters hot!
I don’t set time constraints, but I rarely go over an hour. If I do, so what. But 2 and a half hours is pretty absurd, particulary if you are doing a 5 day split. Try a 4 day a week upper/lower split, or a 3 day a week full body. I can’t imagine you not making more progress than you are now.
Just a couple simple words here.
Intensity and or load.
You are lacking greatly in one or both if it takes you that long to hit one body part “properly”
I am positive there are more than a handfull of ppl around here, myself included, that if you were to give 15 mintues of your time you would wish you no longer had, said body part. lol
Not to flame you man, but that amount of time is just not needed if you are not lolly gagging in the gym.
I suggest that you simply read up on ALL the GREAT coaches on this site. Implant their thoughts on training into your permanent memory. Pick one of the programs that you think you might like and give it a go. Give it all you got. You go to the gym on fire. Keep intensity hig and get the hell outta there.
There is no problem in myt mind if you go over an hr here or there but damn 2 1/2 hrs.
I will second the suggestion at trying ABBH. It will have you in and out of the gym in no time flat. But, you MUST go in and not screw around. You have to give every set, every rep, every little bit of anything you have. Give it your all and go home. You will be outta there in less than 45 mins. every day. But you wont want to be in there longer if done correctly.
I hope this helps. I am not trying to totally flame you. Just inform and help you out. You owe it to yourself to give one of these methods a try.
Just my 2 cc,
Phill
yeah, actually ihave no idea how i spend that much time in there. i do not mess around though, i’m an antisocial mofo @ the gym, and i hardly speak to anyone, nor do i rest for 5’ between sets, i go hard.
but i’ll definatley take a look at the programs, i did earlier. the only thing i don’t like is that i have to change my routine… i’m very set in my ways, and very reluctant to try new things. the programs for instance for biceps are not entirely concentrated on biceps, they include a whole bunch of other excercises, but…
i’m going on a extensive holiday in 2 months time, and will be pressed for time, so i guess i’ll change my ways then 
ps. bring on the criticism, no problem. this is discussion, and every little bit helps. i don’t take it personally, i take the advice. much appreciated!
thank you all!
ah, forgot to add some details. here’s my detailed training plan:
- legs and triceps day (monday)
-full squats
-db lunges
-deadlifts
-leg extension
-lying leg curl
-calf excercises
-dips
-narrow grip bench press
-french press/lying down triceps extn
-standing triceps extension (ez bar)
-triceps press down
- back day (tuesday)
-pullups
-pulldown machine
-t-bar rows
-t-bar rows without the t (just hands)
-row machine (to face)
-row machine to mid-section
-cable lat. rows (?)
-forearm work
- deltoid day (wednesday)
i actually follow the lateral thinking programme for this + other deltoid work
-calf work
- chest and biceps day (thursday)
-dips (chest)
-flat bench press
-incline bench press
-flat flyes
-incline flyes
-pec deck
-biceps curls
-biceps reverse curls
-hammers
-cable curls
-cable reverse curls
-forearm work
- deltoid day (friday)
again, following lateral thinking program.
-calf work
i’m doing deltoids on 2 days to bring them up, they’re lagging (side and rear heads).
ok, so give me your opinion. i’m old enough to take the heat, so let the flaming begin
[quote]shamr0ck wrote:
just curious to see how long (on avg.) you take to finish your workouts.
mine’s usually 2 - 2.5 hours: 2 bodyparts and ancillary muscles.[/quote]
Whoa, as many people have said, you’re spending way too long. Aim for an hour, to an hour and a half, tops.
Here’s a good place to start finding programs:
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=279big2
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=279big2
Be warned, however, that many of the links there are broken due to the new website structure.
One specific one mentioned by a couple of people already, which would probably be a great place for you to start, is Chad Waterbury’s Anti-Bodybuilding Hypertrophy Program.
You can find it here:
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle.do?article=244anti2
Also, and this alone could probably help you a lot, buy yourself a stopwatch. All you need is one of those cheap little $5 things. Then, start timing your between-set rests. Depending on your goals, they should be between 1-5 minutes, and rarely longer than that.
And remember, “big” exercises that involve multiple joints and lots of muscles will do a lot more for you than lots of “small” single joint exercises.
Check out Ian King’s Top 10 Mass Makers, and make heavy use of those exercises. You can find the article here:
http://t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=483907
Good luck!