How long should a workout at the gym last?

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2014-08-15

As you can see, the required training time can vary significantly between different people. But now I will try to answer the question: How long should your training last? To answer this question, let's first consider the main factors that influence training time. I have identified 5 factors worth considering.

1. Training Goals

For example, if your goal is strength, your workout will take longer than workouts focused on definition or weight loss. In strength training, there is much more weight and longer rest periods (up to 5-6 minutes). In contrast, during definition workouts, the rest between sets is much shorter, sometimes only needing 40-50 minutes.

2. Number of Workouts per Week

Naturally, the more often you train, the shorter the sessions should be. For instance, if you trained twice a week for 1.5 hours and then switched to 4 workouts a week, you should reduce the training duration. But not by half—by about 30%. So, you might train for 1.00 to 1.10 hours. As the number of workouts increases, so does the total volume of training each week. Overall, this and the previous factor are the most important when determining workout duration. But there are more...

3. Fatigue Before Training

Many people train after work, and some can be quite exhausted by that time. In such cases, training time should definitely be reduced. You can read more about how to do this here. If you simply ignore this factor, it could lead to overtraining. Therefore, you must take fatigue before training into account. There's no getting around it.

4. Age

As you age, the body's adaptive capabilities decrease, which means training time should also decrease. Of course, this will also slow down your progress. However, even motivation and determination cannot overcome age-related physiology. No matter how motivated you are for results, the metabolic rate slows down with age.

5. Training Experience

Having training experience enhances your fitness level, thereby increasing your body's adaptive capabilities. This means you can train longer. As a beginner, you may struggle to manage 60 minutes of training (I'm exaggerating). However, after a couple of years, even 2 hours might seem quite manageable.

Of course, there are many other factors that influence the optimal training time, but they are less significant. Therefore, I don't see the point in cluttering your mind with more details.

P. S. Don't forget to periodically save your data on the server (the gear icon at the top of the screen). This way, you can retrieve it if it ever disappears or transfer it to another device.

Target of workouts: Lose weight Definition: without changing weight Muscle mass and strength Only strength without mass
Workouts per week: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Fatigue Before Training: I do not get tired I get tired I get very tired
Your age: 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
Training experience: Beginner Less than a year Year and more
To calculate

1. What time of day is best for training?
2. What weight should beginners use for training?
3. How often should you train in the gym?
4. How much rest do you need between sets?
5. Effectiveness of training depending on rest between sets