If you think that working out longer will get you more results, maybe you should time your workouts and actually limit your time, rather than extend it. If everything is based on how many minutes, you’re at the gym, you’ll be surprised at how many side trips to the water cooler or stops to talk to another client that you make. It’s also important not to skip a few minutes and rush through your time in the gym, but to find the perfect point where you get a good workout but aren’t wasting time or exercising beyond the point where it’s safe and healthy.
More time doesn’t mean better results.
While a 30-minute workout is better than a 10-minute workout, there comes a point of diminishing returns and the longer you workout, the less benefit you get. It can even be dangerous is you workout too long. Spending every waking hour in the gym isn’t a good idea. You’re not giving your body time to heal from strength training and causing excessive stress on your body. That’s right. While exercise burns off the hormones of stress, workouts that are tough or too long can actually cause stress on the body. That can affect the functioning of your immune system for up to 72 hours and leave you vulnerable.
How intense is the workout and is it causing distress.
The more intense your workout, the more prone you are to overworking your body. If you’re going to ramp it up, stick with 75 to 150 minutes a week. If your exercise routine is moderate, go for 150 to 300 minutes a week. How can you judge intensity? Try the sing method. If you can talk, but singing is impossible, you’re moderately working. However, if talking is so hard you can only get out guttural sounds and a few words here and there, your workout is intense. The more intense, the less time you should be exercising.
How do you know if you’re spending too much time?
There are some signs you’re overdoing it at the gym. Too much exercise can cause mood changes and changes in your physical health. You might be angry, depressed or irritable for no reason. If you’re getting minor illnesses frequently, it might be a sign that you’re overworking your body and your immune system is compromised. If you lose interest and dread gym day, it could be from overdoing it.
- If you’re not getting the results you want, even though you spend hours at the gym, maybe you’re focusing more on how much time you’re spending and too little on what you’re accomplishing. Time only the actual exercise sessions.
- You can shorten your exercise time by using HIIT—high intensity interval training. It’s a technique where you vary the intensity from high intensity for a few minutes to recovery for a few minutes and back to high intensity.
- A more accurate way of monitoring intensity is with a heart rate monitor. It can help you identify how much time you need to spend working out based on intensity.
- At Revolution Training we provide programs that will ensure you get the workout you need and the amount of time necessary to ensure you maximize the benefits.
For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training