Name: Playbook - Sarah Herse - FAQ: How Much Time Should You Be Spending In The Gym?
Uploaded: 2023-08-15T21:29:05.484Z
Duration: 15 min
Description: FAQ: How Much Time Should You Be Spending In The Gym?

Thanks for sharing. Currently doing the 6-week beginner gym with a friend and we are loving the workout.

Celissa

You might be wondering - am I doing enough in the gym? Should I be doing more?  We can often be hard on ourselves when it comes to fitness goals, but what does the research say? Here is a little breakdown to help guide you. 

For improving long term health outcomes, research shows as little as 30-60 minutes of resistance training per week may be sufficient.  So if you just want to be healthy & live longer, a little can go a long way!

For building muscle, the research recommends 8-24 hard sets per week per muscle group. For example, if you want to grow your glutes, you need to make sure you're doing at least 8 sets per week of glute exercises every week. You may need even more (up to 24) if you're not seeing results at the lower end. You can use compound movements to hit multiple muscle groups on each exercise (E.g. Back squats will target quads & glutes)

For maintaining your existing muscle, you can get away with much less (about 1-2 full body lifting sessions per week). So if you're already at your ideal build, you still need to do some work to maintain it, but not nearly as much as it took to build it.

I personally lift 5x per week for about 60-90 minutes each session. That comes out to be 18-24 sets per session. I also include cardio and daily walks for heart health and maintaining a healthy body weight. Not everyone needs to commit this much time to fitness. First get clarity on your goals so you can make sure you're committing the right amount of time to them!

For improving long term health outcomes, research shows as little as 30-60 minutes of resistance training per week may be sufficient. 

For building muscle, the research recommends 8-24 hard sets per week per muscle group. You can use compound movements to hit multiple muscle grounds on each exercise. 

For maintaining your existing muscle, you can get away with much less (about 1-2 full body lifting sessions per week)

I personally lift 5x per week for about 60-90 minutes each session. That comes out to be 18-24 sets per session. I also include cardio and daily walks for heart health and maintaining a healthy body weight. 

Depending on your goals and skill level, try to spend at least 30-45 minutes in the gym or being active most days.

How Much Time To Spend In Gym

FAQ: How Much Time Should You Be Spending In The Gym?

Sarah, I’m trying to decide what program to start with. I’m  46 but have gotten in pretty good shape lifting heavy 5 days a week (2 lower/3 upper). I want to lean out more without sacrificing muscle. My end goal would be to have defined muscle. I’m not afraid of having some muscle- wider back, quads, etc. Where should I start?

Amy Yeary

Appreciate the quick summarized info to know where one should begin. 🖤

Christina

Start Here!

Join the Facebook group!

Alic

Crystal

Anke Schneider

FAQ: How Many Reps Should You Do To Build Muscle?

Haven’t done a workout yet. Just viewed your video on how many reps and how much weight you use

Heidie

3 sets to start, 4 to progress, 5 sets is where champions are MADE!! Rawr!!

Paula

FAQ: How Many Sets of An Exercise Should You Do

I love being able to pick my weights… and to see the PROGRESS!! Yaaaaaasssss!!

FAQ: How Much Time Should You Be Spending In The Gym?

Community

More workouts from Sarah Herse