2 hours in the gym... is it really that bad?

[k_dogg]

hey bro's,
i hear a lot of people saying that u should only spend about an hour in the gym at any one time. well i can say that there is absolutely no way i can get through what i have to (with proper rest between sets) in one hour or a little more. i find that from start to finish is usually about 2 hours. now i dont feel like im incredibly drained in that second hour. i can still put in really hard on my sets and feel heaps pumped. some say you dont have enough test to keep you going hard and aggressive for that long but i find im ok... is it just me or do others regularly train for that long. i train 4 times a week with wieghts for about this long each time. am i doing myself damage. lately im making good gains in both wieght and strength so im going to stick with it. i was just curious if there are others like me out there cause a lot of the input i get is keep it short. and i find at the time i go to the gym i see a lot of people come and go in the time that im still there... nobody in my gym is in there for as long as me. wierd i say.
any input?

[KeyMastur]

what does your training routine look like ?

you say 4 days a week, why not shorten the time in the gym up by going more ?? i usually go 6 days a week - not all weights though. i'm in and out within 1 1/4 hour.

[k_dogg]

well its a 3 day split at the moment wich works out to be 5 at the gym because i have 2 days rest. i usually have a day off before legs and after legs cause its a killer. i was actually thinking of breaking it up a little but i like to work my chest and triceps together and back and biceps cause they all work in. by the time i start isolating bi's or tri's they seem pre-exhausted already wich is good.at the moment its like this:

chest tris
back bi's
rest
legs shoulders
rest

i was thinking about changing it to a 5 day split with 2 day rest(wkend). i can always just do some pre exhausting sets on those groups anyway.
maybe something like this

chest
back
tri's + bi's
shoulders
legs
rest
rest

[KeyMastur]

i used to run a routine like that, except i'd throw a day of rest in between.

chest
back
rest
tri's + bi's
shoulders
legs
rest

or sometihing like that.

[cdog]

Yeah I think its fine as long as your not going to failure on your sets..I know it takes me around 2 hrs when I lift but Im doing my whole body in one work out .....CDOG

[Dude-Man]

I try to keep it short.. because after 2 hours your corisol levels are going to be sky high.. and as we all know, high cortisol levels are unfavorable conditions for muscle growth and recovery.

[Mr. Death]

some say you dont have enough test to keep you going hard and aggressive for that long but i find im ok

Test has nothing to do with supplying energy for a workout. That comes from carbs. I would switch to the second split that you have listed. You may feel like you are getting just as good a workout with the second muscle group you are doing in a day, when you actually aren't. I would bet that if you concentrate on one muscle group per day you will see a faster increase in strength and size.

[k_dogg]

Test has nothing to do with supplying energy for a workout. That comes from carbs. I would switch to the second split that you have listed. You may feel like you are getting just as good a workout with the second muscle group you are doing in a day, when you actually aren't. I would bet that if you concentrate on one muscle group per day you will see a faster increase in strength and size.

ok i think i will swithc. cheers for the advice all!

[rambo]

Attempt to keep it at 1 and 1/2 hours max, after that time period you become catabolic due to higher cortisol levels (not the whole story I'm well aware). That's what you should keep in mind, because after a certain amount of time you are hindering muscle gain, not fostering it.

[RON]

Attempt to keep it at 1 and 1/2 hours max, after that time period you become catabolic due to higher cortisol levels (not the whole story I'm well aware). That's what you should keep in mind, because after a certain amount of time you are hindering muscle gain, not fostering it.

Who's gonna take advice from a guy with a big penis for a name.

[rambo]

Who's gonna take advice from a guy with a big penis for a name.

Probably the same people that obey a mod who willingly displays himself as a phallic rodent.

[bigol'legs]

shoulders and legs on the same day...

[hoss827]

After 2 hours i'd be pretty winded.....You could possibly be overtraining, I think 45min - 1hour works best IMO.

[Jackman]

if your not tired after working out for 2 hours seems to me your not working with full intensity if you can have work out from begining to end. jmo

[k_dogg]

if your not tired after working out for 2 hours seems to me your not working with full intensity if you can have work out from begining to end. jmo

yeah thats a good point. dont get me wrong im shattered by the end. but its not like im slacking cause i feel more tired. all im saying is that i still put in max effort in that last 30 minutes or so. no half hearted cause im smashed.
i have a decent rest between sets... 2-3 minutes and keep number of reps short... 6-8.
but yeah im going to change it to a 5 day split. something like

chest
legs
back
shoulders
triceps + biceps
rest

or maybe

chest
thighs biceps
back
calves triceps
shoulders
rest

[kc]

I think it depends on how you lift. I used to spend 1.5 to 2 hours in the gym 4 days a week. Lifted hard, took 2-4 minute breaks between sets, lifted heavy. It took that long to finish that workout and my body could handle it. Now, i'm Never in there over an hour. I still lift hard but I take shorter rests, lift a little ligher and have a more variable workout. If I lifted the way I do now for 2 hours, I wouldn't get a quality workout in and I'd definately be overtraining. I say if it works for you, don't worry about it.

[Polska]

I'm with hoss on this one, 1 hour max for me