Understanding how much to do gym, allows you to build an effective lesson plan, which will certainly affect the results.

Some athletes believe that training to failure is the best option, so their visit to the gym is delayed by 1.5-2 hours.

Imagine their surprise when they find colleagues who have achieved the same effect, but do no more than 1 hour. You can find the "golden mean" only by understanding the physiology training process.

A bit of theory: research on the duration and frequency of training

Frequency and duration are key factors in improving the results of any training session. Until recently, athletes believed that one long workout every 7 days for any muscle group gives the greatest effect.

However, recent studies have shown that increasing the number of classes is more productive, and this is primarily due to the process of muscle protein synthesis.

During training, the muscles are exposed to stress, as a result of which, at the end of training, muscle protein is synthesized most actively.

And here it is worth mentioning key moment, namely the preparedness of athletes.

The fact is that the period of association of amino acids into protein in experienced athletes and beginners is significantly different. For the former, it takes 16-18 hours, but for the latter, it can last up to 2 days.

Important! The frequency of training is directly related to the experience of the athlete. Beginners for active growth muscle mass 1-2 visits to the gym are enough, it will be more difficult for trained athletes to achieve hypertrophy with such a frequency of visits.

As for the duration of the training, it is directly related to the change in hormonal levels during the period of sports. It has been proven that after 45 minutes intense training v human body the level of cortisol rises, which provokes the onset of catabolic processes that destroy muscle tissue. Therefore, trainings that last 40-45 minutes are considered the most productive and safe. The maximum possible time is 1 hour.

Be sure to check out:

Gallery image with caption: Gallery image with caption: Gallery image with caption: Gallery image with caption:

How often do you need to go to the gym - the optimal number of times a week to get results

The frequency of sports activities is determined by goals. In most cases, they are formulated as:

• weight loss
• strengthening muscles and endurance;
• muscle building.

Cardio workouts aimed at burning body fat can be done 3 to 5 times a week, as they are quite easy and do not require a lot of recovery time. Another thing is strength training. It is not recommended to carry it out more than 3 times a week, while it is necessary to ensure that after each load muscle group“rested” for at least 72 hours.

Important! It is worth considering the individual characteristics and type of constitution. So, in mesomorphs with a high recovery rate and strength susceptibility, the increase in muscle mass will be faster, while in ectomorphs and endomorphs, the recovery process will take longer.

Is it possible to exercise every day

Daily workouts for different groups muscles for many athletes until recently were considered the norm. However, practice has shown that neither the muscle tissue nor the nervous system had time to cope with stress. As a result, the productivity of the training process decreased, and the effect of overtraining appeared.

The time it takes to recover depends on several indicators:

• athlete experience (a beginner needs more, a professional needs less);
• type of muscles (small ones recover faster, large ones slower);
• muscle groups (biceps and triceps can be trained more often, legs less often).

The following recommendations have resulted from research and practical experience:

1. Beginner athletes - 3 times a week.
2. Experienced athletes - from 4 to 5.

At the same time, it is not worth loading the same muscle groups more often than 2 times a week.

Best hours for sports: morning, afternoon, evening

Physiology and human activity is associated with the phenomenon of circadian rhythms. At their core, these are fluctuations in natural biological processes, for example, body temperature, hormone levels, and blood pressure. Human activity, including motor activity, depends on these indicators.

The answer to the question of when it is better to go to the gym: in the morning or in the evening, is closely related to the type of training. So, in the morning there is a significant production of cortisol, which is responsible not only for quick waking up, but also for the mobilization of forces during physical exertion. The best option activities at this time - cardio training. Due to cortisol, metabolism is accelerated, and energy expenditure is significantly increased.

Some athletes prefer to go to the gym in the afternoon. And this is also facilitated by circadian rhythms. In the period from 16.00 to 18.00, most people experience a slight increase in body temperature. As a result, the muscles are warmer, more elastic and ready to work. At this time, anaerobic loads will be effective, including due to increased endurance and reduce the risk of injury.

V evening time should not resort to heavy exercise for pumping muscles or intense aerobic exercise. This will affect the quality of sleep and disorders in the immune system. Most often, it is at this time that people do relaxing yoga or breathing exercises.

How long should the workout last

The question of when is the best time to go to the gym is related to the question of how long you can exercise. Here it is worth turning again to physiology. In progress physical activity The body produces 2 types of steroid hormones: catabolic and anabolic. The former are represented by testosterone, somatotropin and insulin. Their mission is to restore muscle fibers and construction of new muscle tissue cells.

The second group is cortisol and glycogen, which increase blood glucose levels and “boost” metabolism. Glycogen, in its essence, is a store of glucose, it is found both in the muscles and in the liver. The first 20 minutes the body takes it from the muscle tissue, and then begins to "extract" it from the liver.

Important! After 40-45 minutes of active training, cortisol levels increase, which in excess is more harmful than beneficial. It reaches its maximum values ​​at 55-60 minutes of training. At the same time, it starts to rise. arterial pressure, immunity deteriorates. Intensive production of cortisol for more than 60 minutes has the opposite effect, as muscle tissue begins to break down.

Therefore, experts from sports and medicine strongly advise not to overtrain and not work in the gym for more than 45-60 minutes.

How long does it take to see results after starting?

Sport is not plastic surgery, where a clear result is visible immediately after the operation. The visual results of regular training will become noticeable only after 10-12 weeks of training. At the same time, you need to train at least 3 times a week in order for the result to become noticeable.

If the goal is to lose weight, then it makes sense to alternate cardio with moderate power loads. In the case of gaining muscle mass, it is necessary to draw up a plan taking into account the muscle recovery period, which should not be less than 72 hours.

In both cases, it will be necessary to organize a balanced diet that meets the goals of the classes.

What results can be realistically achieved

Although the most obvious results can only be summed up after 3 months, intermediate results can be tracked much earlier.

So, after two days, an organism unprepared for sports will make itself felt with unpleasant muscle pain. To minimize pain, you should not forget about the warm-up, which reduces the risk of injury to beginner athletes, and the final stretch, aimed at facilitating the process of muscle tissue recovery.

These pain sensations are disturbing after the first 2-3 sessions, after a couple of weeks, the whole muscle pain will leave. The main thing is not to stop training during this period.

Physical well-being will improve significantly, 4 weeks after the start of visiting the hall. It will become easier to get up in the morning, shortness of breath will disappear, the muscles will be better stretched, and most exercises will be easy to perform. During this period, visceral fat is burned, which is about internal organs. After it, the turn will reach the subcutaneous.

After 2 months, the body will gradually begin to change shape, the risk of heart disease will decrease, as well as blood sugar levels, which will significantly reduce the possibility of developing diabetes.

After 3 months, it will be possible to visually evaluate the results achieved. They will be visible to others. The relief of muscles will appear or improve, part of the fatty subcutaneous tissue will go away. The silhouette will become more slender, toned and beautiful.

Ekaterina Usmanova, current champion of Russia in bikini fitness, video blogger

Denis Borisov, video blogger, author of articles on bodybuilding, one of the creators of the Fit4life.ru project

Denis recommends that beginners who are tuned in to the process of gaining muscle mass do no more than 3 times a week, at least 1-1.5 years. In addition, the duration of training, depending on the plan, should vary from 30 to 60 minutes.

Ilya Timko, fitness trainer, creator of Tvoytrener.ru website

“The more often you train, the shorter the sessions should be,” says Ilya. So, for example, if the training was 2 times a week at 1.30, and then the athlete switched to 4 sessions a week, then the training time should be reduced by about 30%, that is, up to 60-70 minutes maximum.

Useful video

Main conclusions

The frequency and duration of training directly depends on the physiology of a person and his goals:

1. The optimal number of trips to the gym: no more than 3 times for beginners and no more than 5 for professionals.
2. The duration of sports activities should not exceed 1 hour.
3. Daily training is harmful to both the muscular and nervous systems.
4. The first results of work on yourself will become noticeable in 10-12 weeks.

The effectiveness of training depends not only on the efforts made, but also on a balanced, well-chosen diet.

How often should you train to get the maximum muscle gain?

The optimal frequency of training is a hotly debated issue.

Some believe that for continuous improvement, it is necessary to train the whole body 2-3 times a week, others believe that such a training scheme will only lead to overtraining. Complicating this problem is the fact that all sorts of personalities have managed to plan a lot of crazy methods and training systems.

Recommendations vary widely and cover everything from low volume workouts (1-2 sets per muscle group) repeated a few times a week to high volume workouts (20-25 sets per muscle group) performed much less frequently.

The truth is that the optimal frequency of training depends on how those same workouts go in terms of volume of work and intensity.

In search of a scientific answer to the question of what is the optimal amount of training, you will certainly run into the fact that the number of subjects is usually relatively small, at least some information can only be gleaned from a large report by researchers from the University of Gothenburg.

I'll hit the mark if I quote from the study:

“In general, moderate training volumes (~30-60 repetitions per training session) bring the greatest results.”

Although professional bodybuilders are somewhat outside this range, it has long been known to bodybuilders without research, since it was his more experienced who always advised the less experienced. If you look at many popular, time-tested programs, you will notice that for the most part they do exactly 30-60 repetitions per muscle group per week.

For example, my program "More Drier Stronger" suggests 9 to 12 exercises, for the main muscle groups, 4-6 repetitions each. Once you can do 6 reps, you increase the weight on the bar (after which the reps are usually reduced to 4), so you get workouts with high intensity and the number of repetitions in the range of 45-60. According to such a program, people can seriously add both strength and muscle mass at the same time.

Now that we've dealt with training volume, let's get back to training frequency.

In More Dry Stronger, for example, I recommend that people train 5 times a week and rest 2 days. Each muscle group (chest, back, shoulders, arms, legs) has its own training day, so each muscle is trained once a week. (However, keep in mind that multi-joint exercises often, several muscle groups work. For example, in deadlifts and squats).

Some people believe that such an approach is not correct, in their opinion for muscle growth you need to train each muscle group at least 2 times a week. Although clinical studies suggest otherwise.

I have dozens of proof that training individual muscle groups 5-7 times a week produces phenomenal results, and research shows that the right amount of training and its intensity are more important than their frequency.

To put it simply, your muscles can take a certain amount of damage each week, whether it's in one or three workouts, it's basically the same thing.

Training one muscle group per day can work poorly if you have a poorly designed training program: poor selection of exercises, training volume and number of repetitions. A significant part of people with such a training scheme do too much isolated exercises with low weight and high reps, resulting in low intensity and too much volume.

“But what about protein synthesis?” you ask. "Don't muscles recover in 2-3 days?"

Studies have shown that a surge in muscle protein synthesis occurs 24 hours after a workout and returns to normal after 36 hours. This means, in theory, that you should train a muscle every 2-3 days to stimulate its maximum growth, in fact, a series is built on this principle. training programs.

Such programs may work, however, a common problem for people working on them is recovery. As the volume and intensity of training increases, the rest time should also increase.

Research has shown that even a trained male athlete can take anywhere from 48 to 96 hours to fully recover from muscle loss, sleep, nutrition, and other physiological factors such as hormone levels and genetics.

If we look at other studies, we will see that the vast majority of people need more than 72-96 hours to fully recover from an intense workout, and also that the older generation needs more time than the younger one, just like large muscle groups need more time than small.

Moreover, muscle recovery is just one component.

Intensive training causes stress in nervous system, and research has shown that this "fatigue" can build up from workout to workout. If it becomes too much, symptoms of overtraining occur, such as decreased performance, depression, sleep disturbance, etc.

Question: I'm a bit confused as to what frequency of strength training should be. How many times per week should I train each muscle group? Many recommend working out each part of the body three times a week, others insist on two workouts, and still others say that one is enough. Which is correct, what strategy will give best result?

Answer: There is a very good and clear answer to the difficult question of the frequency of training. But before you know it, I have to give a slightly vague answer, which can cause irritation. The answer is… all of the above.

What I mean is that you can effectively train each body part one, two or three times a week and get good results. You just need to understand that the training volume should correspond to the chosen frequency of training.

You can train intensely but not too often, or you can work out a little but more frequently. Once you master this principle, you will achieve results with any frequency of training. And if you don’t learn it ... you will stagnate. Let me explain...

Training each muscle group once a week

Program example:
Mon: breast
Tue: back
Wed: relaxation
Thu: legs
Fri: shoulders/arms
Sat: relaxation
Sun: relaxation

As you can see, each muscle group only works once a week and rests 6 days between workouts.

What is important to keep in mind if you plan to train each muscle group once a week in such a split or similar? It is necessary to give the muscles enough training stimuli for a single workout per week. Only in this scenario do you have the right not to return to the muscle group for a whole week.

If the amount of load on the muscle is insufficient, it will recover long before the next workout. As a result, the time between full of muscle and another workout will be lost. Moreover, the processes that we call detraining and regression will begin in the muscle. Simply put, you will lose everything that you have achieved in the previous workout.

The load must be tangible enough to provide a full week of recovery.

Ultimately, this scenario leads to a drop in training productivity. Therefore, if you decide to train each muscle group once a week, make sure that during a single session you generate enough powerful training stimuli, and the muscle is guaranteed to recover all the coming week. This way you will avoid an unproductive period of detraining and regression.

At the same time, we should not forget that excessive training stress, after which the body cannot recover even in a week, is no better. The load should be tangible enough to provide a full week of recovery, but also reasonable enough not to go too far.

All this brings us to…

Training each muscle group 3 times a week

Program example:
Mon: whole body
Tue: relaxation
Wed: whole body
Thu: relaxation
Fri: whole body
Sat: relaxation
Sun: relaxation

As you can see, each muscle group is worked out 3 times a week and rests only 1-2 days between workouts.

If you train every muscle group at that frequency, your local goals should be a mirror image of what you set for yourself in one workout per week. In the three-workout regimen, the stress for the muscle should be extremely low so that it has time to fully recover and be ready for the next training session.

Without enough time to recover, the muscles will not only NOT develop, but even begin to regress. As a result, such a scenario will lead to the fact that you will encounter . So, if you decide to train a muscle group 3 times a week, make sure that the training stimuli are relatively small and allow the body to fully recover for the next workout.

However, the other side of the medal should also not be forgotten. While the training stimulus needs to be relatively weak to allow for full recovery at such a high frequency of training, it still needs to be strong enough to bring you closer to your training program's priority goals (muscle growth, strength, and so on).

The stress for the muscle should be extremely small so that it has time to fully recover.

Training each muscle group 2 times a week

Program example:
Mon: top
Tue: bottom
Wed: relaxation
Thu: top
Fri: bottom
Sat: relaxation
Sun: relaxation

Now each muscle group gets two workouts per week and 2-3 days of rest for recovery.

It is important to understand that no matter what training frequency you choose, you run the risk of under or over volume. training load. However, it's safe to say that the typical problem with one workout a week is not having adequate training stress enough for a whole week of rest. And the main problem with three workouts a week is creating a load that does not allow you to recover for the next session.

Basically, with two workouts per muscle group per week, you are in the perfect position to avoid both problems.

Of course, you can still run into under or over volume and fall into the same trap, but at the same time, you have the opportunity to get the best of both worlds.

With two workouts of each muscle group per week, you are in an ideal situation.

Key Point: All strategies work!

I want to focus your attention on the fact that any frequency of training can bring results. But the only way to make the strategy work is to match the training volume and frequency. Let me explain.

Let's say for a muscle group, 12 sets is the ideal weekly training volume. Your personal optimal load depends on a thousand individual factors, but 12 sets is a reasonable enough figure and very convenient for our example. So here's what I'm talking about...

• If you train each muscle group once a week, you should complete all 12 sets at once. Since the frequency of training is low, you have to do a week's work at a time. So, 12 sets for a muscle group once a week = a weekly training volume of 12 sets. Mission Complete.
• If you train a muscle group 3 times a week, you should be doing approximately 4 sets per muscle group in each of your three weekly workouts. Since the frequency strength training high, you have to drastically reduce the volume of the load in one workout to adapt to the frequency. If you do 4 sets for a muscle group 3 times a week, you get a total weekly volume of 12 sets. Mission accomplished again.
• If you train a muscle group 2 times a week, you should do 6 sets per muscle group in each of the two weekly workouts. The frequency of training can be called moderate, so you need to work with a moderate load that corresponds to this frequency. Performing 6 sets for each muscle group 2 times a week, we get a weekly volume of 12 sets. And again we state that the mission is completed.

Regardless of the frequency of training you choose, you distribute the load so that the optimal weekly training volume remains the same (in this example, 12 sets). It is enough to make sure that the volume of the load in one session corresponds to the frequency of the training impact, and by the end of the week you will not exceed the norm and will not be far behind the ideal weekly volume.

Comment. The principle of "12 sets per muscle per week" applies mainly to large muscle masses of the chest, back and legs. Small muscles, such as biceps and triceps, will need half the load.

And now the most important question...

What is the best training frequency?

You already understand that all strategies are effective, and you have a question whether one of the options will be better or worse than the other. Yes! The choice of the optimal strategy depends on individual factors, especially your level of training. That's what is meant.

• Newcomers. If you are new to strength training (that is, you have been training regularly and correctly for less than 6-8 months), all the research, expert advice and practical experience suggests that 3 workouts per week are ideal for you. The example of the split shown (3 full body workouts) is the optimal choice recommended for all beginners.
• Intermediate and advanced level. For anyone who has passed the beginner stage (that is, training regularly and competently for more than 6-8 months), research, expert advice and practical experience agree that the ideal frequency is two workouts per week. The example of the split above (2 upper and lower body workouts) would be the best choice. It is this strategy that is most often recommended by the most educated people in the iron world.

But what about 1 workout per week?

Although training each muscle group once a week is the most popular among ordinary gym goers, it also turns out to be the least effective for the majority. Is the strategy working? Sure (assuming you do everything right). Is it the best for most of us? Absolutely not.

A whole week of rest between workouts of a certain muscle group is a serious waste of time, no matter what sauce it is served with. Judge for yourself. The muscle gets 52 training sessions a year. If you train her 2 times a week, she gets 104 training sessions a year. What strategy do you think will give the best result over the same period of time in the long run? The answer is obvious, isn't it?

And if so, why is the option of one workout of a muscle group per week so popular? Because it is great for people who use various "supports" (ie pharmacology and steroids), people with great genes and bodybuilders who have already almost fully realized their muscle building potential.

All these people look amazing. We want to be like them and try to imitate them. The only problem is that we are average normal people training without "support" and this strategy will be less effective over the long distance. Scientific studies and real examples prove it.

• Once a week. I don't recommend this strategy at all. If your only goal is to maintain strength and current level of muscle development, and not increase them, then you can, but in other cases, completely abandon this irrelevant style of strength training. He is the least productive of all.
• Three times per week. I strongly recommend this training frequency for beginners, regardless of their goals (muscle growth, fat burning, strength increase). My #1 recommendation is to use a full body split, which I gave as an example.
• Two times a week. I recommend this frequency of training for most people. This has been proven to be the ideal training frequency and is best for most people (except beginners) who want to build muscle, lose fat, and increase strength. There are several ways to make the strategy work, but my favorite is the top/bottom split above. This is the only split I use today.

Still have questions? Articles on our resource will help you answer them. From them you will learn about proven programs that are actively used and recommended by well-known representatives of the world of fitness and bodybuilding.

In addition, you will find on the website complete guide how to build muscle, burn fat, or both as quickly and efficiently as possible. The publications contain answers, details and facts that will make diet and training programs productive and help to completely change your body for both men and women.

Most people start going to the gym to get rid of extra pounds and gain beautiful figure. But when training doesn't bring desired result, disappointment sets in. Newly minted fitness enthusiasts, trying to justify their failures, assure that exercising in the gym does not help to lose weight, because "mass growth begins." This and other myths prevent beginners from reaching their goal and admiring their toned body. How to train properly to lose weight and improve health?

Coaches give 10 life hacks to beginner athletes that will make training effective and help you lose weight.

Coaches note a common mistake of beginners - they practice too often. Daily workouts do not allow the muscles to recover. Instructors advise to do days of complete rest, otherwise the result from going to the gym will be minimal.

To lose weight, you need to exercise 3-4 times a week. But during classes, it is necessary to force the body to actively work.

It is interesting!

Scientists from the University of Alabama conducted an interesting experiment. They divided women who wanted to lose weight into two groups. The subjects from the first group were engaged daily, and from the second - 4 times a week. Women from the second group lost weight 1.5 times faster than their competitors.

Fat burns slowly

Isolated exercises on specific group muscles will not give the desired effect. To observe stable weight loss, you need to train for at least 40 minutes, giving the body aerobic exercise. At this time, at least 23% of the muscles from total weight. If the whole body works during training, fat will be burned much faster. Loads should be light, but long.

The body's usual "fuel" is carbohydrates, and only when they are deficient does it begin to use fat reserves. To enhance the process of fat burning, you need to adjust the diet. Avoid high-calorie foods, especially a few hours before and after your workout.

Expert advice:

Losing weight by constantly overeating will not work. Eat 4-6 times a day, but the portions should be small. Choose the diet that's right for you.

Cardio after strength training

60% of the time allotted for training, give cardio loads. If you want to lose weight, do cardio after strength training. During resistance exercise, carbohydrates are mainly used. Therefore, when you move on to cardio, fat stores will be burned.

Watch the load during continuous movement. To get rid of extra pounds, you need to give all your best, but monitor your pulse - it should be within the fat burning zone (50-65% of the upper value). The calculations are simple: you need to subtract your age from 220 - this is the limit.

For weight loss, interval training is recommended: exercise for a minute in an intensive mode, and then for 1-2 minutes at a more relaxed pace. You can increase the time of intensive training and reduce the recovery pace.

Expert advice:

If you don't have time to go to the gym, do an express workout. Pick up a few multi-joint exercises and "run" them in a circle several times in a high-intensity mode.

Load all muscle groups

Include exercises in your training program that involve maximum amount muscles. The higher the load, the stronger the blood circulates, respectively, the fat “melts” more actively.

Squats burn more calories than exercise on the mat, as they engage the muscles of the buttocks and thighs at the same time. Running is more effective than an exercise bike or walking - it works during training shoulder girdle.

Always make sure your back is straight! beautiful posture motivates you to draw in your stomach and spend an extra “minute of sports”.

Is stability always a sign of mastery?

If you always perform the same set of exercises, you can forget about a good result. Muscles get used to the monotonous load and stop responding to it. To return the "muscle response", you need to urgently take action.

First of all, it is important to regularly increase the load, increase the number of approaches. The body should not get used to the elements of the workout, otherwise calories will be burned very slowly. The trainer will help you choose the optimal load and write out a training plan.

Expert advice:

A series of fitness mistakes can kill the desire to exercise. Don't give up, even if you have to start over!

Should there be muscle pain?

After training, the muscles should be felt, but debilitating pain is an alarming symptom. If the muscles ache for more than two days, it is worth reducing the load. This indicates that they do not have time to recover, resulting in chronic fatigue, irritability, the desire to train disappears.

To make progress, you need to give the body a rest, and then concentrate on restorative exercises.

Efforts will be most fruitful if you find your training program. Otherwise, in the classroom, you will simply lose time and not one iota get closer to your cherished goal.

Professionals advise to always keep your fitness goals in mind. Then you will quickly achieve the desired result and be proud of your slim and fit figure.

Expert advice:

Give Special attention exercise technique is the key to a good result.

A mentor will help you get great results

Self-organization is, of course, good. But sometimes it takes a lot of motivation to achieve a goal. You can train with a friend and place a bet - demonstrate a certain result within a set time limit.

Share your intermediate successes, support each other. Encouraging comments are the best motivation.

Enjoy your workout!

If classes in the gym are accompanied by constant stress, the body begins to accumulate fat for a rainy day. Take a few days off and try to revise your schedule.

Reschedule your workouts or diversify your program. You may be pushing yourself too hard and your body is resisting the extra stress. The process of losing weight will be much more active if you enjoy exercising.

After the sauna, metabolic products are removed, muscle pain subsides, and excess fluid “evaporates” from the body. As a result, cellulite becomes less noticeable, body volumes decrease.

You can go to the sauna 2-3 times a day, the temperature should be up to 60 degrees. In this case, it is useful to drink herbal teas or mineral water.

There are many opinions regarding the length of each weight class and the number of workouts per week, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution among them. Both parameters depend on the conditions in which a person works and on the tasks set.

In addition, the drugs used also matter. In particular, anabolic steroids significantly accelerate protein synthesis and increase the body's regenerative abilities, which allows you to train longer and more often. Although the effect is not as strong as it is commonly believed in non-professional circles.

So, the process of hyperplasia of myofibrils (the main functional units of a muscle cell - the more of them, the stronger the cell) when using pharmacological agents is reduced from 10-15 days to 9-10 (source: Bagaudin Bekov « Strength training programs”, 2015, p. 152). That is, in ideal conditions(balanced nutrition, intelligently structured microcycle) the rate of true muscle growth may increase up to 30%, or it may not increase. All this is individual.

Naturally, there are still the effects of water retention, an increase in the amount of sarcoplasm in the muscles, an active fat gain with disordered eating, and other clearly noticeable and fast reactions body, but they have nothing to do with the topic of the article and the effective development of the body.

The result of the indiscriminate and unreasonable use of potent drugs, leading to the effects described above, resembles an "accordion" - it swelled up by 10-12 kg in a couple of months, and after the abolition of the drugs, it all "leaked" in a month, left with a shattered hormonal system and in depressed psychological state.

Thus, the options for the duration of training and their number within the weekly microcycle will be compared with certain training programs, goals and preparedness of a person. This is not the ultimate truth, but many years of experience in studying the topic, working on yourself and with clients.

My opinion may differ from the generally accepted (or well-established), but it’s up to you to decide whether to try the recommendations below or to remain with your own opinion and experience. Just do not forget that if in a year or two or three you do not have noticeable progress, then out of nowhere it will not appear. We need to change, try something new.

How long do I have to stick around in the gym to get pumped up?

The question is obviously wrong, since the type of physical activity and its intensity are not taken into account.

For example, a tough CrossFit Workout is able to stagger in eight minutes so that even an experienced athlete will not be able to put himself together all day long. In turn, the training of weightlifters and powerlifters, when they work with weights up to 90-95% of the one-rep maximum, or even reach the peak, can last 2-3 hours or more.

In the first case, there is no rest between exercises, and you actually plow for 8 minutes without a break in a mode beyond the limits of the body. And in the second case, the athlete squeezed out a huge weight a couple of times in a few seconds, after which he rests for 6-8 minutes before the next approach (this is necessary to restore the central nervous system, muscle energy reserves are fully restored in 2.5-3 minutes).

If we talk about fitness and bodybuilding, then there is a similar dilemma regarding the duration of the workout. Especially if you are interested visible result and not just spend time in the gym.

How much do local instructors usually advise? 60 minutes no more, and then “terrible catabolism”, “muscles are destroyed” and other nonsense begins.

I do not argue, sometimes an hour is really enough and we will talk about this below. But in reality, the roots of this fable grow from the standard duration of a paid workout with the participation of a coach. It makes those same 60 minutes. And then the fitness instructor has the next client, and you " catabolism will begin if you go over my ears here and demand the continuation of the banquet».

You can also turn to history and remember the crazy 3-4 hour workouts of golden era bodybuilders.

Arnold Schwarzenegger in preparation for the Olympia, he usually trained six days a week for 3-4 hours daily, and sometimes it was a couple of workouts a day with a similar duration each. He looked great.

In turn Mike Mentzer developed and successfully demonstrated his own system " V.I.T."When the duration of one workout did not exceed 45 minutes, there were no more than four or five such workouts per week, and each muscle group was loaded no more than once every 6-7 days. And he showed no less impressive form than Iron Arnie.

The same system was used Dorian Yates - Six-time winner of the competition "Mr. Olympia".

And where is the truth here? You can, of course, say that such athletes were "charged" with pharmacology to the very eyebrows, and there, no matter how you train, you will still grow. But on this occasion, I have already written above that such drugs really give. And if everything is so simple, then solid athletically built handsome men and beauties would walk around. In reality, there are only a few people who really stand out physically.

This was an introduction and a bit of theory, and now let's understand from a practical point of view.

What determines the duration of the workout and what it should be

If you are new, then you obviously start with training for the whole body and first study the technique of performing exercises. Usually these are 8-10 exercises, which take about an hour and a half due to the low weight of the burden. This duration of training is normal. Gradually, the weight of the weights increases, and the workout can stretch even for two hours which is also ok.

For beginners, the normal mode of operation is three power training in Week on the whole body with rest between them in day or two and duration one and a half to two hours each.

Muscles that begin to burn out after an hour of intense work are nonsense that has not been proven. They do not burn out and there is more or less enough energy, provided that one and a half to two hours before training, you densely refueled with normal food (proteins + carbohydrates + fiber) or drank at least a good portion of protein in 40-60 minutes, if you didn’t manage to do it normally eat.

As an option, if not for fat loss, you can use isotonic drinks with a small amount of glucose, BCAAs, or amino acid energy shakes (such as ON Essential Amino Energy). They perfectly keep in good shape during long workouts or especially heavy ones (on leg day, for example).

Regarding the amount of strength training for beginners, then ideally - three per week with a break of a day or two between them. The classic version of the type Mon-Wed-Fri or Tue-Thursday-Sat. Yes, yes, you can easily work in this mode, pumping your whole body three times a week and spending one and a half to two hours on each workout. Moreover, you will also have enough for cardio between strength training.

This personal experience(I arranged for myself several such FullBody cycles) and the experience of the people I worked with. It is important here that there is a training program and that the load increases.

Simply put, the average duration of a workout of one and a half to two hours is normal and will not harm your body in any way, but will only help you become stronger and more beautiful. Provided that we are talking about the classic mode for 8-12 repetitions with a rest time between sets of 1.5-3 minutes. But there are special cases.

A strength-focused workout can last three hours or more.

for instance strength training. This is work with big weights up to 90% of your 1-rep max for 3-6 reps. Rest between sets in this mode can reach 10 minutes, and on average it is at least 5 minutes. And until you reach your peak load, you will spend a lot of time warming up with intermediate weights. The duration of such a training can be up to three hours. This is also normal and natural.

It is unnatural and abnormal to try to cram a strength workout into 60 minutes and grab heavy weights without resting the central nervous system and replenishing ATP and creatine phosphate in the muscles. In this case, you simply won’t work out 100% and simply miss your strength training.

By the way, it is precisely this mistake that most amateurs make, mindlessly following popular advice - in this case, the duration of the workout is no more than an hour.

The duration of high-volume training for the development of strength endurance and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy does not exceed 60-70 minutes.

A reverse example is high-volume training for the development of strength endurance and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Its duration usually does not exceed 60-70 minutes, since you can’t stand it longer in the mode of 15 repetitions in 2-3 working approaches per exercise and with a rest of no more than 60 seconds between them.

And during training for the production of lactic acid (the so-called acidifying), you have time to work out the whole body in 40-50 minutes.

Conclusion

The duration of the training depends on the goals and objectives (true hypertrophy and strength development, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy and endurance development, glycogen “burning”, acidification, etc.), according to which the type of training is selected. There is no scientific evidence for a 60 minute limit on ANY workout.

You work as long as the body can work, complete the program and move on. V power mode calmly train for 2-3 hours, drinking coffee, isotonic or amino acids if necessary. In the high-volume mode, there simply won’t be enough strength to function for more than an hour, and usually it’s not necessary for longer.

How often do you need to train to get a decent result in the mirror

Depends on the program and goals. For beginners, as mentioned above, three strength training sessions per week with at least a day's rest in between are effective. But this is only the beginning.

Three strength workouts per week is the most versatile regimen for most training programs and people.

In principle, this mode works great for other training options, including strength training, for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, or work for maximum fat burning. This is provided that the work schedule or the rhythm of life does not allow you to train more often.

Although in the case of fat burning, you will have to allocate time for cardio. Moreover, if, you also have to work on a treadmill to develop endurance in heavy multi-joint exercises, like squats with a barbell.

However, if possible, then for programs based on strength endurance and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy, it is better to allocate four workouts per week. I gave an example of such a program in . Similarly, with fat burning, especially when it comes to a cyclical diet.

It is more difficult for girls in this regard, because excess weight they gain much easier and faster than men due to the characteristics of the body.

He is almost always ready to get pregnant, and keeps a supply of nutrients for a potential child. Lady for support recommend diet type BUCH (protein-carbohydrate alternation) and three strength training sessions per week, and two of them on the bottom of the body and one on the top of the body. But this is a separate, very big topic for conversation, both in nutrition and in training programs.