How much gym time should I allocate if I have a lot of free time?
I am going to have a lot of free time very soon. All this free time will allow me to work out at the gym for more than 1 hour. In fact, if I choose to, I can stay at the gym all day, which leads me to a question...
If you had all the free time to do whatever, how much time would you spend in the gym? I don't have a family to take care on my own and I don't have any other obligations. I could technically stay at the gym all day long. You know, do some cardio on the machines, take a break, take a few aerobic classes, lunch, more cardio, etc.
The reason why contests on 'The Biggest Loser' and 'I Use To Be Fat' lose so much weight in so little time is because they work out all day long. Would you do the same thing if you had the time?
I wouldn't spend so long there, but that probably has more to do with my personality than anything else. I would start itching to do something with my brain, just as I start getting fidgety when I do too much "head work" and forget to move around.
You also risk doing what my husband did--he decided that he really REALLY liked jogging, so he did it twice a day for a couple of weeks and wound up tearing his meniscus in his right knee. It's great to exercise, but too much of it all at once can place undue stress on parts of you.
Contestants on game shows also dehydrate themselves and work out while wearing sweat clothes so they can win an appreciable fraction of a million dollars. They may be inspirational to watch, but these shows don't model healthy behavior for most people.
I would say the absolute maximum amount of time anyone (who's not a bodybuilder, athlete, fitness model) should spend working out at the gym is about 2 hours.
You would have plenty of time for a full cardio workout and a full strength training workout. That's just my opinion, though
I don't see how a bunch of extra time will be beneficial without also putting you at risk for injury/dehydration, as Nola said. I know there are breaks in your proposed plan... but still. I just think that plan is too much.
Keep in mind, if you put in a lot of effort during your workout at the gym, your metabolism will also be revved up for the rest of the day
I have a ton of time now too (working from home, gym below my apt). I stay maximum 1 hour 15 mins. 45 minutes cardio, 15-30 mins weight lifting at the most. I don't want to burn out, risk injury, etc. I find the more I keep my exercise in moderation the less likely I'm going to quit altogether because I'm sick of it.
Agree with max of two hours, but not an hour of strength every day. I'd get in a great workout and find an organization that you believe in and volunteer your time there - they can definitely use it and you'll probably expand your friend circle and have something good for a resume which never hurts.
If you just NEED to do more, add in some yoga, too.
But remember that's a TV show - not real life and they're under dr. care. it's not taking place in a week, etc.
My goodness why would you want to spend all day at the gym????
IMO, you should spend as much time at the gym as you feel you can sustain long term. The reason many of the Biggest Loser contestants regain some or all of their weight is because once they return to the real world they can't spend all day at the gym and they didn't learn a sustainable lifestyle, the learned how to win a reality show.
Anyway, bottom line you have to do what works for you.
I would spend zero time at the gym. I'd drive out to some mountains or foothills and hike my heart out. I'd go to lots of different yoga classes until I found a studio I loved and then I'd go there on a regular basis to build my practice. I'd set up fun courses for myself to walk or jog with city monuments or parks. I'd have lunch in cute little cafes.
I think it depends on what you are doing at the gym. I wouldn't go over 2 hours at the gym. If you find yourself tired or lightheaded, you should stop to avoid injury. I always go in with the mentality of pushing myself without going overboard. There's no reason to hurt myself and not be able to workout the days following.
One of my favorite sayings applies here: More is not better, better is better. 3-4 good weight lifting sessions per week (no more than an hour each, maybe 1.5 if you're taking long rests between heavy sets) + 2-3 moderate intensity cardio workouts per week (again, no more than an hour each) is plenty.
Beyond that, the returns to the time in the gym fall off rapidly. But you're not just using time inefficiently, you're risking stalled or even reversed progress or chronic overuse injuries. Even this volume would be overtraining for some people -- it depends on your age, recovery time, joint health, etc.
Very, very few TBL contestants keep the weight off. Crash dieting and short-term overexercising don't change the underlying habits that made the contestants fat in the first place. If reality TV was subject to the same ethical reviews that govern virtually all scientific research, TBL wouldn't exist.
Your body grows during rest. You can spend 5 hours a day in the gym, and many people do, and still get less results than someone who goes 3x a week for 1 hour effectively.
Bottom line - if you can spend all day in the gym, then you aren't working hard enough. End of!
Bulgarian methodology includes all day training but it's literally one lift per hour, that's the only time people spend alllllll day in the gym. Professional athletes are another exception.
3-4x a week solid training is great. Use the other time to enjoy the spring weather - go out for a bike ride, hiking, etc. Volunteer. Take up a hobby (how about a fitness related hobby? If you have time and money, why not join a real weightlifting gym and learn proper instruction on technique with olympic lifts?? That's what I would do)
I would probably do a 2-3 hour session tops whenever I'm not too sore to do it. XD
I have no way of getting to the gym and no gym membership so all of my results so far have been me pushing myself and doing the best I can with knowledge, workout videos, 3-15lb hand weighs, and a lot of dedication. If I did have access to a gym I would definitely up my strength training and cardio.
The most I do is 1 hour cardio, 30 min strength training in the morning and then go back for evening spin class which is 1 hour. 2 and half hours. I am spent after that much.
How much gym time should I allocate if I have a lot of free time?
