So I recently have decided to use the free weights at the gym instead of depending on machines because of the overall benefits but I'm wondering how long should that take?

Yesterday I did lunges, barbell curls, shrugs, dumbell kickbacks, planks and knee-hip raises.

I started out with 20lbs and could only do between 8-16 where I felt like my arms could not take it anymore. I even started shaking! It felt great and now I am SORE everywhere.

It took me about an hour to get all of that done and I tried taking my time and pushing myself with each movement till I could no longer take it, which was less than 15 reps.

Is this right? A friend posted that they spend 3-4 hours lifting and that seems excessive and I'm just wondering if I put in enough time?

First, sore is great! That means you did it right!

A good resistance workout can be done in 45 minutes to an hour. If you circuit train (move quickly from one move to the next) you can also incorporate cardio into it, giving you a double whammy. There is no need to work out 3-4 hours. Frankly if someone takes that long, I'd question whether they are picking an effective weight and rep range anyway. They should feel whooped after an hour if they're doing it right.

LOL!! I never understand people who spend 3-4 hours at the gym. Don't they have other things to do?

Longest I spend is 2 hours on Saturdays, but my actual weight training session is 45 minutes and then I take a group fitness class afterwards.

Any other time I do weight training or strength training it's anywhere from 30-45 minutes.

Contrary to popular belief you don't need to spend your life at the gym in order to weight train effectively. It's more about how well you spend that time. You can even train effectively if all you have is 5-10 minutes!

Thank you guys! I really felt the fatigue in my muscles today and yesterday I pushed myself to keep going till I couldn't take it any longer!

I know 20lbs doesn't seem like much, especially because I was doing anywhere between 40-70 on the machines but it kicked my butt!

Now all I have to do is find someone to show me how to use the barbells and do deadlifts etc. so I can REALLY feel the burn!

It's all about whether you push yourself. What you did sounds like an ideal strength session - worked hard for a reasonable amount of time, sore but not crying/throwing up afterward.

I REALLY felt it the next day after my session! My legs/glutes were beyond sore and then I walked for 3 hours in the sweltering heat, but I broke thru my plateau and lost 3.4lbs this week! So I must have done something right

Yeah, 3-4 hours is completely unnecessary. Including my warm-up sets, I'm usually in the weight room for anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, max. I've got things to do!

Three days a week, lifting weights for 20 to 30 minutes is advised. But it's simple to commit typical errors that put your health in danger or postpone the outcomes you want.