The Ideal Workout Duration For Building Muscle
13/12/2018
Written By: Ryan Chan |
|
There have been many debates on an ideal workout duration with some saying less than 90 minutes and others saying that there is no such thing. At the end of the day, it is very subjective as it depends on a person’s fitness goal, workout intensity, food consumption and individual’s body respond to these factors.
Let’s breakdown what generally happens in your body when you exercise based on duration. Do note that this is based on general population and may differ from individuals.
Let’s breakdown what generally happens in your body when you exercise based on duration. Do note that this is based on general population and may differ from individuals.
0-60 Minutes
Studies have shown that blood testosterone levels increase during weight training, peaking at 30 minutes into a session. When your body produces more testosterone, it helps promote muscle growth, mass and increase energy. It is also the hormone responsible for your sex drive and sperm production. This is one of the main reason why resisted exercise is not only good for building muscle, but also for your general well-being.
60 Minutes Or More
After about an hour, the body starts to produce less testosterone, and more cortisol. Cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone, is released as part of the fight-or-flight reflex. It shuts down less critical functions like reproduction and immunity to focus on fighting the immediate physical threat and breaks down tissue to provide the energy necessary. In the case of working out, the increase in cortisol production is mainly due to two factors,
Your glycogen storage capacity affects how long and/or how intense you can exercise. When you deplete your glycogen levels, you may feel like you "hit the wall." This term refers to the fatigue and inability to continue exercise. If you consume a diet that is low in carbohydrate and try to exercise frequently, you will not have adequate energy for your workouts and will not be able to train at an intensity that stimulates muscle growth.
- The accumulated physical stress that was place upon the body during weight training and
- The depletion of energy resource, your glycogen storage, to fuel your extended workout resulting in the need to break down additional non-carbohydrate substrates, including your muscles, in order to generate more glucose to continue fuelling your workout. This process is also known as gluconeogenesis.
Your glycogen storage capacity affects how long and/or how intense you can exercise. When you deplete your glycogen levels, you may feel like you "hit the wall." This term refers to the fatigue and inability to continue exercise. If you consume a diet that is low in carbohydrate and try to exercise frequently, you will not have adequate energy for your workouts and will not be able to train at an intensity that stimulates muscle growth.
90 Minutes Or More
High intensity exercise that lasts for 90 minutes or more is commonly associated with a negative impact on immune-function. This is mainly due to the increase amount of cortisol shutting down immunity due to its fight-or-flight reflex in order to preserve as much energy necessary to maintain body function. This decrease in immune function in turn increases the risk of infections such as coughs and colds and may impair a person’s ability to recover between exercise sessions.
Bringing It Back To Building Muscles
From the breakdown above, you roughly know that working out for more than 90 minutes in a single session is not highly recommended for your body and your gains. And especially when you are dealing with heavy weights to stimulate growth, safety and focus should also take priority. The longer you work out, the more fatigue you become, the higher chances of risks and injuries can occur.
But…
Does that mean that I cannot work out longer than 90 minutes
The answer is no. Understanding how your body works is the key to how effective your workouts can be. Here are some tips that you can apply if you are working out for an extended period of time.
But…
Does that mean that I cannot work out longer than 90 minutes
The answer is no. Understanding how your body works is the key to how effective your workouts can be. Here are some tips that you can apply if you are working out for an extended period of time.
- Start your workout session with exercises that you can lift the heaviest or exercises that works the most muscles such as compound exercises like the bench press, deadlift and squat. This is to ensure that you have the most energy and focus when performing these exercises that have higher risk of injury. Subsequently, you can proceed on to do more isolated exercises as you start to fatigue.
- Consume enough carbohydrate to fuel your extended workout and prevent the depletion of glycogen storage from occurring too soon.
- Take regular and sufficient breaks during your workout.
- Consume both protein and carbohydrate after exercise as it can offset the cortisol response.
- Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night to decrease stress and cortisol release.
Conclusion
It is recommended to keep your workout ideally within the 60 minutes range or 90 minutes max mainly due to the decrease in testosterone and the increase in cortisol leading to a decrease in immune system, energy level, focus and the high possibility of the breakage of muscle tissues for additional energy. Not forgetting a higher chance of sustaining injury and a sub-par strength performance at a later part of the workout due to fatigue resulting in a less effective workout session. A longer workout duration would also mean a larger amount of time, as well as energy, taken out from other priorities in your life.
However, it is also worth noting that the duration is generally based on individuals’ fitness goals, workout intensity and energy consumption and can differ. Thus, it is more important to have a proper understanding of your body needs as well as be sensitive to signs in which your body may alert you that it would be best to take a break. There are also many ways in which you can prevent or minimize the damage of a long workout session as stated within the article.
However, it is also worth noting that the duration is generally based on individuals’ fitness goals, workout intensity and energy consumption and can differ. Thus, it is more important to have a proper understanding of your body needs as well as be sensitive to signs in which your body may alert you that it would be best to take a break. There are also many ways in which you can prevent or minimize the damage of a long workout session as stated within the article.
Articles You Might Be Interested