How Long Should a Lifting Workout Take?

Resistance training helps build muscle, increases bone density and decreases the risk of heart disease. Working out too long, however, can be counterproductive. Hormonal changes in the body, and the risk of losing motivation can occur. Resistance training sessions should be kept to 60 minutes or less for optimal results.

  1. Resistance Training Recommendations

    • The American College of Sports Medicine recommends three sets of eight to 12 repetitions; your workout should include eight to 10 exercises working all major muscle groups. Studies have shown that the average time to perform this workout is approximately 50 minutes. One of the primary reasons that the ACSM makes this recommendation is due to a higher dropout rate associated with workouts longer than 60 minutes.

    Workout Duration and Hormones

    • A 2003 study at the University of Saskatchewan College of Kinesiology examined the effect of exercise on testosterone and cortisol. Testosterone is one of the key muscle-building hormones. Cortisol is a catabolic hormone that breaks down muscle. They found that testosterone and cortisol levels peaked 60 minutes after starting a resistance training workout. After 60 minutes both hormones decreased, however testosterone decreased at a sharper rate than cortisol. This indicates that training longer than 60 minutes will result in minimal gains in muscle. The decrease in testosterone also impairs recovery.

    Work Out With Intensity

    • The quality of your workout is far more important than how long it takes. Muscle growth is spurred by progressive overload. To keep your workout intensity level high, increasing the amount of weight lifted or the number of repetitions to tax the muscles. The higher the intensity, the shorter the workout can be.

    Rest Periods Between Sets

    • If you're following the ACSM resistance training recommendations and still find your workouts are taking longer than 60 minutes, monitor your rest periods between sets and exercises. Rest intervals between sets do not need to be more than three minutes. If you are social at the gym, save your conversations for before and after your workouts instead of between sets. Avoid the televisions in your gym so you can focus on your workout and the length of your rest breaks.