DURATION OF A TRAINING SESSION?
How long does strength training last? Everyone asked this question at different stages of their development. When you start you think that the more you do, the the better . So we start by doing too much.
Then we realize that it doesn’t work that way, that things don’t go as planned. Indeed, we have forgotten one parameter – the quality of efforts. It is good to do a lot, but too much is not good. So how does a resistance workout last? Let me explain everything to you.
1 – factors that determine the duration of resistance training
First of all, you should be aware that the length of a session depends on many parameters , which are primarily individual.
first is the time you have for training. Not everyone can devote three hours a day to training, sometimes even twice a day. This is influenced by your limitations, which can be your job, your social life, your family … There are so many things that do not necessarily have a direct bearing on your practice.
second , these are your goals. What do you expect from bodybuilding? How important is your goal? Is this the most important thing in your life (what could be in our young years)? In function, you understand that this completely changes the duration of the resistance training. Under these conditions, you may only have 45 minutes to devote to it three times a week, as well as two hours six times a week (even if this is rarely ideal).
Third is that depending on your body type and sports history, you may not have the same needs for every muscle. Some muscles respond “more easily” than others and do not need to be trained in multiple series.
If three sets per week are enough for the biceps, it may take three times for the triceps to have the same results in terms of muscle development. Its genetically determined length, as well as the length of the levers associated with it (the length of the arms, legs), its architecture (is it an angular muscle?) If it was heavily used in childhood and adolescence means that there are rarely comparable muscles in terms of developmental needs even if there are grounds for respect when you start.
Finding a “ magic exercise ” exercise that changes everything for the muscles shortens the duration of the resistance training.
This is what happened to my triceps from the moment I discovered the Magic Thrips exercise and it literally blew them up when they were very short. For a while, I only performed this exercise in long series (see this article) for triceps, and it was enough to develop them better than doing three exercises that did not particularly suit me (you can see a list of the best exercises according to your morpho-anatomy here).
fourth is your level. The higher your level, the more attention your muscles need to keep developing.
When one exercise was enough, other than the notion of a magic exercise with 3 sets, you may now need three different exercises with 4 sets each and a long cooldown in between so you can really force this was not the case you started where you could stop for a minute or a minute and a half of recovery. So it will take much longer.
This explains why many naturalists no longer progress visually from a certain point, because they don’t want to invest more than they currently do. I must say that then we can only live for this, if we want to continue to progress, which is not very good for health and which practically no one does in the long term, preferring to be content with its level.
So, you understand that the duration of resistance training is primarily a story of individualization . There is no universal duration, as many would believe, but the ideal that everyone has.
For example, if you only have 45 minutes to learn, it is easy to determine and understand that this will be your ideal and that you will have to deal with it at best. “The inversion of another person who will have a doppelganger, but not necessarily need the same, depending on what we just saw.
2 – How much volume for an ideal session?
In order to induce muscle growth , it is important to understand what exactly causes it, that is, a progressive increase in mechanical stress combined with some metabolic stress. These are what we call in the three factors muscle hypertrophy area: Specifically, this means that progression only on the weights we use is not enough if the number of sets and too few reps per muscle.
At best, we will gain strength on short-term , but not on muscle, which will hinder progress in the medium and long term, since strength is at least partially related to it
This explains why many non-doping bodybuilding practitioners end up stagnating; They fell into the trap of “overtraining” after the first stage, when they were doing too much and now they are not doing enough.
To determine the amount of training required for each, it is necessary to take stock of the four dimensions shown above. It is not necessary to carry out his morpho-anatomical analysis, interest in him grows as you progress (I refuse to carry out any morpho-anatomical analysis, even if I offer a service and the fact that it helps me live, for people who start, because this just a waste of time at that time).
However, if you are at the intermediate level, it seems to me necessary to fulfill it (I explain everything to you here). This is the first step and will quickly let you know where to push, do more and do less.
The second step is to integrate the concepts of the angular muscle (not all), which means that not all muscles need the same amount of exercise, and this is a loss of tolerance that will allow you to adapt the amount of training to your neural performance (the more experience in bodybuilding, the more it improves). A muscle that is not at an angle can be satisfied with a developmental exercise, while something that should not be required with a few exercises (you can find the needs of each muscle here).
If we are talking about an ideal session, it is rarely less than an hour for a beginner, rarely less than an hour and thirty minutes for an intermediate practitioner, and rarely less than two hours for a practitioner. confirmed if the goal is to progress at best.
Step Three So determines the distribution of your workouts, because the more muscles you train during a workout, the longer it takes.
Depending on availability and ambition, the duration of a bodybuilding session tends to increase, which is why a split, if the goal is really to increase muscle, that is, dividing a training muscle into a muscle or, if necessary, training two muscles at the same time is a trend which is endorsed by the best non-doping bodybuilders.
Thus, we gradually split our training to shorten the duration depending on how much time we have to prepare.
If there is only limited time, not enough (it might be the wrong word) to effectively train each of his muscles, for example, having only three slots a week at 1:30, then some muscles will need to sacrifice by training them less to maintain them.
This is called prioritization . So, instead of doing everything in half, we will progress in doing what we do right and we will maintain certain muscles until we reach our goals for the former, before doing the rotation.
In a context where you only have three slots per week, I recommend that you reduce the stress on the shoulders on the upper body and on the calves on the lower body. This will give you more time to use other muscles effectively.
An example program might look like this:
Monday | |
Joint mobilization | 5 minutes |
High traction pulley with wide front grip | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
Yates bar rowing in prone position | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
Seated rowing with low pulley in tight neutral grip | 3 sets of 8-12 reps |
Incline Dumbbell Bird | 4 sets of 15-50 reps |
Rigid Bench Press Grip | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
Sedentary Neck Extension | 4 sets of 12-20 reps |
Tummy Enlargement – Plank | 4 sets of 1 minute |
Stretching | 5 minutes |
Wednesday | |
Joint mobilization | 5 minutes |
Cup Squat | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
Incline Leg Press | 4 sets of 12-20 reps |
Seated Leg Curl | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
45 ° extension of the lumbar bench | 4 sets of 15-50 reps |
Thigh Calf | 4 sets of 10-15 reps |
Crunch | 4 sets of 1 minute |
Pool Tape | 4 sets of 12-30 reps |
Stretching | 5 minutes |
Friday | |
Joint mobilization | 5 minutes |
Designed Rejected | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
dumbbell bench press | 3 sets of 8-12 reps |
Pullover through the bench | 3 sets of 15-20 reps |
Side height with dumbbells | 4 sets of 10-15 reps |
Slanted Curl | 3 sets of 8-12 reps |
Curler for one-handed hammers | 4 sets of 8-12 reps |
Inclined cladding | 4 sets of 1 minute |
Stretching | 5 minutes |
This obviously needs to be adapted.
If you would like to learn to personalize your bodybuilding program at all levels, know that I have written a book on this subject based on my experience. Apart from theory, this is primarily practical work that is easy to apply following the various steps.
3 – testosterone level and duration of resistance training
Many “experts” and industry magazines regularly insist that our strength training does not exceed 45 minutes, otherwise our testosterone levels will drop; then we will lose the benefit of our efforts. As with many factors, you should know that testosterone levels, in particular how they develop as a result of our efforts, are again individual stories .
Various studies show that an effort of 45 seconds can dramatically lower levels of this hormone in some, while it increases in others, regardless of or nearly so.
But this is not the most important thing, because the receptivity of our androgen receptors is important, in other words, something that cannot be measured.
So, let’s forget once and for all these testosterone stories, which are just an illusion. It is also important to distinguish between actual workout time, that is, actual effort versus time spent in the gym. Very little time is spent under the bars during a two-hour session.
In addition to the total duration, the effective duration is taken into account. However, it is true that by spending a certain amount of time starting at 1:30, our concentration can decrease. (The best fitness tool Cabergolin kaufen on this site In this case, it is advisable to eat during the session, taking BCAA powder, which will fight brain fatigue, even more if they are associated with L-tyrosine, an amino acid that plays directly on concentration. I highly recommend this.
4 – conclusion about the duration of strength training
The amount of training and the length of the session are factors that we must adapt individually and that develop over time. This way you don’t have to focus on a specific number.
In all cases, there is minimum volume required to build muscle mass, resulting in strength training lasting from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours effective.
A good indicator that we are doing enough volume is the progress we regularly see in training loads. If it’s not there, something is wrong and your training may need to be revisited, even if that’s not the only factor to consider.
The bottom line is this: You must do what you need to progress. I hope I helped you learn more about the duration of strength training.