At this point in my career, a vast majority of my “whys” behind everything are observationally based. This is crucial because I am moving further and further away from training by the book and more towards forming the book to suit my client’s needs.
One of the most popular questions I get asked is how long to train.
Well…truth be told, not a lot of people talk to me so a lot of these questions are from me talking to myself...in my car...alone...
Anyway.
This is a fairly loaded question.
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For athletes it depends on age, movement efficiency, competing demands outside of the weight room and goals.
If you are working with college athletes, the NCAA only allows coaches so much time with those kids. Plus you are competing with sport coaches for time so a vast majority of sessions have to be 60 minutes or less blocks.
Same with adults in the private sector. If you are a coach that operates like 99% of facilities, you have 1 hour to get everything done that you need to before your next appointment.
Quality With Time Management
My business model has changed slightly over the years. We program all of our clients, teach them how to read them and how to run them on their own.
Our semi-private model reflects this. If we need to work on something more specific that requires a bit more time than 60 minutes, we have overlapping starts/finishes. That means, we do not kick you out when your 60 minutes is up, we kick you out when you complete your program.
Most of our programs are written for 60 to 75 minutes in mind. Most of our adults are hard working people that have a lot going on outside of the gym. A lot of people (me included) do not have 2 hours to spend training.
I wrote an article earlier in the summer Are You Training Hard. The main motif of that article was not about the quantity of exercise but about the quality. Big movements with supersets, get in and get out.
How Long?
I want to reiterate that I do not believe there is a specific time that is more beneficial than another. It is about what/how you do it as opposed to what you are doing. Now…these times are what I call skeptical because there is a lot of variation to be had.
We have clients in the gym that train 30 minutes a day 3 to 4 days a week and are in pretty good shape.
Conversely, we have clients that are in a strength sport and need a little bit more specific training and longer rest periods. Their sessions may be 90 minutes or more. Again, it just depends on what you are after.
My recommendation for most adults is 3 to 4 one hour training sessions per week. Plus…plenty of walking and non-exercise related movement in between those training bouts.
Remember, however you choose to train, make it with intent. If you only have 30 minutes to train, you should be focused and use every minute as wisely as possible. It is very easy to start talking with your boy doing preacher curls for 15 minutes and before you know it…you’re out of time.
