Is 1 Hour of Gym Enough?

It’s a common myth that working out for 46 minutes is the absolute maximum time you can spend in the gym, and this must be avoided at all costs. The claimed reason is that if you workout for longer than this, the cortisol fairy will show up, drink your testosterone and make your muscles fall off instantly. But is that true?

Yes, you can do a very effective workout in 46 minutes, if you work out correctly. The length of your workout will depend on what goals you have – for example, weight loss or building muscle – and how intense you want your workout to be.

Ideally, you should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week to see benefits, suggests David Bassett Jr., PhD, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Those who are training for athletic events, such as a marathon, may have to workout for a longer period of time, though.

If you’re just looking to increase your fitness level, a one-hour gym session is more than enough for beginners and intermediates alike. It gives you ample time to perform a warm-up, do some weight training and cool down.

The amount of calories you burn during a 1 hour gym workout will depend on many factors, including your height, weight and body composition. For instance, a person who weighs 11 stone (154 pounds) would burn 224 calories during a one-hour weightlifting workout, 520 calories on a stationary bike at moderate intensity, 670 calories on an elliptical trainer and 744 calories on the treadmill running at a medium speed.

You should also consider your diet, as it will have a huge impact on how many calories you’re burning during a workout. Eating a healthy meal before you go to the gym will help to fuel your workout and ensure that your energy levels are at their highest.

It’s also a good idea to get some sleep between your workouts, as getting enough rest will help you avoid soreness and fatigue. A good night’s sleep can also help to improve your mood and mental health, which is vital for achieving fitness goals.

Those who are starting out on their fitness journey should aim to do at least one to three one-hour gym sessions per week and focus on showing up consistently. This will be more than enough for you to start seeing some positive results, and then you can gradually build up from there if you feel like you’re ready.

Newbie Gains

If you’re a beginner and have never worked out before, you can expect to experience a rapid increase in your strength and muscle mass during the newbie gains period. It is a period of about 6 to 12 months in which you’ll see a noticeable improvement in your muscle tone and strength.

While this is the ideal time to start seeing some serious results, it’s important to remember that this is a very short amount of time, and if you do not exercise regularly you can easily lose these gains. This is because if you are not exercising regularly, your body will be in a fat-storing state, which means that the newbie gains will be lost almost immediately once you stop working out.