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Is spending 1 hour at the gym long enough?

When you’re starting out at the gym and introducing workouts into your routine, it can be tricky to set aside time to start working on your fitness goals. At this stage, you’ll likely be asking yourself questions such as “how long should a gym session be?”.

Starting out by spending a spare hour or so at the gym, when you can, is a great way to take the first step. Our gym staff agree that while it depends on both the individual and which muscle groups you are training, anywhere between 45 to 90 minutes is a good amount of time to set aside for your workout. However, starting out with shorter workouts can help ease you into your exercise pattern.

How should I approach my first workout?

When you are thinking about how you can fill that hour, make time for warming up, engaging in your exercise, cooling down, and stretching.

Try to give yourself at least five to ten minutes warming up by stretching using the mat area or by doing warm up sets. Gym staff note that relevance to your session is vital when warming up, and give the example that for a squat session, warm- ups should include hip and ankle mobility drills before you begin.

Cooling down is equally important, and although the duration of your cool down depends on how intense your exercise was, make sure to give yourself at least five minutes. Once again, stretching is a great cool down method, but gym staff suggest an additional way to relax is to take a trip to the sauna for fifteen minutes, which can promote blood flow and aid recovery.

Is building an effective workout down to frequency of gym sessions, or duration of those sessions?

When you’re altering your workout routine, you might wonder whether you’re better off extending your regular gym sessions or adding extra sessions to your weekly schedule.

It is important to push yourself in your workout to see positive change. However, it is always even more vital to listen to your body and adjust your workout (including your workout duration) slowly to prevent injuries. Our expert gym staff recommend looking at the number of exercises you are doing in the gym rather than aiming for a certain time span. For those starting out, they suggest picking four or five different exercises for your session and focusing on achieving those with decent rest periods rather than rushing yourself.

Whatever workout regime you build, creating a routine at the gym is a great way to not only work towards your goals, but to see familiar faces and to make friends.

Is time important for building an effective workout?

If you don’t have lots of time on your hands to dedicate to a workout, remember that even short bouts of high intensity exercise are beneficial to your health and endurance. After warming up, why not try the bikes, the steps or treadmill? These will add aerobic activity into your workout and help with your cardiovascular health. If you’re new to the gym, you might want to consider which pieces of equipment you can use to help achieve your fitness goals.

An alternative to high intensity exercise is engaging in long, slow distance training. This means exercising continuously for at least thirty minutes with moderate intensity (intensity which wouldn’t leave you breathless enough to not be able to talk). By its name, this training style will see you participating in a longer workout, but it will still improve cardiovascular function.

But, if you don’t have much time then you can instead try Hight-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) – this is a great opportunity to get creative with your workout, or introduce yourself to a different piece of equipment such as kettlebells.

Why not add variety to your workout by…

Engaging in other activity such as swimming? Swimming is an amazing low-impact option to consider adding to your routine. Remember, it’s important to take rest breaks in between your workout sessions and this includes your time in and out of the pool!

Is there an optimal workout time?

Whilst gym staff agree that an optimal workout time looks different for everyone and depends on your exercise goals, there is such thing as spending too long on your workout! As always, listen to your body, and enjoy our other facilities, like the sauna, to rest and recover.

So, why not build your workout routine here at the Sports and Wellness Hub at the University of Warwick by joining today? Check out the newly-refurbished £1m gym at the Sports and Wellness Hub and find out more about memberships.

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Amy Nugent Content Contributor, Warwick Sport

Amy is a content writer interested in fitness and wellbeing. In her spare time she enjoys sailing, dance, and trying out new sports.

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