How Long Should You Exercise?

July 23, 2010 admin No comments

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Hi,

Just how long should you exercise? It used to be that most exercise gurus told you that you had to exercise for at least an hour to 90 minutes every day.

I remember one specifically saying your should weight train for 90 minutes to 2 hours every day. And on top of that you should do aerobics for at least 2 hours 3 times a week.

Geez dude, if I had that much free time, even I wouldn’t spend it in the gym.

On the other hand you have people that say you only need to exercise for 20 minutes 2-3 times a week.

So who is right? Neither.

Instead of thinking of exercising for a certain period of time, think about what you are trying to accomplish and how you can accomplish it.

Someone that is in pretty good shape and not overweight can get by with a minimal amount of time if all they want to do is maintain.

However, they do have to actually do something. Your body adapts pretty quickly at any task it does. That is why it is important to always challenge yourself.

If all you do is arm curls for 20 pounds you will not maintain your arm strength fo a long period of time. That is because your body will perceive 20 pounds as not stressful enough to build muscle or even to maintain it.

Your body wants to be pushed.

On the other hand doing 2-3 hour workouts 5-6 times a week is too much. There is evidence that doing a vigorous workout for more than an hour does not provide any more benefits – from a health standpoint – than regular moderate exercise.

The key word is regular.

If you are consistent in exercising you will get the benefits of exercise.

If you wish to build some muscle size or muscle strength then add some intensity, but only for a short period of time.

The same goes for burning fat. Short intense exercise sessions will be more beneficial at burning fat. Add in some moderate walking a couple of times a week for around 30 minutes and you have a pretty good exercise program.

We will get into more about intensity when exercising in later posts.

Stay tuned form more about how long you should exercise.

Thanks,

Mike Val