Is it better to workout for a long time or short time? (2023)

Is it better to work out longer or shorter?

Longer sessions for weight loss (and you may need short ones too) If you have time to participate in sport or formal training a few times a week, that will have "huge benefits", says Professor Stepto. "Exercise around the hour mark will give you two days' worth of benefits," he says.

For heart health and weight loss

In a given week, that works out to 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days per week. Or if you're looking to do more with less time, ramp up the dial. The ACSM says 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise three days a week will bring on the same heart-healthy benefits.

Shorter, higher frequency workouts are optimal for maintaining high-intensity. One of the biggest knocks against longer training sessions is that as the session drags on, the athlete becomes more and more fatigued. Their focus, intensity and desire to train may begin to wane.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Physiology, 30 minutes of daily exercise is just as effective for losing weight as 60 minutes.

As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Reducing sitting time is important, too. The more hours you sit each day, the higher your risk of metabolic problems.

Workouts should last no less than 60 minutes and no more than 90 minutes. This is sufficient time to challenge your body with quality reps. Anything more, and you'll see diminished returns for your efforts. If you feel inclined to train longer, it's best to split up your workout.

There's now a strong body of research showing that even workouts of 10 minutes or less can produce real and meaningful results, says Jenna Gillen, an exercise physiologist at the University of Toronto. Gillen's work has shown that even a one-minute bout of exercise, done right, can improve your fitness and health.

Weight loss tips: Did you know that just exercising for an hour every day is not enough for you to keep fit and healthy? Physical activity throughout the day is what you need to improve your overall health and fitness.

As long as you're not pushing yourself too hard or getting obsessive about it, working out every day is fine. Make sure it's something you enjoy without being too strict with yourself, especially during times of illness or injury.

Three 10-minute workouts throughout the day can provide the same health benefits as one 30-minute moderate-intensity workout. Ongoing research shows that even just 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous daily exercise can improve your health. You don't need fitness equipment or access to a gym for an effective workout.

Do longer workouts burn more fat?

According to Kayla, it is important that you focus on the effectiveness of the workout, rather than its duration. The idea of longer workouts being better than shorter ones may not always be true. The kind of workout that you do every day is the one which is going to make a difference to your fat loss capabilities.

When it comes to exercise, the duration of your workout is actually pretty insignificant - studies have found that an average session of 20 minutes of high intensity exercise is enough to keep you fit. So the most important thing about exercise is turning up to do it - regardless of how little time you have!

Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well. HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.

How to build muscle. Spending your whole day in the gym isn't necessary to build muscle. Weight training for 20 to 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week is enough to see results. You should try to target all your major muscle groups at least twice throughout your weekly workouts.

While exercise has more plusses than a math workbook, you can take it too far: If you burn more than 6,500 calories a week with exercise (that's roughly 13 hours) or if you do more than two hours in a row of straight cardiovascular training.

The primary benefit of sweating when you work out is that sweating helps cool your body down, says Gallucci. This can help prevent you from overheating. Exercise and high temperatures cause your body to heat up. Your body then responds with sweat.

SUMMARY: A typical workout for a typical goal will usually take between 30-120 minutes to complete, most often between 45-90 minutes.

A two-hour workout daily should be OK if you're otherwise healthy and strong.

Similar to findings of previous studies, being fit was associated with living longer. This held true at any age. The researchers also saw a relationship between CRF and survival rates: the higher the level of fitness, the higher the survival rate.

How many lengths is a good workout?

Doing Laps to Get in a Good Workout

For beginners, 20 to 30 laps within 30 minutes is often an achievable and effective goal. If you're at a more intermediate level, strive for 40 to 50 laps during the same time period, and shoot for 60 laps or more if you're an advanced swimmer.

During each exercise session, your heart is building stamina. Because it needs less time to rest, its ability to use oxygen more efficiently increases. You're able to maintain an elevated heart rate over a longer period.

Short workouts are a great option on days when you want to focus on cardio, but want to add a quick muscle pumping routine to your day. Build muscle: For bigger arms or glutes you'll have to work a bit more than 10 minutes a day.

Height plays no significant factor in a person's ability to grow muscle. Whilst shorter people may appear to have gained more muscle in less time, it's simply because they need less muscle to fill out proportionally. In contrast, a taller individual with longer limbs may take more time to fill out.

"A lot of people feel and look less tight and toned when they stop working out," he explains. "It's more of a cosmetic thing." When you aren't working out regularly, your body composition starts to change. With little physical activity, muscle cells will shrink.