The first thing you need before worrying about how long your workouts should last is an actual workout plan.

And lucky for you, it’s super easy to create your own strength training routine. 

Which is awesome because lifting weights is how you avoid the dreaded “skinny fat” physique people who focus on cardio alone often develop. 

You establish how many days a week to workout, the different types of exercises you should be doing, how many sets/reps are ideal, and all that.

Buuuuut there’s still one question you don’t have an answer to.

And that is…

How long should your workouts be to achieve the best results?

An hour? 

Two hours? 

What’s really ideal here? 

I can give you a general rule of thumb (we’ll talk about this a little later on) but the reality is there’s not some universal, definitive answer that will just automatically apply to everyone when it comes to workout length.

It’s like counting calories… 

Everyone’s needs are different.

So before I give you my two cents, here are two factors to think about when determining how long your workouts should last.

Factors that influence workout time 

1. How consistent you’ll be with your routine

Do the following exercise for me, it’ll only take 30 seconds max.

First step:

On a sheet of paper, write down this sentence…

“I have to be perfect with my workouts.” 

Second step:

Get up from where you’re sitting and head to the nearest trash can.

Third and final step:

Crumple that piece of paper up and yell “KOBE!” as you shoot it like a basketball into the trash. 

1. Perfection is a completely unrealistic expectation

2. It is IMPOSSIBLE to measure up to 

Besides, being perfect doesn’t drive results.

How consistent you are does.

That’s the mindset shift you need to make if you truly want to be successful in the workout game.

Consistency > Perfection.

It’s not what you do all the time but what you do MOST of the time that really matters.

So, how long your workout should last will largely depend on how consistent you can be with it.

I mean…

Just think about where trying to be perfect has left you in the past.

You get stuck in this all-or-nothing mentality where it’s like, “I don’t have time for the full 60-minute workout I had planned so working out just isn’t in the cards for me today.”

You choose nothing over doing something. 

Let’s say you’re walking down the street and someone says to you, “Hey, I’m going to give you $60 when I see you tomorrow.” 

But when tomorrow comes, they only have $30 for you. 

Would you tell that person you’d rather have nothing instead?

Of course not, you’d humbly accept the $30 and be extremely grateful.

Because something is better than nothing.

From here on out, have that same mentality with your workouts. 

Only have time for a 30-minute workout when it was supposed to be an hour?

Make it the best damn 30-minute workout of your life 💪🏾

When it’s all said and done, here’s the main question to ask yourself when thinking about how long your workouts should be:

What’s a reasonable amount of time I can dedicate to working out within my schedule and actually be consistent? 

2. The quality of your workouts  

When it comes to working out, more oftentimes just means more.

Not better. 

Having a bajillion different exercises doesn’t make your workouts effective (the same way sweating during your workouts doesn’t equal results). 

What matters more than anything else is the quality of your workouts, not how many sets, reps, or exercises you’re doing.

Here’s what I mean by quality:

• Lifting heavy weights: Yes, this applies to you ladies too
• Pushing within 1-2 reps shy of failure on each working set: This means taking adequate rest time in between sets (somewhere between 2-5 minutes). Your strength training workouts shouldn’t double up as cardio.
• Applying progressive overload: In order to see results, you need to gradually increase the amount of weight you lift over time.

You’ll achieve a million times better results giving max effort (i.e. going as heavy as you can with your lifts and pushing yourself near failure) for a 30-minute workout 3 times per week than working out 6 days a week and kind of just lollygagging through your workouts.

So, how long should a lifting workout be?

Don’t forget about the consistency and quality factors above.

Ultimately, those will drive how long your workouts should last.

But as a general rule of thumb, your strength training workouts will ideally fall somewhere between 30-90 minutes.

Going beyond that 90-minute mark indicates that either:

1. Your intensity isn’t what it should be and it’s time to take things up a notch

Or…

2. You’re probably focusing too much on quantity as opposed to quality.

The 10-exercise glute workout you’re trying to do is complete overkill.  

If you want to grow your glutes, all you have to do is read this article I wrote for a detailed breakdown of how to do that. 

Just to reiterate, if you’re short on time, something is always better than nothing. 

For example, let’s say you’re traveling.

A full workout just might not be feasible. 

That’s okay.

See if you can get a quick 20-30 minute workout and go on about your day.

Remember our example from earlier…

Would you rather have $30 or $0?

How long should your workout be FAQs

Is a 2-hour gym session too long?

I’d say somewhere between 30-90 minutes is the sweet spot for your workouts. 

Anything beyond that and you’ll likely be sacrificing intensity and will see diminishing returns.

Being super dialed in and giving a 30-minute workout everything you have will yield way better results than a 2-hour long strength training session with so-so intensity.

Does it matter the time of the day you workout?

Nope. 

Working out at certain times doesn’t equate to losing more body fat, building more muscle, or anything like that. 

As long as you get your workout in, no matter the time of day, that’s what counts.

I’m a morning person. 

I like getting up, being active, and getting a workout in to start my day. 

But there have also been times in my life when I worked out in the evenings after I got off work.

I saw the same results (This applies to fasted cardio vs. non-fasted cardio too). 

Just pick the time that works best for you and stay consistent with it.

How long should a workout last to build muscle?

The most efficient way to go about building muscle is by entering what’s called a bulking phase. 

The flip side of that would be going on a cut to lose body fat. 

Either way, the same principles apply in terms of how long your workouts should be (roughly 30-90 minutes).

I’ll say the same thing about building muscle as I do about fat loss, be realistic about your expectations.

Don’t expect to lift weights for a week, look in the mirror, and see this crazy, drastic physique transformation. 

You also need to make sure you’re eating enough protein if you want to build muscle.

To say protein is ESSENTIAL to muscle growth would be the understatement of the century. 

Is 45 minutes of weight training enough?

A 45-minute gym session is plenty. 

Not to beat a dead horse but if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this post I want it to be this…

Super lengthy workouts aren’t necessary to achieve great results.  

Keep your workouts in the 30-90 minute range and keep the intensity high by pushing within 1-2 reps of failure on each working set.