Shorter Workouts Are Better. Here’s Why.

Training more than an hour does more harm than good. You’re better training more days per week, but keeping workouts to 45 minutes or less.

Training longer than 60 minutes may work for bodybuilders on steroids, but they’re pointless for non-enhanced men and women who want to look great naked and function optimally.

Research has shown training too long and too hard raises the hormone cortisol, your primary stress hormone. Cortisol works in opposition of testosterone and breaks down stored muscle tissue, increases fat storage, and, as you guessed it, leads to more stress.

We’re going to dig further in a moment, but first a flashback.

When I first started lifting as a teen I grabbed every muscle-building routine from fitness magazines I could find. I’d crush my pipe-cleaner arms for 90 minutes. Then I’d throw in some sprints or another “abs” workout that caught my eye.

I was working my tail off, but not building strength or muscle – or losing fat.

I made the mistake of doing MORE damage than I could recover from. It prevented me from progressing and zapped my motivation.

I’d get frustrated. I’d stop training, then restart weeks later. It was the same futile cycle again and again. Luckily, my first coach pulled me aside and uttered the wise words of bodybuilding legend Lee Haney: “Stimulante, don’t annihilate.”

This simple phrase seemed like a catchy soundbite, but over the last decade plus I’ve seen the same message in research and the top strength and conditioning coaches in the world.

A few quick examples:

The late world-renowned strength coach Charles Poliquin said:

“If your workout takes longer than an hour you are making friends, not building size and strength."

In other words, you should be FOCUSED and intense in the gym, not wasting time mindlessly scanning your phone.

When I had the chance to work with elite-level NFL athletes, weight workouts were routinely 45-60 minutes, not 2 hours. Consider the top athletes in the world, who base their entire life around health and performance.

Guess what? They either broke up their training sessions or reduced intensity after 45 minutes or so.

In 2008, a study showed high-intensity training lasting longer than 45 minutes significantly increased cortisol, while low-intensity exercise actually reduced cortisol.

Clearly, there’s something to this whole “shorter workout” thing.

INTENSE, KILLER workouts often endorsed by pro bodybuilders last over an hour. They usually have short rest periods, high effort, and high volume.

This works when you’re on steroids as steroids increase both testosterone muscle protein synthesis artificially, dramatically increasing how much training you can do without breaking down.

But when mere mortals like you and I try to do the same workouts, cortisol spikes resulting in:

?Decreased muscle protein synthesis (less muscle building)

?Converting more muscle to protein, and protein to fuel your workouts. (muscle breakdown)

?Suprressing growth hormone, testosterone, and reducing libido (hormone dysfunction) 

? Added overall stress (all stress is the same, whether it’s from training, your diet, your job, or your family life)

Practical Advice

Keep your muscle-building workouts to 45 minutes or less. Minimize distractions and focus only on your training when you enter the gym.

3-4 focused Minimalist Muscle Workouts are perfect for maximizing your time in the gym.

If you love training, you’re better off doing more workouts that are shorter, 30-45 minutes. You’ll increase muscle protein synthesis more often without spiking cortisol levels to build muscle faster.

If you want to increase how many calories you’re burning from exercise, mix in more low-intensity exercise like walking, mobility work, or even yoga. Low-intensity exercise can mitigate the cortisol response, making going for a walk while you knock out phone calls a great plan for busy professionals like yourself.

Remember, there is a point of diminishing returns when it comes to training. More training doesn’t equal more progress.

Instead, you want the minimum effective dose: the perfect blend of focused training to maximize every minute in the gym.

If you want a workout program specifically created for the busy professional I can help you in two ways:

Grab Your Free Guide: One Hour Body

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