I have been lifting weights ever since i was about 14. About 7 years now. When i first started my routine was amateur and lasted around 45mins. Now i have gained alot of knowledge and built a decent work out. I do;

Day 1 - Arms and Shoulders
Day 2 - Chest and Back
Day 3 - Power Day (Powerlifting)

Now all my workouts apart from Day 3, last around 1hr 45mins to 2hours. I wanting to know if this is too much. All the chaps at my rugby club say it is, but i like coming out the gym knowing and feeling ive done some serious lifting and some serious good for myself.

I think Day 1+2 last so long is becos I drew my workout out so i try to do 2-3 exercises for each body part. For eg. :

Day 1: For biceps i will do: 1. Dumbell Curls
2. Pull-ups
And so on for all other body parts..

Please let me know if im overtraining or if you think im doing good.

I used to train those long routines with I was in my early twenties. I can't do them now because I'm in my early 40's. But back then I felt fine. I made good gains. My routien was almost the same as yours except day 3 was legs, then I took a day off then 3 on then 2 off. As long as you get enought carbs and protein and sleep, i think you're okay. If you feel bad and tired then you may be overdoing it. Everybody is different.

there is a myth in bodybuilding that says you have to train within an hour for it to be optimal, i can understand the science behind this method, the idea is training for longer than about an hour means you have to dig deep into your reserves ie. your body looks towards using the muscle protein as fuel, your natural anabolics also drop off at this point and you will become more catabolic than earlier in your workout....although on the flip side, if you are traning for strength, you should be more concerned about improving technique and form, hence the need for nueral strength training, or more frequency, also because of the amount of weight being shifted, longer rest periods between sets are required which will bump the session times up some.....

i think if you have been training that way for a number of years and feel you could or should have made more progress, then it might be worth trying to up your work rate and squeeze the essential work in to about an hour, remember if you really are training HIT style then you'll only be able to train this long before feeling fatigued, remember intensity builds muscle...

Your recovery will also dictate how long and how often you should train, i like to put a day between sessions to replenish what fuel i can, post-workout nutrition is also important, i consume a carb/protein drink straight after a session and it makes a huge difference long-term.....carbs are even more important if you are training for longer.

IMO 2hrs is a bit long unless you are using gear and live a bodybuilders life style, plus the genetics on top....for the average joe, its too much...I think you benefit more from sticking to the basics and training for less time, less often, remember your body needs to have somec type of de-loading every so often to keep making progress, hence periodization...

Give it a go i think you'll enjoy your time in the gym more, and if you can cover 2hrs work within an hour or so, your muscles will get bigger and your conditioning will have improved alot bro......Just a thought...

cheers guys thanks 4 the feedback. Probs will rethink my workout and draw something up thats more suitable, explosive and anabolic. cheers guys.

Bro, you need to feel your body and train according to its necessity.

Some times it is good to bring new moments in your training, like shortening the time you spend in gym and bringing more intensity.

Keep us updated in training routines forum.

if you train longer then 1.5hrs in the gym...I would sip on a protein/carb drink during the session (not a shake its to thick). listen to your body, if your body say keep going then keep going, if it says stop then stop.

Rex

If your workout lasts more than 50 mins. you are over training or if you last more than 50 mins. you are not training hard enough. IMO Good or bad Genetics does not have anything to do with how long you should work out. All of our muscles are made up of the same thing. Genetics will be the deciding factor on how far you can take your body. The key in training is intensity. If a person is working out with intensity there is not way that workout can last 2 hours.

Once again, IMO, one should do no more than 2 exercises per body part, and no more than 3 to 4 sets per exercise.

There are times when I get to the gym I see a guy working chest. I do my whole workout in 50 minutes and the same guy is still doing chest while I walk out of the gym. That is crazy, and the thing is the guy looks the same day in and day out. He is killing his muscles just like a marathon runner kills his and he see no progress. My philosophy is get to the gym, work your ass off for 50 minutes and go home to let your body grow. No more than 1 min rest in between sets, slow and controled reps, 2 to 3 seconds on the positive and negative. 3 to 4 sets per exercise and 2 exercises per body part.

I know there will be different opinions on this. I respect everyone's opinion and guys this is just my humble one. But, the more advanced you are the less time your workouts should take...Later....

PS. Bump to YAMAHA...good advise bro...