Minimum Dose Resistance Training: Building Muscle with Less Gym Time

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Minimum Dose Resistance Training: Building Muscle with Less Gym Time
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An exercise physiologist debunks the myth that hours in the gym are necessary for resistance training, promoting the idea of a minimum dose approach for effective muscle building. Studies show real gains can be made with as little as one or two quick workouts a week, focusing on multi-joint exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Exercise physiologistsays often when he talks to people about resistance training they seem to think they'd need hours in the gym to get results, working through rows of machines targeting each muscle.

"They're like 'my God, I'm going to be in there for an hour and a half or longer," says Behm, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.and learn how to start a muscle-building routine, no matter what shape you're in. The reality is much different, and it's why Behm and others in his field have started promoting the idea of a minimum dose — as in how little you can get away with and still make meaningful progress. "We're thinking about the person who is resistance-training averse," he says."They really don't want to be in there very long." The evidence shows you can make real gains in strength and muscle with as little as one or two quick workouts a week — depending on the approach, you might be able to get away with as little as a half hour in the gym .These are efficient movements that recruit one or more major muscle groups simultaneously. Some examples are the squat, deadlift, bench press, row and overhead press, or alternatives that can be done on machines.from studies on resistance training and concluded that a beginner could start with one workout a week for the first three months. This kind of routine would incorporate a handful of multi-joint exercises, doing one set of about 6 to 15 reps for each movement."After that, if you have more time and want to get better, then work out twice a week, or move to two sets," he says. Research does show a dose-response relationship between how many sets you do and muscle growth, meaning doing more can give you better results., a professor of exercise science at Lehman College in the Bronx."You see the biggest increase in the first few sets, and then you see it leveling off." While a minimalist strategy won't necessarily deliver maximum strength or muscle, Schoenfeld says you can make"very good gains" and see measurable health benefits with an hour to an hour and a half a week of training., he suggests aiming for two separate workouts — each about 30-45 minutes — and a total of 4 to 6 sets per muscle group over the course of the week.But for any minimalist approach to be effective in the long run, the research shows you do need to push yourself hard while training, says"Effort is probably the more important determinant," he says."It should feel like it's hard work to actually try and move that weight." In resistance training, effort is usually measured by how close you are to failure, meaning the point where your muscles are so taxed they stall out and you have to stop and rest.to get results, but you should be within a few reps or so., Steele collected close to seven years of data from nearly 15,000 people.Their workout regimen? A handful of exercises performed on machines just once a week for about 20 minutes. The typical participant got anywhere from 30% to 50% stronger in the first year and those gains were maintained or slightly improved upon throughout the study. The bottom line, says Steele, is that you don't need to spend hours working out, but you do need to be regular. "Pick a program that you enjoy, do it consistently. You still need to train hard. You can't avoid it," he says."But other than that, you have a lot of freedom."

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