How Long Should My Workout Be?

I see all these fitness "celebs" and "insta-trainers" posting about how often they are at the gym and BRAGGING about doing hours of cardio and lifting for 2+ hours. Why?

I have three theories:
1- they want to intimidate the non-lifters into thinking you need to spend hours at the gym and the only way to do that is you spend money and buy their programs
2- they are uneducated and think they have to work out that long to see results. don't get me wrong, you will see results doing this but there are much more time effective ways to workout
3- their coach/trainer is uneducated and has them on this "program"

I am in no way bashing anyone's methods- you do what works for you but just make sure you have all the facts before you start paying rent on an elliptical

What is an ideal weight lifting time? 45 minutes

Males and females: your testosterone levels will peak at 45 minutes (yes ladies, we have test levels too). At the 45 minute mark- you will have reached your maximum growth. Anabolic activity also peaks at this time as does muscle glycogen. Your muscles can only expand and stay expanded for so long before they start to deflate.

This doesn't mean working out for 45 minutes. This INCLUDES all the time spent dilly dallying around the gym, taking swelfies, etc. It's 45 minutes from the time you pick up your first dumbbell. That is why it's so important to have a PLAN when you go into the gym because you are a time crunch if you care about actually getting all the benefits from your weight training session.

After 45 minutes, your body will start releasing less and less testosterone and your body will go into a catabolic state after 60-90 minutes AKA your body needs fuel since you're dicking around and lifting way longer than you should. So- your body will resort to what it needs and it will start to consume your muscle. Not pretty. That's why you probably see people in the gym all the time who never look like they have made progress (could be their diet too but that's none of my business).

What about cardio? In an ideal state, cardio should be done at a separate time than your weight training. Simple as that. If you can't make your health a priority and you need to do in the same split, lift for 30 minutes and do cardio for 25-30 minutes.

As always, make sure you eat within 30 minutes after you lift so you don't go catabolic.

If you need help, rates are below in an earlier post. My email is sarahbakian@gmail.com

Improvement Season- One Month In

So it's been one month since my last show ended and I entered "improvement" season. I'm lifting heavier than I ever have in my life and I actually enjoy going to the gym again. I also am eating almost double what I was when I was leaning out for competitions. The added food is definitely feeding my muscles in the best way possible.

The biggest struggle has been the lack of cardio. I am trying to limit myself to 2 spin classes per week to prevent my muscles from breaking down and in order to continue to see gains. I miss my cardio sweat sessions but I love that my jeans don't fit over my butt anymore and that my shoulders and abs are really becoming stronger and more defined.

Keep on keepin' on

I'm posting some accountability pictures too

Grateful. Humbled.

This past weekend, Chelsea, Jeremy, and I traveled to Cleveland to watch an NPC show and to attend a fitness expo.

Roadtrip?!?!?! Yes please.

Upon arrival, the FIRST person Chelsea and I spotted, with her back to us, was Jessica Paxson. Our idol. A goddess in every sense of the word.

Chelsea and I first met Jessica at the Arnold when we were sitting in front of her family and fiance. We were in utter disbelief as she stood inches away from us, talking to her family about her suit, hair, make up, etc.

Jessica is currently on the cover of Oxygen. Her and her fiance, Blair, own a gym. AND they live in Ohio.

Having the chance to see Jessica again was incredible. Having her talk to us for 20 minutes about contest prep was literally priceless. She is the most down to earth, incredible, gorgeous woman on this planet. Words cannot describe how motivating it was to get to talk to her at the expo.

Samples.Samples.Samples. We were all in a protein overload when we left the expo to go into pre-judging. The experience helped so much for Chelsea and me in terms of posing and stage presence.

When we got back to Toledo from the show, we started posing practice. Despite feeling like water buffalo from all the protein, we definitely made progress.

To finish up the incredible day, we went to get sushi with a bunch of our friends at Sakura. Vegetarian rolls and dishes are prettier than any meat dish, in my opinion :)

In all, it was an incredible weekend and definitely has gotten me more excited to be on stage in 32 days!