Question 1

How long should a workout session take?

Accepted Answer

For most people, 45-75 minutes is the sweet spot. Beyond 90 minutes, you're either resting too long, doing too much volume, or your training intensity is too low. Compound-focused sessions (squat, deadlift, bench) tend to be shorter because the exercises take more out of you. Isolation-heavy sessions can run longer. If you're consistently hitting 2+ hours, you're almost certainly resting too long between sets, try timing your rest periods.

Question 2

Should I do cardio before or after lifting?

Accepted Answer

After. If your primary goal involves resistance training (building muscle, getting stronger, fat loss through body recomposition), lift first. Cardio causes temporary fatigue that reduces strength performance by 5-10% if done immediately before lifting. The reverse is less true, lifting first has minimal impact on subsequent moderate cardio. Exception: if you're training specifically for a cardiovascular event (marathon, cycling race), prioritise that first.

Question 3

Is muscle soreness a sign of a good workout?

Accepted Answer

No. Soreness indicates unfamiliar mechanical stress to muscle tissue, not growth stimulus. You can train very effectively with minimal soreness (especially as you become more experienced), and you can have significant soreness from a session that produced little growth. The best indicator of effective training is whether your performance is improving over time. Chasing soreness by constantly changing exercises is counterproductive.

Question 4

Can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is called body recomposition. It's most effective for beginners (the first 6-12 months of consistent training), people returning after a break, and anyone with a relatively higher body fat percentage (above ~20% for men, 28% for women). For advanced athletes, deliberately prioritising either a bulk or cut phase produces faster progress. In all cases, high protein intake (0.8-1g per lb) and consistent resistance training are required for recomposition to occur.

Question 5

How important is warming up?

Accepted Answer

Very important for heavy compound lifts. Skip static stretching before training, it reduces power output. Instead: 5 minutes of light cardio, then movement-specific warm-up sets. For bench press: 2 sets of 10 at 50% working weight, then 1 set of 3 at 75%, then your working sets. This significantly reduces injury risk and improves performance on your working sets. For isolation exercises after compounds, you can often go straight to working weight.

Workout Library