Dr. Mike introduces the topic of workout duration, including upper and lower limits for various exercise goals.

• Dr. Mike will discuss optimal workout durations for strength, hypertrophy, fat loss cardio, sports cardio, and sport practice.
• He will cover what defines a workout as too long or too short.
• The discussion will include theoretical perspectives and practical advice.

Theoretical maximum workout durations are outlined for different training modalities.

• For strength training, the theoretical maximum is until performance falls below the strength intensity threshold (below 75% 1RM).
• Hypertrophy training can theoretically continue until target muscles are no longer the limiting factor in the workout.
• Fat loss cardio's theoretical end point is when the stimulus-to-fatigue ratio becomes too low for efficient calorie burning.
• For sports cardio, the end point is when performance can't maintain the desired pace or intensity.
• Sport practice should end when technique is no longer crisp due to fatigue.

Practical limits for strength training are discussed, including total work sets and total workout time.

• Realistic upper limit for strength workouts is between 10 to 20 total work sets to avoid excessive fatigue.
• Strength workouts should generally not exceed two hours for efficiency and recovery purposes.
• Over two hours of training per session could indicate inefficient training or unnecessary volume.

Limits for hypertrophy workouts are provided, focusing on muscle targeting and systemic fatigue.

• Hypertrophy training should stop when systemic fatigue overwhelms local muscle fatigue, affecting workout quality.
• Workouts should ideally not exceed two hours to prevent the accumulation of 'junk volume'.
• Training beyond two hours may indicate a need for splitting the workout into additional sessions.

Fat loss cardio duration limits are based on maintaining an effective stimulus-to-fatigue ratio.

• As fatigue increases, the benefit of continued cardio diminishes due to the rising cost in fatigue.
• Sessions typically should not exceed one hour to minimize fatigue and maintain the quality of subsequent sessions.
• Splitting total weekly cardio into more frequent, shorter sessions may be more beneficial than fewer, longer sessions.

Sports cardio training duration should align with target paces and intensities for specific sports goals.

• Endurance sports training should end when the athlete can no longer maintain the target pace.
• There is no skeptical cutoff for sports cardio as training can vary greatly depending on the sport and athlete's level.
• If pace cannot be maintained, it indicates a need for rest and recovery before the next session.

Sport practice should end when fatigue leads to a decline in technique quality, impacting skill development.

• Persistent technical mistakes due to fatigue suggest the need to cut the session short.
• Subjective feelings of tiredness combined with deteriorating technique are a clear indicator to end practice.
• Quality of practice is crucial; overtraining with bad technique can lead to skill regression.