How often do you weight train and for how long?

[BohemianFit]

I've been a cardio + weights girl for most of my life but I'm currently dealing with an injury (plantar faciitis) that's preventing me from my typical 25-30 minutes per workout of treadmill time. I'm looking to increase my weight training but previously only did between 15-20 minutes, 3X per week. 

For what it's worth, I'm a 5'8" female around 170 lbs. How often does everyone weight train per week, for how long, and how do you break it up? Do you do a single muscle group more than once a week? I'm mostly looking to lean out. 

[WorkoutMIKE]

Hello, I workout with free weights and some machines 6 days a week, however right now  i'm recovering from rotator cuff and a bicept tender tear surgery.  For now the only thing I can do is lower body. Most days i train for 2 hours working 2 muscle groups.

[SunsetRunner]

I weight train the full body 1- 2 times a week for 1 hour.  Other days it's all cardio.     

[MustangMark]

6 mornings a week; alternating days with free weights on one day then machines the next.  Then after work I do cardio.

[MeadeRubenstein]

The best way to start is with a plan - either find a trainer at the gym or by the book New Rules of Lifting (there's one specific for women).  I've been lifting for some time and on avg. I spend 45 minutes to an hour 3 times a week - in that time you can do A LOT of lifting - 5 sets of 5 reps of squats, overhead or bench press, dead lifts, rows or chinups.......not including the warm ups to get to each exercise.

#1 - get the book or a trainer that really knows strength training

#2 - watch videos on youtube (there's enough good ones)

#3 - look at bodybuilding dot com for some inspiration

#4 - go heavier on the weights tha you think you should (anything less than 1/2 your weight isn't worth lifting as your main work sets)

[KlutzyK]

I run for 30-40 minutes M-F in the mornings.  I then do 30-40 minutes of strength training in the afternoons.  I alternate days between upper and lower body, and take the weekend "off".  (although, I'll take the dog to the park or play tennis with the kids so it's never completely off)

However, I've also worked out six days/week and alternated days between running and total body strength training - usually each workout was 45-60 minutes.

Check out Oxygen Magazine.  They are a great resource for women who strength train.  Bodybuilding.com is an excellent free resource for strength plans.  I've used the "how to" section heavily, as they have videos on how to properly perform exercises, plus a list of "alternative" exercises that target the same body part in case you have an issue with a particular move (personally, I hate deadlifts so I found other exercises through BB.com).

[SunsetRunner]

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@MeadeRubenstein wrote:

The best way to start is with a plan - either find a trainer at the gym or by the book New Rules of Lifting (there's one specific for women).  I've been lifting for some time and on avg. I spend 45 minutes to an hour 3 times a week - in that time you can do A LOT of lifting - 5 sets of 5 reps of squats, overhead or bench press, dead lifts, rows or chinups.......not including the warm ups to get to each exercise.

#1 - get the book or a trainer that really knows strength training

#2 - watch videos on youtube (there's enough good ones)

#3 - look at bodybuilding dot com for some inspiration

#4 - go heavier on the weights tha you think you should (anything less than 1/2 your weight isn't worth lifting as your main work sets)

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That's all it take 45 minutes to 1 hour to get excellent results.  When I was younger I focused more on weight lifting than cardio.  Now that I'm older I focus more on cardio. I think running has had a greater impact on building my upper body than lifting weights.  And I think it's the amount of water I drink daily that's making me look more ripped.   

[emili]

@BohemianFit- its really difficult to answer your question because everyone's tolerance, composition and goals are different. I will tell you that most trainers ask that you give your muscles a chance to repair for longer than overnight. If you work out everyday then you may consider grouping muscles by day- arm day, leg day, etc. I don't think you should lift for longer than 45 minutes. The gasses are going to really build up and you will stop enjoying the "burn" which may prevent you from coming back or working out with enough intensity to make a difference. You also need to decide if you want to lift heavy or lift long. I would urge you to research the differences and decide what will work for you based on your goal.