The One-Hour Gym Workout Plan

Here’s how you can make the most of 60 minutes at the gym.

A one-hour gym workout might sound extreme, but consider it a minimum amount of time for a well-rounded workout. In today’s fast-paced society, it’s easy to fall into the trap of quick fixes and shortcuts. But when it comes to fitness, there are no cheat codes. To truly transform your body and mind, you need to commit fully and immerse yourself in the challenge for a solid 60 minutes.

We get it, some days you barely have 10 minutes for lunch, so an hour of gym self-care might seem impossible. While short workouts are better than nothing, you shouldn’t solely rely on them. A one-hour workout plan gives you more benefits in a single sesh, plus you’ll start seeing results faster!

Here’s what you need to know about how much time to spend at the gym and how to get the most out of every minute here at PureGym.

Benefits of a One-Hour Workout

Need a little convincing that a one-hour full-body workout is the way to go? Consider these benefits of spending a full 60 minutes moving and shaking:

• Your calorie burn increases exponentially, so a one-hour full-body workout is more effective than two 30-minute full-body workouts.
• You’ll burn through more energy, helping you sleep better at night.
• A 60-minute workout contributes to weight loss and can help protect against diabetes, coronary diseases, and other chronic conditions.
• You can relieve more stress and enjoy the mental health benefits of exercise.
• You’ll have more time for a proper warm-up and cool-down while still getting enough “good” exercise.

This isn’t a complete list of benefits, but you get the idea. If you’re working out, you’re creating endorphins, burning calories, and building muscle. The longer you work out each day, the more you’re doing all of these things!

How Many Calories Can I Burn in One Hour at the Gym?

Calorie burn can vary from person to person, as well as the exercises you do. Walking at a snail’s pace on a treadmill won’t burn as many calories as, say, someone powerlifting 500 pounds.

Generally speaking though, you can expect to burn anywhere from 200 to 600 calories or more when you do a mix of weight lifting and cardio.

Some factors that impact calorie burn include:

• Your body weight
• The amount of weight you’re lifting
• Your exercise intensity
• How many rest periods you take and how long they are
• The parts of the body you’re targeting

Wearing a smartwatch with fitness features can help you track your calorie burn at the gym. You can tell it your height, body weight, and the exercises you’re doing. It will measure your heart rate and other signals to calculate an estimated number of calories burned per workout. This is a great way to figure out how hard and how long you should work out to reach your calorie goals.

Is One Hour Enough to Get Fit?

One hour? No. But one hour per day over the course of several weeks? Yes!

A one-hour full-body workout is more than enough to start seeing results within weeks. But again, this also depends on how you’re spending your time at the gym.

Make sure you have a well-structured workout plan so you can easily move from exercise to exercise and machine to machine. We’ll show you how with our ultimate one-hour full-body workout plan below.

What if I Don’t Have the Time?

Some exercise is always better than no exercise! If you can’t make time for a one-hour workout routine, just do something. But try to make it your goal to work out for an hour and keep working toward it.  You’ll see the benefits of working out faster. Plus, the longer you work out, the easier it becomes, and all those great results will keep you motivated to exercise.

The Ultimate One-Hour Full-Body Workout

We’ve taken some of the guesswork out of doing a one-hour workout plan. Do these in any order you wish (with the exception of the warm-up and cool-down, of course).

Warm-Up

Spend about five minutes or so stretching and warming up your muscles to do the heavy work. A few simple yet effective warm-up moves include:

• Jumping jacks
• High knees
• Arm circles
• Leg swings
• Neck rolls
• Shoulder rolls
• Hip rotations

Do a few reps of each, but watch the clock. You don’t want to spend too much time here.

We’ve allocated about 10 minutes for each of the next five sections, which each focus on a certain set of muscles.

Legs

To get the most bang for your buck, let’s focus on three leg exercises you can do for one minute each per leg, with a one-minute rest in between each exercise.

• Bulgarian split squat. You’ll need a bench for this one. Similar to a regular squat, place one leg behind you and elevated off the ground (toes on top of the bench). Bend your front knee into a squat, then straighten. Add some weights to the mix if you like an extra challenge.
• Lateral lunge twist. This starts as a basic forward lunge, but add a twist to the side once you lower your knee. Twist back to the front, then go back to a standing position. You can add a weight here if you want to push your limits.
• Single-leg Romanian deadlift. It sounds scarier than it really is. Start in an upright position, with one knee slightly bent and toe pointed. Lean forward using your straight leg for support and your slightly bent leg flying out behind you. Keep leaning until your back is almost parallel to the floor, then return to your starting position.

Remember to work each leg for a full minute each, with a one-minute rest in between. Bonus points: These leg exercises target more than just your legs!

Core

Give your legs a break and move into some core work. Do each of the following moves for 40 seconds, followed by a 20-second rest, then repeat each one:

• Leg Raises. Lying flat on the floor, lift your legs straight toward the ceiling while squeezing your abs.
• Russian twist. Sitting with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent, twist your body from side to side. Hold a weight for an extra challenge.
• Butterfly sit-ups. Place your soles together and legs fanned out in a butterfly position for this type of sit-up.
• Dead bugs. Lying on your back with your knees in a tabletop position and arms stretched toward the ceiling, lower one leg and the opposite arm. Return to the starting position, then switch sides.
• Side bends. Start in a side plank, then dip your hips toward the floor and back up.

Again, these moves work more than just your core!

Arms

Grab a set of dumbbells! Try these five arm exercises for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest.

• Bicep curls. Place a weight in each hand, drop your arms to the side, then curl up to where your hand is level with the shoulder, alternating sides.
• Overhead tricep extensions. Using one weight behind your head, lift and lower the weight like it’s a back scratcher.
• Lateral raises. Holding two weights, lift them straight out in front of you until they’re parallel with the floor, then lower.
• Hammer curls. Similar to bicep curls, but turn your wrists 90 degrees so the weights are perpendicular to the floor.
• Tricep dips. Use a chair to lower your body in a seated position toward the ground and back up.

Do this circuit again for a total of 10 minutes.

Glutes

Now is a great time to switch to the stair-climbing machine, which works most of the muscles in your body (especially the glutes!). Check out our top stair-climbing workouts to fill this 10-minute slot.

Cardio

Stick with the stair climber or hit the treadmill or elliptical to run out your last 10 minutes. You’re in the home stretch!

Cool-Down

Save about five minutes or so to bring your heart rate back to normal. This is the time for gentle stretching, slow movements, and feeling satisfied with all your hard work.