is being relaxed a bad thing?

[samsonov]

i find that my time in the gym now is really relaxed. most work outs last 2-3 hours. i lift more when i'm relaxed i don't run out of energy....... but sould i be getting my heart rate up for an hour rather than work at a slower pace for 2 hours. i usally do cardio at least three times a week for 20 mins.
my girlfriend is about 120 pounds i can usally throw her around like a rag doll. she loves it!! lifting at a higher heart rate would obviously make my stamina go up...... would it allow me to make good gains though??

 

[cwc73]

2-3 hours is ridiculous. I wonder how productive that is. Not knocking you though; you may be the next arnold. But dang, dont be in there so long as to you needed to put a bed up in the corner

 

[BiggT]

Honestly, it is more about what you're accomplishing, than how much time you spend in the gym. 3 hours sounds like you're doing too much dicking around, BUT, that may not be the case.

If you're doing a workout with bench presses to the upper-300's and then drop sets, cleans to the mid-300's, clean pulls to the low-400's and back squats to the upper-400s and then drop sets, then a 2.5 hour workout is perfectly normal.........if you're including strongman events or throwing and sprinting, then 3 hours is perfectly normal...........if you're doing a bodypart split like most gym-goers and talking to everyone, chatting on your cell, hitting on the girl at the desk, sampling shakes at the juice bar, networking in the sauna, and generally being a waste of space, then 3 hours is too long.

How do your workouts look? How are you gauging your progress? You mentioned your girlfriend likes the fact that you can throw her around, I sure hope you're not taking that to mean you're making progress and all your hard work in the gym is paying off, lol, as any adult male, even ones with some severe physical handicaps can throw around a 120lb girl with ease, lol.

 

[samsonov]

my work-out are usally really heavy. there about 1 1/2 too 2 hours of weight then light jogging after. i do rest alot after sets not excesive but........ don't take it wrong though i'm truly focus every min in there.
i heard that arnold did his work outs in the early years, non stop. he went from one to the other until he was done.
i'm not sure if it's worth going hard to lose form. or if the gains would be that much better if at all.