How Long should your workout be?

Well, my question will always be, what is your goal? What are you willing to change in your life to achieve said goal, and can you handle what change this may bring to your daily/weekly ritual to accomplish this. Everything is a balance and we need to find what works for us.

How many days per week should you work out?

The time devoted to doing cardio, weight lifting, or body weight workouts, should be designed around your goals. If you are looking to build muscle and strength specifically, spend 45 minutes 3-4 days per week lifting weights and doing bodyweight drills that push yourself to fatigue on your last sets. Complete this type of training before your cardio work to ensure you are using your energy stores efficiently.

How long should you rest between workouts?

If you are looking for more cardio vascular endurance, say if you are competing in a triathlon, running a race, or just enjoy cardio more, spend 3-4 days per week on cardiovascular exercises that are more specific to your competition or what you like. There is no magic bullet. One thing that is important however if you want to progress is finding your baselines with any exercise program you start, this will allow you to increase the intensity, duration, type, or time of a workout progressively in order to see adaptation. A general guideline is to not exceed 5-10% increases in any given exercise week over week. The goal of your program is not to base progress or success on soreness. If you are new to training, give yourself 24-48 hours between moderately intense sessions and continuing moving on your off days. Recovery can be anything from long walks, bike rides, to sauna, and cold plunge activities. In the end solidify what you are trying to accomplish and listen to how your body responds to the demands you impose.