Over-exercising ?

Jett_05

I just got my first gym membership and I love it. I've always been a fairly active and so I enjoy having a new way to exercise. My current routine in heavy on the cardio but I'm slowly working more strength building in as I get acquainted with the equipment. I've been doing:
20 min - Recumbent bike to warm up on varying degrees of resistance
30 min - Eliptical with varying degrees of resistance
15 min - Strength
30 min - Stationary bike
10 min - Strength
15-30 min - Yoga
15 min - Swim laps
15 min - Sauna

....So I've been doing about 3 hours a day. I've also been doing this 7 days straight. I feel sore afterwords (it typically passes in 5 hours) but pleasant and energized. While I have never had a gym membership...in the past I have been very active. I use to do ballet in middle school through high school and post high school I lived on a mountain in a tent for a year and a half where I climbed daily. I know on paper it looks like too much but I've been really pleased with the benefits.

My question: Is this really too much exercising if I'm not seeming to experience any ill effects?

MsDrJuris

I think you are, and I absolutely love the gym. Working out that much without a break is going to result in burnout or an injury quickly, and you're going to start eating into your lean muscle mass with that much cardio.

Jett_05

I'm still quite big at the moment because I've had a 2 year hiatus of inactivity (Thanks school!). I'm at about 167lbs (5'6). I've lost 2.5 lbs this week which I know is a tad high but it's also very rewarding. I always wonder if it's slightly dependent on previous activity level. When I was in high school I trained 4 hours a day 6 days a week for ballet.

Jett_05

Perhaps doing a 3 hour workout 3 days a week and 3 days a week doing a light work out (Mostly swimming laps and yoga for 1 1/2 hours) ?

sugaree1202

I've wondered the same about current activity level being based on previous too. I haven't done a lot of activity the past 3 years due to an injury followed by re-injury a year later - both not while working out - and currently do 60-90 minutes between strength and cardio and don't like taking a day off either. I want to get back to my pre-injury body! Before my injury, I skiied or snowboarded daily, sometimes for 8 hours at a time during the winters (I was an instructor) and would hike or swim laps daily during the rest of the year. I loved swimming laps and would do it everyday too if I still had access to a lap pool

That being said, it's best to take a day off each week. Try 3 heavy days and 3 light days like you posted. Maybe hike or do another outdoor activity on one of your light days to get out of the gym.

MsDrJuris

Personally, I think three hours of exercise is simply too much, particularly given the fact that you're not just resting between sets, but cramming tons of stuff in that workout. Aim for an hour to an hour and a half in the gym about five times a week, and be sure to focus on strength training just as much, if not more, than cardio.

BeachIron

Whether it's really too much depends on your conditioning level but 3 hours a day, 7 days a week is an high amount. There is quite a bit of variation among people, but personally I find something around 4-6 hours a week of strength training (split among 4 days), and about 2 to 3 hours of cardio a week is enough for me. I've done more cardio and may build back up again but it's not necessary for weight loss and body recomposition. Frankly, cardio isn't required for either of those at all, but it does improve your cardiovascular health and allows you to eat a bit more. Don't be afraid to take rest days.

MsEndomorph

2 concerns: You aren't giving your muscles time to rebuild and large amounts of cardio are going to eat any lean muscle you already have. So you'll probably lose weight, but you may not like what you look like when you get there.

I honestly don't see a problem with working out 7 days a week, but if you want to reach a real goal, there needs to be a method to your madness, not just doing things "because." There is a reason why we rest, and it's not necessarily because we love being sedentary and hate the gym.