Is there such a thing as "too intense"?

nrheasley

I met with a nutrition student on my campus for nutrition counseling, and he said my workouts may be "too intense." Is there such a thing? My workouts are an hour a day, 3-6 days a week and typically include some sort of combination of:

30 min. circuit
30-45 min. jogging @ 5.0
15 min stairmaster
15-45 elliptical

He says I'm burning calories but they're coming from carbs and not fat. Is that a bad thing?? Thanks!

JoRocka

I met with a nutrition student on my campus for nutrition counseling, and he said my workouts may be "too intense." Is there such a thing? My workouts are an hour a day, 3-6 days a week and typically include some sort of combination of:

well there's your problem.

and secondly why so much cardio?

who cares about the intensiy- 6 days of that routine would make me want to eat a bullet or quiet working out all together.

It's not that it's to intense- it's there is no variety. That's the issue.

Yes you can over train- but it has to do with not getting enough rest between workouts and letting your body repair- most people rarely every train at a level that's to much through their actual workouts. If you are training till you feel like puking- then yeah- that's to much. but I only know a handful of people willing to push that hard.

You're fine- just make sure you include some form of strength/resistance training.

Cherimoose

He says I'm burning calories but they're coming from carbs and not fat. Is that a bad thing??

Not if your goal is fat loss, since either one can put you in a calorie deficit. Google "fat loss zone myth" for articles on that.

FraggleRockerFitnessLover

I feel the harder the better. I do 90-120 minute burns. 45-60 minutes of weights, then an hour of cardio (either stair master with leg kicks/lifts) or spin

explosivedonut

I met with a nutrition student on my campus for nutrition counseling, and he said my workouts may be "too intense." Is there such a thing? My workouts are an hour a day, 3-6 days a week and typically include some sort of combination of:

30 min. circuit
30-45 min. jogging @ 5.0
15 min stairmaster
15-45 elliptical

He says I'm burning calories but they're coming from carbs and not fat. Is that a bad thing?? Thanks!

Dude doesn't know what he is talking about. Though that's a a lot of cardio for my taste, it's not too much. Two hours a day is a lot, but you probably aren't overtraining.

Also, I wish I knew about these magical exercises that burn calories from fat! Must be like targeted fat loss, a totally real thing that people who totally aren't scam artists try and sell you.

scraver2003

I feel the harder the better. I do 90-120 minute burns. 45-60 minutes of weights, then an hour of cardio (either stair master with leg kicks/lifts) or spin

You do four hours a day??

kristinegift

I think that sounds like a good routine, if you're doing different parts of it every day! I don't know what your circuit is, but if there's some strength training in there, I think you'd be good to go. There was one summer that I was doing a Jillian Michael's DVD and then running/biking for 30-60 minutes afterwards, and I thought that was a really good, whole-body, diverse burn. So this looks like a great workout plan to me, as long as you're eating enough, eating right and feeling good!

wonderbeard101

Is he possibly talking about glycogen depletion? If so, the majority of that should be burnt during strength training. After that, your body has to switch to a fat-sourced fuel (Triglycerides or ketones, can't remember which).

Otherwise "...burning calories but they're coming from carbs and not fat," doesn't make a ton of sense.

nrheasley

No, I'm not doing those exact amounts EVERY day. I only have an hour a day to work out. Those are just my usual activities I do when I work out and the average that I do them. I wish I had that much free time on my hands!

I'm aware that my routine needs strength training. I'm working on getting set up with a personal trainer. In the meantime, I've been sticking to cardio because 1) I'm afraid to NOT do cardio and burn fewer calories and 2) I lack knowledge about strength training. If anyone had advice on strength training sessions for beginners, I'd appreciate it!

nrheasley

I didn't get it either!

jwdieter

geebusuk

I believe it's a common misconception that you won't burn fat when not in the 'fat burning' heart rate zone.
From what I've read you will burn the same amount of fat AND carbs ontop of that.

However, more; if you burn carbs now, there will be less for later, meaning your body will have to turn to fat.

Calories in vs calories out .

I would do cardio either a) to improve cardiovascular health or b) so I can eat more.
For weight loss, you can generally not do it and just eat less instead.

elusive_design

Don't meet with students for advice, especially medical advice. It's a terrible idea and you will end up with wrong advice. Pay for a certified nutritionist if your insurance doesn't cover it already.

nrheasley

Don't meet with students for advice, especially medical advice. It's a terrible idea and you will end up with wrong advice. Pay for a certified nutritionist if your insurance doesn't cover it already.

I would, but I don't have insurance. Since I'm in college, I don't have money either. I can get some free services by working with graduate students such as counseling, nutrition counseling, personal training, etc. It's not ideal, but it's the best I've got right now.

bc2ct

Yes there is such a thing as too intense. No, you aren't anywhere near it.

krawhitham

If you can do it, I say that sounds great. But I'm not a nutrition expert

When I was in my early 20's I was doing 3 hour long workouts with the track team...

Now that I'm in my early 30's 40 minutes of exercise is pretty much my max. I've pushed myself to do a 60 minute workout, but it totally exhausts me and I can't function for the rest of the day. I say do it while you can!

Deipneus

Don't meet with students for advice, especially medical advice. It's a terrible idea and you will end up with wrong advice. Pay for a certified nutritionist if your insurance doesn't cover it already.

Exactly. And I would add that a dietician has actual qualifications and licensing requirements. I'm sad that people rely on random online strangers and blogs and books of unknown origin for advice. And no, I'm not a dietician nor am i selling anything.

whitebalance

I'm aware that my routine needs strength training. I'm working on getting set up with a personal trainer. In the meantime, I've been sticking to cardio because 1) I'm afraid to NOT do cardio and burn fewer calories and 2) I lack knowledge about strength training. If anyone had advice on strength training sessions for beginners, I'd appreciate it!

Books
Starting Strength (great detail on form for the major compound lifts, simple program, aggressive approach to adding plates)
New Rules of Lifting for Women (more complex, but includes nutrition information you may find useful)
Strong Curves (more emphasis on accessory moves than compound lifts, I think)

Online
All Pro's Simple Beginner's Routine (I'm doing this now and I think it's very good for setting form before piling on the weight)
http://simplebeginnersroutine.com/

Graelwyn75

Does not sound too intense to me. I regularly do 2 hour bike rides, with a lot of hills, and on other days, 2 hour sessions at the gym, involving an hour of elliptical/running and an hour of weights. Outside that I do a lot of walking. And soon will be doing boxing again too.

gmallan

I feel the harder the better. I do 90-120 minute burns. 45-60 minutes of weights, then an hour of cardio (either stair master with leg kicks/lifts) or spin

Honestly if you're capable of doing an hour of cardio after your weights workout you're probably not working hard enough in either or both of the componants

gmallan

He says I'm burning calories but they're coming from carbs and not fat. Is that a bad thing?? Thanks!

You'll burn a lower percentage of calories from fat at a higher intensity (heart rate) and a higher percentage of your calories from carbs (glycogen). Your main concern for fat or weight loss should be the overall calorie burn and, a higher intensity workout will always burn more total calories in the same time than a lower one.