HOW MUCH EXERCISE IS TOO MUCH?

kangaroo33

I'm fairly educated in the area of health/nutrition and fitness/exercise, but have been dealing with conflicting discussions and theories about what to do, when to do it and for how long. So how long or how much is too much? How much time should a person really exercise per day, as far as weight training and/or cardio on machines like bikes, ellipticals, arc trainers and body weight/core workouts?

What's your opinion and/or expertise? Would like to hear what others think/know about this.

ninerbuff

First off, it depends on what your goal is. If it's to be a marathon runner, then duration for training will be much longer than that of someone who just wants to tone up their muscles a bit.
Same with someone trying to put on muscle. Their program would differ from someone who is just trying to get fitter.

So how much exercise is too much? The only REAL time it's too much is when RHABDOMYOLYSIS happens.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

BuoyantSoul

It's different for everyone. It depends on what you're trying to achieve - weight loss, muscle-building, strength, speed, flexibility, general fitness, training for a specific sport, physical therapy, whatever. How long you work out and what kind of exercise you do is REALLY going to depend on what you want to achieve.

The best thing to do is get with a personal trainer who can design a program specifically tailored to your needs and your fitness level, and it can be modified depending on your results. I think a lot of people either leap in the deep end too quickly or don't work out in a productive way. An expert can really assess what you're doing and help you achieve your goals.

Plus if you have any physical limitations you really need to be able to work with those properly. After my knee injury I had a sports physical therapist work with me to design modifications to my workouts that would strengthen my knees without putting stress on them, but that would still be high-intensity and enable me to do the moves I needed to do (I study kung fu). If I hadn't had that guidance I probably would have injured myself again or not recovered properly. It was really enlightening to discover that for much of my life I'd been working out "wrong" (for my body, that is).

In my experience most people don't take enough rest time and push themselves too hard under the mistaken impression that the harder/longer you work out, the more results you get. In fact, rest is an important part of building muscle and becoming fit, and not taking that time is actually counter-productive. After a while you just start to feel fatigued and stop seeing results. Most people push themselves harder at that point but in fact, rest is what is needed. More is not always better.

I'm not an expert, just been a fitness enthusiast for most of my life, picked up a few things along the way.

kdeaux1959

When it gets in the way of life itself. If you enjoy it, do it. If not, then 20-30 minutes of cardio 3-4x per week and Strength training at about 45 minutes 3-4 times per week should be about optimum. Remember, some muscular/fit people NEVER exercise. Why? Because they work.. And they work 8-10 hours per day for about 5 days per week. As with all things, there is a LOT of bro-science and a lot of program science to back up any theory. It is not that hard... Eat less, move more for weight loss.. Eat more and do more for muscle gain.

xsmilexforxmex

Most doctors recommend a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

I've read reports saying even as much as 10 minutes of HIIT can do wonders. I've also read reports that anything over 30-60 minutes is just calorie burning/does nothing substancial for health.

Personally, I make my plan and try to be done within 60-90 minutes depending on how much rest I'm taking. If I'm not feeling up to it, there have been times I've left after 15 minutes.. I work out 3-6 times a week, just depends on my work schedule. Always try to take at least 1 rest day.

Shropshire1959

Lazy people will ask you "What is exercise?" and Elite athletes will ask you what a sofa is..

So .... somewhere in the between those 2 extremes is a place that is right for you

Jess732008

lol, I have read that you can't really do too much, but that 7 hours a week is really good to lower your likelihood of heart disease.

abadvat

Too much exercising???
As long as you fuel your body properly and rest well "too much exercising" will not be an issue!

kangaroo33

So here's why I can't post these questions....I forget to go back and check....just too busy working and/or working out. Sorry, that was a question from April and it's now July...YIKES! Oh well, thanks for the responses. All good points.

Loralrose

What counts as "too much"? The point where you get injuries? Enough that you stop seeing improvements? Enough that you have no time for hobbies? Everybody will have their own definition.

The most I ever exercised was back in high school. I was on the cross country team, got around on a bicycle, and my hobbies were dance and martial arts. A typical day was biking 20+ miles, a 90 minute running workout (hill repeats, long jogs, etc), and 2 hours of intense dance or karate practice. I never had problems with injuries or anything like that, but I did notice that I wasn't seeing much athletic improvement - probably from overtraining. BUT it wasn't "too much" for me. Why? Because I was exercising for the joy of it, not for improvements. Had I not enjoyed the workouts it would definitely have been too much.