How much exercise is too much????

kelia21

Quick question, lately I've been pushing myself to work out at least an hour a day....today my body put up a fight that I don't know how to deal with which makes me ask, how much exercise is too much? Do you think I should go 3 days rest a day, every other day, or what has been good for you through your fitness journey?

fatgirlslove

I def only exercise 4 maybe 5 days a week...rest is important!

ninerbuff

Quick question, lately I've been pushing myself to work out at least an hour a day....today my body put up a fight that I don't know how to deal with which makes me ask, how much exercise is too much? Do you think I should go 3 days rest a day, every other day, or what has been good for you through your fitness journey?

Too much is when you can't recover from the previous workout, get bored with the routine, dread going every single time, can't get any rest.

rharris86dc

Definitely throw a few rest days in there!

Nerdy_Rose

An instructor at my gym told me to rest from working out 2 days per week. Sometimes I only rest one :-)
If your body is protesting, take a day off.

Rule #1: Always listen to your body. No one else knows it the way you do.

JENIFER_AZ

I exercise 6 days a week, with a day of active rest but that works for me. Everyone is different. I would work out a day, do a day of active rest and so on and so forth....see if your body does better that way.

fteale

I exercise a lot during term time, less in the holidays. I had one week where I did an hour hard exercise a day 6 days in a row and on day 6 crashed, and was really quite ill for a couple of days until my body recovered. I can do 6 days a week, but not of boot camp, only if three of those are running days, and then not too far, no more than 45 mins.

dragonbug300

Take a rest day when you need one. Shanni27 is absolutely right: your body knows best.

Just a thought: I often walk around at a leisurely pace (3-4mph for me) on my rest days. It's a low-impact exercise that doesn't exhaust me in the least. If you want that extra calorie burn, you could just do a leisurely activity instead of pushing to your max.

MagicandCastles

I aim to exercise 4 days a week but I really do about 5 or 6. I do half an hour most of the time but one day a week I go all out and go for as long as I feel like. In the past i've found that overdoing it leads to me quitting exercise altogether after a few weeks because of all the time it takes out my day, to take an hours exercise I really needed 2 hours when you add on getting ready, exercising, showering and a little recovery time.

I have 2 days off every week but I don't plan them. I can't plan when my lazy gene will kick in so two days a week I bow to it and if it wants any more I fight it off!

robersonj

I do 30 minutes on the elliptical and a strength training video 3 times a week, then part of the C25K program and a cardio video 3 times a week, and on that last day of the week I do a light cardio day. I'm not doing a full out work out. I might go for a walk outside, do a slower walk on the treadmill, or any other type of "light" exercise. I guess some people would consider that a sort of rest day. I will take a whole day off if I feel like my body just needs it (I will be anxious, moody, exhausted, etc.), and I won't do anything at all on that day. I want to see results quicker, so I'm pushing myself a little more than I normally would, but I won't risk complete exhaustion, either.

I started watching Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, and when I saw those people (who are morbidly obese) were exercising 4 hours a day, I pushed myself a little more! I figured if they can do it, I can do it.

kwest_4_fitness

I exercise every day, but it's never the same workout or even the same type. Last week, all I did was walk because I was a bit on the tired side. This week, it's stationary bike and strength training combos with walks for 5 days and just walking with a bike ride likely tossed in on the remaining two days.

kandrews24

I had a day like that, I pushed through it, and then was where you are at. In retrospect, my muscles had not recovered (and I was tired). It wasn't a pleasant experience and (again in retrospect), I could have gone either way = taken that day off or worked through the discomfort.

In my case, I typically swim. Swimming (and a lot of cardio) is something you can do everyday (but you can run into walls like I did that day).

Another idea I have is to just mix it up. So if I'm hitting a wall swimming, then go for a walk. It is great to mix up your exercise for lots of reasons, among them, not overworking the same joints and muscles.

Nothing wrong with taking a day of here and there (or even weekly), but it depends upon your goals and the exercise that you do.

Strength training is different. If you do a decent weight lifting workout, you really need to rest those muscles, which is why some folks do upper body one day, lower body the next, etc.

Stretching/yoga, etc., you can certainly to that everday!

Hope this helps.

trijoe

This is a relative question. One person's crushing workout is another person's recovery day. It's all what you're used to. I've read in multiple sources in multiple ways, working out doesn't make you stronger - it's the healing afterward that makes you stronger. Your body needs R&R time to recover from the damages you've caused it by working out. This can mean resting 1-2 days a week, but it can also mean working hard for a week or two, then taking an easier week before working hard again.

On a good note, as you rest and recover from your more difficult 1 hour workout sessions, you should become stronger to where those workouts aren't so difficult anymore. This takes time, but it definitely works.

But, yes, if your body's telling you it's had enough, it's had enough. Give it a day off, and let it recover. You'll be glad you did. Also, if you DON'T take time off for recovery? You could be risking a repetetive use injury. And that'll sideline you a lot longer than one day.

pinkgigi

Lots of fantastic advice here. I work out 6 days a week, but I vary the workouts, cycling, gym, running, yoga. It depends on what you are used to. It is common for people who are new to exercise to go from nothing to every day, and then they get injured/sick/overtired because they didn't work up gradually to it.

People often say 'listen to your body', but a lot of people, me included got fat listening to their bodies when they say 'stay in bed'.

GG

flutatious1

my trainer said one day of rest....
My problem is that I find that if I miss a day, the following day is really tough to get motivated to get to the gym. :grumble: