exercise and fitness buffs, help :-)

teagin2002

There is a trainer at my gym, LA Fitness, who has been trying to get me to train with her for some time now. She looked at my diary today and said I am doing too much cardio and hurting my muscles more than helping them.
My hubby thinks I am doing well and that she is just rying to get more money off me because I am health conscious.
I go to the gym 6 days a week 2.5hrs /day.
My routine is as follows:
Mondays:
45 min lifting weights for legs, thighs and buttocks
60 min stationary bike max tension 5 and max speed 90 revolutions. I mix it up, every 5 to 10 min I increase the tension and change up my speed till I reach tension 5, then I do the same just decreasing the tension.
25 min calisthenics, sit up, push up, leg lifts, squats, lunges.

Tuesdays:
30 min treadmill max speed 4, max incline 2. I use the terrain setting, so its mixed.
45 - 60 min stationary bike max tension 5 and max speed 90 revolutions. I mix it up, every 5 to 10 min I increase the tension and change up my speed till I reach tension 5, then I do the same just decreasing the tension.
25 min calisthenics, sit up, push up, leg lifts, squats, lunges
60 min Zumba group class with instructor

Wednesdays:
45 min lifting weights for arms, chest and shoulders
45 - 60 min stationary bike max tension 5 and max speed 90 revolutions. I mix it up, every 5 to 10 min I increase the tension and change up my speed till I reach tension 5, then I do the same just decreasing the tension.
25 min calisthenics, sit up, push up, leg lifts, squats, lunges.
if you read my diary you will find an extra 30 min treadmill, I just felt like it.

Thursday:
30 min treadmill max speed 4, max incline 2. I use the terrain setting, so its mixed.
45 - 60 min stationary bike max tension 5 and max speed 90 revolutions. I mix it up, every 5 to 10 min I increase the tension and change up my speed till I reach tension 5, then I do the same just decreasing the tension.
25 min calisthenics, sit up, push up, leg lifts, squats, lunges
60 min Zumba group class with instructor

Fridays:
45 min lifting weights for midsection
45 - 60 min stationary bike max tension 5 and max speed 90 revolutions. I mix it up, every 5 to 10 min I increase the tension and change up my speed till I reach tension 5, then I do the same just decreasing the tension.
25 min calisthenics, sit up, push up, leg lifts, squats, lunges.

I have been using machines and I learned how to log it in my diary two days ago, so if you read my diary you can see the reps and the weights for my weight lifting.

I am eating an average of maybe 2500 cals/day and drinking plenty of water. I feel amazing with lots of energy and my clothes are getting bigger on me. I am not trying to lose weight at all I am trying to gain muscle mass and become more healthier. Hubby has been commenting saying my body is becoming more toned.

Please tell me if my exercise regiment is not in my best interest and if I do need the trainer's help. My diary is public so feel free to browse.

Thanks :happy:

ster81

Honestly I would listen to your husband if what you're doing now is working great, why change a good thing?

alyssamiller77

If your goal is to add muscle mass then I agree with the trainer. You're doing tons of cardio which is not going to help you gain muscle mass, it's going to inhibit growth. You're also over-training in general IMHO. Finally, take a look at your diet. According to your diary you're eating in a deficit. You simply cannot gain muscle while in a calorie deficit and if anything you'll lose more muscle that way.

alyssamiller77

Let me be clear here, I'm not saying that you routine is unhealthy or that it won't help improve your fitness and appearance, it's just not going to help you build muscle. So you said your goal was to add muscle mass if that's the case then you need a different approach. Either way I don't think you need a trainer to help you get there, just a little more education.

Enforcer25

I think if you are happy with the results keep training, I think you may be overtraining too, 2.5hours a day 6x a week is a lot, however if you are able to do it, your body feels good, than keep at it. If you are looking to add some muscle, than you want to cut down the cardio some, because you won't build muscle while doing that much cardio. I agree with the above poster, I don't think you need a PT, just educate yourself and ask questions, some people have great results with a PT, while plenty have great results without. Good luck.

teagin2002

On Sundays I play tennis with my hubby too, I feel great and a bit sore. It's a good sore though :bigsmile:
I am just finding that after dropping 112lbs I have so much energy that I just keep going. Do you think I should increase the intensity of my weight lifting? I can go longer than 45 min, I am worried about hurting my muscle growth if I do that.
Is that something I need to worry about?

jfluchere

Can you do more intense cardio like 30 min HIIT training instead of the hour long ones?

tiffanyrose519

If you're worried about muscle growth then you should definitely cut back on the cardio, and I agree with the above posters that you are over-training.

TrainingWithTonya

If you build up to it and your body can handle it, that's not over training. You'll know you're over training when you start to feel excessive fatigue from a workout you've done before with ease, feel lethargic, don't desire to workout, etc. That's only 15 hours a week and when I was at the top of my game I was known to do more then that just in teaching classes, so I know it is doable without over training as long as you progress up to it slowly. For someone just starting out and not use to it, this would be over training. I'm assuming that since the OP has lost over 100 pounds, that she has worked up to doing that much over a long period of time.

That being said, you could definitely tweak your program to see better muscle growth. Are you wanting to build strength or just hypertrophy? What you are doing weight wise is a hypertrophy (bulking) program. If you want to build strength and density of muscle fibers, you need to go heavier and go with lower rep sets (less then 6 reps for 2-6 sets). You can build muscle while doing that much cardio, but it is harder and you have to make sure your diet is right to do it with enough protein to build the muscle and enough carbs to fuel the workouts.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

If your goal is to add muscle mass then I agree with the trainer. You're doing tons of cardio which is not going to help you gain muscle mass, it's going to inhibit growth. You're also over-training in general IMHO. Finally, take a look at your diet. According to your diary you're eating in a deficit. You simply cannot gain muscle while in a calorie deficit and if anything you'll lose more muscle that way.

/\ /\ /\ THIS!!!

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I agree also to the trainer & to those who say you're overtraining & doing lots of cardio. Generally cardio should be kept at max of 45 mins. & way beyond that won't do any good for your muscles & in fact your body will them instead of fat for energy. And please no offense here but with the way I see your profile pic, honestly you still look kinda flabby especially your arms & it looks like you need more hard work in the toning department. You maybe at a normal weight but realize that having a normal BMI doesn't mean healthy. I was also "skinny-fat" at 25% body fat when I reached my goal weight 4 months ago & currently at 21% but still working hard to bring it down to a lean 17%..

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

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LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

sorry I made a triple post of the same answers because I have problems with my internet

carrie_eggo

I think if you are happy with the results keep training, I think you may be overtraining too, 2.5hours a day 6x a week is a lot, however if you are able to do it, your body feels good, than keep at it. If you are looking to add some muscle, than you want to cut down the cardio some, because you won't build muscle while doing that much cardio. I agree with the above poster, I don't think you need a PT, just educate yourself and ask questions, some people have great results with a PT, while plenty have great results without. Good luck.

^^This. If you cut back at all, cut out some of the cardio....jeeze.

chrisdavey

Agree with what's been said. Cardio is great for overall fitness & I love to do it myself but if you're main goal is to build some muscle then it's definitely not a requirement. For all the cardio you do, you have to eat more to make sure your cals are above your TDEE.


As you obviously like your cardio, I would probably just cut it out from your strength training days. Focus on that solely.

You should be increasing the weights when you reach your target reps & sets. (I've always done 8reps of 3 sets on the big compound lifts as they're best bang for buck)

Remember, you grow when you rest not when you train

BenderFitness

I thought I loved working out, but I've got nothing on you! Listen to your body, if it starts to get tired of what you're doing it's time to cut back.

The cardio you're doing isn't a super high intensity, but you could probably cut it down to 30 minutes and bring up your speed. Realistically unless you are training for distance races you don't need to do that much cardio.

How long have you been doing this workout regimen? Be sure to give yourself a rest day. If your muscles never have time to heal it will eventually lead to injury.

Other than that you sound incredibly motivated, and you and your hubby love the results, so good work! Tweak your routine a bit, and listen to your body.

agthorn

Geez, you do more cardio in a single day than I do in an entire week.

Sidesteal

Geez, you do more cardio in a single day than I do in an entire year

fixed (for me).

ahamm002

If you feel good, then you're not significantly over-training. Given that you've lost 110 pounds, I'd say that makes you an expert on weight loss!. Awesome work!

In regard to your training regimen, it's a great regimen to torch massive numbers of calories, build endurance, increase your cardiovascular health, and live longer. It's not a good regimen for building muscle or developing an optimal body composition. Also, the long hours you spend in the gym may not be feasible (or convenient) in the future.

There's a lot of confusing information out there about how much of what type of workout you should do. A lot of it comes down to your goals and personal preferences. I'd recommend giving the trainer's methods a try. Most scientific literature has demonstrated that high intensity interval training (HIIT) and/or HEAVY resistance training (yes, heavy) are superior for burning fat (and definitely superior for building muscle) than long distance endurance cardio. Also, if you do moderate intensity cardio (or high intensity anything) for over 90 minutes continuously, you actually can inhibit muscle growth. Fortunately that's not the case for low intensity cardio like walking.

cthoma70

It's all up to you, how do you feel? I think your doing great, wish I had that much will to workout like that!!!!!

agthorn

If her goal is actually to build muscle as she says in her original post, then no it doesn't matter how she feels. She is doing too much cardio to meet her stated goal.

BobbyClerici

Hold it.
You've lost 110 lbs -- right?

WHO CARES WHAT SOME TRAINER SAYS?:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Your results speak for itself.

Ignore the *kitten*.

ArroganceInStep

These are very broad generalizations:
-Eating at a calorie surplus encourages muscle growth
-Eating at a calorie deficit encourages weight (both muscle and fat) loss in all but a few scenarios
-Increasing protein intake encourages muscle growth
-Strength training encourages muscle growth to make you better at strength training
-Cardio encourages weight (fat and muscle) loss to make you better at cardio
-The health benefits of both cardio and strength training go beyond changing the amount of fat and/or muscle you're carrying

All that being said, look at what works for you. You're doing some pretty intense workouts, and you're saying it's making your clothing bigger. If that's what you're going for, keep doing what you're doing. If you've already met you're target size and are aiming for something else, try changing it up and maybe either eating more, doing less cardio, and/or adding more strength training like weight lifting.

Be careful to ensure that you're getting enough rest for your body to heal. One of the worst things is getting injured and having that put you off training for a while. When I was in college my coach had us doing all kinds of stuff like staggering workouts and ice baths and yoga and fitness massages so we could maximize training time. Find something that works for you.

Consider changing your macros to favor protein a bit more, just a thought.
[EDIT] I forgot to clarify, consider changing the protein macro if you're going to up your strength training. If you keep doing all the cardio you're doing now, by all means, carb up

Good luck!

hongruss

Firstly I say each to their own BUT IMO you are overtraining, I stopped reading at 2.5hrs per day! Unless you are training for an event, I would venture the opinion that your "interest" has become an obsession. Again this is just my opinion & if it is working for you keep at it:happy:

Russ

BobbyClerici

Firstly I say each to their own BUT IMO you are overtraining, I stopped reading at 2.5hrs per day! Unless you are training for an event, I would venture the opinion that your "interest" has become an obsession. Again this is just my opinion & if it is working for you keep at it:happy:

Russ

I train 2 hours daily, and my results are similar to hers.
What works works.

My goals are the very peak fitness I once knew as an athlete years before, and that's not obtained doing anything less.

ArroganceInStep

I train 2 hours daily, and my results are similar to hers.
What works works.

My goals are the very peak fitness I once knew as an athlete years before, and that's not obtained doing anything less.

2-3 hours a day is certainly doable for many people. However, it is extremely important once you start training that much that you keep an eye out for safety and/or injury.

Sidesteal

If her goal is actually to build muscle as she says in her original post, then no it doesn't matter how she feels. She is doing too much cardio to meet her stated goal.

Ultimately this ^.

I'm sure a lot of people reading this would love to see the same level of success that the OP has but specifically stated in her post, her goal is hypertrophy and her training program isn't aligned to this goal.

You need to either change your goal or change your plan.

SeaSiren1

If her goal is actually to build muscle as she says in her original post, then no it doesn't matter how she feels. She is doing too much cardio to meet her stated goal.

Ultimately this ^.

I'm sure a lot of people reading this would love to see the same level of success that the OP has but specifically stated in her post, her goal is hypertrophy and her training program isn't aligned to this goal.

You need to either change your goal or change your plan.

+1

chrisdavey

If her goal is actually to build muscle as she says in her original post, then no it doesn't matter how she feels. She is doing too much cardio to meet her stated goal.

Ultimately this ^.

I'm sure a lot of people reading this would love to see the same level of success that the OP has but specifically stated in her post, her goal is hypertrophy and her training program isn't aligned to this goal.

You need to either change your goal or change your plan.

Or keep doing 2hrs of cardio a day & eat 5000+ calories. You still hamper your recovery abilities though.

natekorpusik

Okey dokey. Here is my 2 cents.

1) You are doing great. Listen to your body.
2) Don't listen to people that are telling you that you are over training. Are you injured? Are you burning too many calories? If not then you are fine. I train anywhere from 2 to 8 hours per day. Not a typo (in the Army, so not always my choice to workout).

3) I would create more of a balance for weight training if that is your goal. Cardio burns lean muscle. Maybe cut back a little on cardio and add in some high weights with low reps for 3 or 4 days out of your week.

Above all, refer to number 1. I have been training for a long time and when my body says "make a change" or "stop" I listen to it. And it has worked for me so far. Best of luck and keep up the great work. You do more than most already.

myofibril

If her goal is actually to build muscle as she says in her original post, then no it doesn't matter how she feels. She is doing too much cardio to meet her stated goal.

Ultimately this ^.

I'm sure a lot of people reading this would love to see the same level of success that the OP has but specifically stated in her post, her goal is hypertrophy and her training program isn't aligned to this goal.

You need to either change your goal or change your plan.

Or keep doing 2hrs of cardio a day & eat 5000+ calories. You still hamper your recovery abilities though.

I think that's it in a nutshell.

It's not so much overtraining which will prove to be the issue as compromising recovery ability at some point in the future. The more advanced your level of development the more this comes into play.

Will the OP be able to achieve her stated goals with her current programme? Yes. Is it the most efficient way to do so? No.