Overtraining

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ehte_h
ehte_h Posts: 269 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So here's what it is.. As crazy as this may sound I think I maybe the victim of this! I work out 2 x a day usually, in the morning I do fasted cardio for 30 minutes and after work I do weights eg:

Day 1: AM Cardio , PM Upperbody weights session
Day 2: AM Cardio , PM Lowerbody weights session
Day 3: AM Cardio - PM Cardio

And so on. The first 14lbs I lost pretty quickly doing this, but now my weight fluctuates and I have lost and regained the same 4 lbs for a month now. I feel stuck in rut and not sure what to do! Should I take some days off? Switch my training completely to 1 session a day??? I really need help getting out of this plateau
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Replies

  • aj_gettingfit
    aj_gettingfit Posts: 257
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    I do workouts 2x a day as well and haven't lost a lot of weight. I was also wondering if I was over doing it.

    I do weights usually 4x a week on my lunch hour for about 45-60 min. Then some nights I will go to a kickboxing class or use the stair climber for another 45-60 min. I usually take at least 1 full day off to rest. Now I want to start the 30 Day Shred dvd but I'm not sure how I will adjust my schedule to fit it in.
  • ehte_h
    ehte_h Posts: 269 Member
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    Hi Aj, it would be great to know what people think... I never thought in exercise terms that less would be more!
  • burg1801
    burg1801 Posts: 124
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    If you have the time and energy, go for it. I'm in the gym for 90 mins daily doing various things while doing some calistentics (sp?) on breaks and what not.

    * in before the inevitable ****storm*
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    I would assume that you are seeing muscle gains. Muscle weighs much more than fat so you can loose overall size but keep your weight relatively stable. This happens to a lot of beginning weightlifters but later it becomes much harder to do a straight conversion from fat to muscle.
  • aj_gettingfit
    aj_gettingfit Posts: 257
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    As long as I'm gaining muscle and losing fat I'm fine with whatever the number on the scale says. I didn't take 'before' pics when I started lifting at the end of Jan but I did take my measurements. I took them again last night and lost 2 inches over all and according to the scale I was down 2 lbs. I had my husband take some 'before' pics of me last night so I could start keeping track that way as well. Its so hard to know if what I'm doing is working unless it shows in either inches or pounds. I'd hate to kill myself at the gym for nothing.
  • Goosiesnougs
    Goosiesnougs Posts: 420
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    I do 4 miles on the treadmill incline/running intervals. Then hit the gym for either spin (45 mins)or a Body Pump (60 mins) class followed by 20 minutes 2-3 days a week on the stairmill then a 6.35 mile hike with my dogs! I don't think you're overtraining. LOL


    :laugh:
  • Jamcnair
    Jamcnair Posts: 586 Member
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    Are you consuming enough calories?
  • Squidgeypaws007
    Squidgeypaws007 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    Not sure how relevant this is, but it might give you some of the info you're looking for :)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01cywtq
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
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    It won't necessary hurt you, but you're probably going beyond the point of diminishing returns. 3x/week strength and 3x/week cardio are plenty. On separate days, ideally. Rest is a crucial component of this; just as important as your nutrition and exercise program. Don't skimp on rest.
  • jamiesadler
    jamiesadler Posts: 634 Member
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    So here's what it is.. As crazy as this may sound I think I maybe the victim of this! I work out 2 x a day usually, in the morning I do fasted cardio for 30 minutes and after work I do weights eg:

    Day 1: AM Cardio , PM Upperbody weights session
    Day 2: AM Cardio , PM Lowerbody weights session
    Day 3: AM Cardio - PM Cardio

    And so on. The first 14lbs I lost pretty quickly doing this, but now my weight fluctuates and I have lost and regained the same 4 lbs for a month now. I feel stuck in rut and not sure what to do! Should I take some days off? Switch my training completely to 1 session a day??? I really need help getting out of this plateau

    Try doing your cardio after your weights at the same time if you can rather than going twice a day.
  • Heaven71
    Heaven71 Posts: 706 Member
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    I've been sitting on my butt for 4 days recovering from overtraining. Be careful because it sucks to want to and not be able to.
  • zenithfern
    zenithfern Posts: 19
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    I do about 60 min cardio elliptical 6x a week averaging around 500 cal per burn (on the machine based on weight/age). I don't think you can necessarily overdue it, as long as you feel good and not pushing too hard and feeling wiped out before a workout. However, just remember that working out that much means you must eat your calories to fuel your body. Eg. 1200 limit a day and burning 1000 with a net of 200 is not good for weight loss/health.

    @heaven71: lol I hear ya. My bf has been a **** the last week because he overworked himself running and his calves have been messed up (I told him to stretch tsk tsk). Make sure you only push a little over your limit to feel the burn, not rip your muscles apart. >.<
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
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    if you are doing the same workouts..you need to change that...as long as you are eating your calories back..you should be good..or try upping your calories by 300..i know it seems scary..but it "shocks" your body..

    I just peeked at your diary.. your protein should be at minimum 30% of your total caloric intake..considering you are lifting twice a week...especially if you are lifting heavy
  • Rosiered2
    Rosiered2 Posts: 87 Member
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    I don't know about the overdoing it on the exercise because lots of people do that. I exercise one hour in the morning and around 40 minutes each day at lunch time. I do a "family" exercise on Saturday and take Sunday off. I had a time where my weight loss just stopped and with someone's advice I checked my sugar intake----WOW---when my sugar intake went up over 30, my weight loss stopped--love using the diary for help! I just checked out your diary and your carbs are very high and your sugars are very high---might want to see what happens if you lower those numbers for a week?? I've had a lot of people tell me that as soon as they took in less carbs and sugars that the weight came off....just a thought?
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,154 Member
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    It could be overtraining, or a whole bunch of other things. Measure yourself (chest, waist, hips) and use those to see weekly change. The scale is only one measure of success, and generally not a very helpful one at that.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    It won't necessary hurt you, but you're probably going beyond the point of diminishing returns. 3x/week strength and 3x/week cardio are plenty. On separate days, ideally. Rest is a crucial component of this; just as important as your nutrition and exercise program. Don't skimp on rest.

    You used "diminishing returns" and used it properly.... I think you're kinda awesome!
  • msleesha
    msleesha Posts: 39
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    I don't think you are overtraining at all. What I am wondering is if you are consuming enough calories and protein? If your body doesn't get an adequate amount of protein then you will plateau and not lose any weight. It took me a while to figure that out. I work out every day except Sundays. 2 of the days I work out twice and the others are usually 70-80min. I have a trainer and do boot camps/boxing/etc. I do agree that you have to be careful when you workout because you can overdo it. I would definetly look into your calories and protein intake. Other factors such as carbs and fats can affect weight loss as well. I just know through personal experience that protein intake matters.
  • aj_gettingfit
    aj_gettingfit Posts: 257
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    I do 4 miles on the treadmill incline/running intervals. Then hit the gym for either spin (45 mins)or a Body Pump (60 mins) class followed by 20 minutes 2-3 days a week on the stairmill then a 6.35 mile hike with my dogs! I don't think you're overtraining. LOL


    :laugh:

    Have you noticed a big change in your legs/butt from the stairmill? I just started using that last week and i love it!
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
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    Over training has more to do with physical exhaustion than it does with a plateau in weight loss. There's no problem with 2 a days (except maybe on your laundry), if I had the time for it that's what I would do. You need to look at how you're feeling, and how you're progressing. If you push too hard with lifting, and don't give your body enough time to rest, you run the risk of injury. If your energy levels are high and your making slow and steady progress in strength gains keep at it.

    From a weight plateau perspective the first thing you should look to is your diet.
  • msleesha
    msleesha Posts: 39
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    It won't necessary hurt you, but you're probably going beyond the point of diminishing returns. 3x/week strength and 3x/week cardio are plenty. On separate days, ideally. Rest is a crucial component of this; just as important as your nutrition and exercise program. Don't skimp on rest.

    I do agree with you on rest!

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