Too much cardio??

lesliev523

I just wanted to check in, and get some feedback on my workouts. I have been doing a lot of reading, and I am concerned that I may be doing too much cardio....

Currently I am 5'2" and 144 (starting weight was about 168)

My routine is as follows:

4 days a week - 10 min warmup on treadmill 5% incline 3.5mph - 25-35 minutes strength training ( alternating upper and lower body days - lifting relatively heavy) - finishing with 45-55 minutes on the elliptical.

On days I do not go to the gym I walk/jog my dogs about 3 miles. I also go about 1.5 miles with them at a relaxed pace on my gym days.

I am looking for fat loss primarily (at 34% fat right now)

Opinions?

Please be gentle.... I am not an expert at this.

lesliev523

anyone?

dr3wman

For fat loss I've always felt the more cardio, the better. People get very cautious about going below their daily calorie goals, but most of the time its not practical. If you are doing that amount of cardio just make sure you eat whenever your hungry and your body will handle the rest

lesliev523

Thank you!

Jacwhite22

What is your strength training split?

alohabrie

I agree with more cardio the better with one stipulation...........you have to give it your all. If you are doing the treadmill - do it fast. Keep increasing speed and/or incline. Same with eliptical - don't just spend the time - you have to do it hard. Usually that can't last for 45-55 minutes.......so go harder for shorter time is my suggestion.

lesliev523

I just alternate.... For example, today I will be focusing on upper body, tomorrow will be lower.... Wednesday I probably won't make it to the gym. Thursday will be upper and Friday will be lower.

mike_littlerock

you might want to look into High Intensity Interval training, or swapping steady state cardio for higher intensity conditioning. for example, instead of just steady state on elliptical, try running or biking on 40 second on, 20 second off (or 30 on/30 off). For example, I will get on a treadmill and run at 9 MPH for 40 seconds, jump off the belt, rest for 20, and repeat 10 times.

Sheila_Ann

I've gone from 33% bf to 22.95% and my goal is 18%. My start weight was 160lbs and my current weight is 126.4. My routine is trainer Mondays and Wednesdays. I used to do Zumba classes 3x a week. I had to cut back when I started to have back pain. I currently have a bulge disc...But I still work out with my trainer and try to do some zumba (i'll tweek it during class if it's starts to bother my class) once a week from 3x. When I do strength training with my trainer it's all about heavy weights with less reps. In my own opinion (everyone has different opinions and no disrespect to anyone). I beleive that doing heavy weights will help with fat loss.

Best of luck!

Edit: I agree with the High Intesity Interval Training. That kicks butt!!!

secretlobster

I would substitute the (almost) hour of cardio for a shorter period of HIIT. You'll see more efficient results. I wouldn't advise anyone to spend that much time on an elliptical... You are walking your dogs 3 miles every other day, you're already moving around a lot. I would definitely switch to a shorter, high-intensity workout for cardiovascular efficiency.

rharredo

You might also need to start varying your cardio too if you feel yourself plateauing. Strength training is good, too, but you need to make sure you give your body enough time to recover in between strength training. Sound like your going hard at strength, so make sure you are resting in between sessions.That will help you get the max out of your strength training.

alyssamiller77

Unless you're having joint, muscle or health issues, there's no such thing as too much cardio in my book. Obviously if your muscles are sore the next day you probably want to take a day off to let them rest but if you're not having issues, keep going.

mustgetmuscles1

That amount of cardio does not sound too excessive to me. I would just ask what are you trying to get out of it? Are you doing it for heart lung conditioning? Calories burning? Training to do an activity?

Cardio is not necessary for weight loss. Simply being in a calorie deficit will allow you to lose weight. The strength training will make sure you maintain as much lean body mass as possible and the majority of the weight loss will come from body fat.

You can get a great heart and lung workout with about 20-30 minutes of cardio if you push yourself so going longer than that might not be necessary depending on your goals.

If you are doing the cardio so you can eat more...well that is something I can totally understand. : )

secretlobster

That amount of cardio does not sound too excessive to me. I would just ask what are you trying to get out of it? Are you doing it for heart lung conditioning? Calories burning? Training to do an activity?

Cardio is not necessary for weight loss. Simply being in a calorie deficit will allow you to lose weight. The strength training will make sure you maintain as much lean body mass as possible and the majority of the weight loss will come from body fat.

You can get a great heart and lung workout with about 20-30 minutes of cardio if you push yourself so going longer than that might not be necessary depending on your goals.

ITA agree with this post... It's important to think about WHY you're doing that much cardio. Is it too much? Almost certainly not. Lots of people run for an hour a day, but they're usually doing so because (for instance) they are training for competitive runs. It's not necessary to do that much cardio if your goal is to lose weight. Is it too much? No, but if you value your time and don't really love being on an elliptical that long, it's possible to introduce more variety and efficiency for the same results, if not better

wewon

What are your goals?

Off the cuff, I would say that you've made some impressive progress already. So unless you are experiencing some kind of injuries, disturbed sleep or fatiguing then I would let that be your guide.

The lion's share of your cardio is not very high impact with the exception of your 1-3 mile runs, and even those are too bad if you are otherwise healthy.

I've run a couple of 1/2 marathons injury free, mostly from listening to my body tell me when to back off.

lesliev523

Thank you for the great answers!

Why am I doing so much? Well.... I am a single parent and my gym time is MY time. I guess I just want to milk it.... that is the honest answer. I can go harder for a shorter period of time. But honestly, I don't want to be done any sooner.....

I guess that is the honest answer....

cakelady69

Thank you for the great answers!

Why am I doing so much? Well.... I am a single parent and my gym time is MY time. I guess I just want to milk it.... that is the honest answer. I can go harder for a shorter period of time. But honestly, I don't want to be done any sooner.....

I guess that is the honest answer....

I have been following this thread, I love my cardo workouts. I'm addicted to it truthfully. I keep increasing and adding different and more challenging classes. However, I need to learn to embrace strength training also. I agree with you, the gym time is my time. I look forward to it. I'm just also wondering everyone's opinion on this.

secretlobster

Hey if you enjoy it, and you feel good, then go with it. By no means is that too much cardio, especially if cardio is what you like doing.

sauksy

Seems to me the body will let one know when to much of anything is done. So really one has to listen to their own body when to much is to much.

jenboles

I've also been following this thread, and I understand exactly what you mean about gym time being your time! I do agree with 'secretlobster' about the High Intensity Interval Training, though. I've been working with trainers (functional circuits, agility, plyometrics, etc.) for many years, and I didn't believe them about the HIIT until I tried it for a while. I'm prone to overtraining because I love it so much, and I was developing overuse injuries over time. Now I take at least one day and do 30 minutes of intervals on either the elliptical or the spin bike (alternating for something different), doing 1 minute as fast as I can go and 1 minute slow recovery. My goal is to get to 1:30 on and :30 recovery. (I started at 30sec on 30 sec off.) I use a heart rate monitor to adjust my intervals as I get better at recovery. I am replacing my usual hour of cardio with this 30-minute more efficient workout and I think I get better results for less time spent! You could use the extra time to stretch, do yoga, swim, use the sauna or something else relaxing for your body.

lesliev523

I am so glad no one (yet) thinks I am completely selfish for saying that the gym time is MY time.

My boys are older (16 and 12) and very involved in sports themselves.... they are not necessarily home when I am at the gym, they are at football or hockey practice. Although sometimes my oldest will go with me to the gym... that is always fun, and I learn a lot from him. Besides, when I am not home all of the time they take responsibility for cleaning up after themselves and getting their own laundry done!

I will try the HIIT on the elliptical.... I kind of do something like that now..... I will go about 2-3 minutes at 170-190 rpm.... then ease off for about 5 minutes at about 150ish. But I can definitely push it more.

I wish my gym had a sauna or classes even.... but it is a pretty plain jane gym. I was doing Zumba on the Wii, but then I received a two year membership at this gym through work..... and I haven't done it since!