How much is too much?

spm2010

I am trying to lose 27lbs by the summer and was wondering about how much exercise I should do. I am 5'9 and weight 197. Heres what I'd like to do:

4 times a week 60 minutes walking on the treadmill (3.5mph incline 2-4%), 3 times a week 30 minutes intervals (3.5mph walk and 7-8mph run) and 3 times a week doing total body weights. All this would be done at home.

Is this too much? Should I cut back on anything or workout less days a week? Ay tips and advice would be great. I don't want to work out 7 days a week if I can workout less.

AmyRhubarb

Rest days are important - at least one full day of rest per week to let your body rest, recover, and muscles heal. Too much exercise, especially with zero rest days, can lead to over training and burnout. Make sure you are eating enough to fuel those workouts, too!

thescrumisfun

Rest days are important - at least one full day of rest per week to let your body rest, recover, and muscles heal. Too much exercise, especially with zero rest days, can lead to over training and burnout. Make sure you are eating enough to fuel those workouts, too!

^This. I over-trained in the summer, and it was not fun.
This has really helped me: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Good luck :drinker:

slrrese

I can't tell you what is best for you, but I can tell you what I did, and I started with a lot of cardio to jump start my weight loss and then started weight lifting as I lost weight. I am 5'5", and lost 30 lbs from Jan- June, and reached a goal weight of 140 (profile picture). My goal has been to get fit by 50 (April 2013, not just to shed lbs). Here is the whole pkg of what I did:

Started with 1200 calories (goal loss was 1lb a week), did 1 hour of biking in the morning, 45 min of a VERY fast walk with my dogs in the evening ( or 1 hr on the treadmill if the weather was bad). I ate back ALL my exercise calories.

After l lost 10 lbs (keeping 1lb goal per week), I upped my calories 100 more and increased the intensity of my workouts, continuing to eat excersise calories). I started doing HIIT with my biking on M,W,F for 45 min in the morning. On T,Th,S, I did normal 20 min bike rides and started lifting weights for 30 min after the bike ride. On Sun started pole dance classes. Walked the dogs three times a week brisk walk! I continued this until I lost 10 more lbs; I was losing more than the 1lb goal a week.

Since I was losing more than my goal, I now upped my calories another 200 (now at 1500 calories), kept the intensity of my workouts up. Still doing HIIT biking on M,W,F , bike 20 min with weight lifting for now 40 min and my pole dance class on S, and walking the dogs three times a week.

When I hit my goal in June, I went to maintenance calories and I now am really exercising a lot still but I vary it a lot. Some weeks I do more cardio and some weeks more weight lifting. I am getting into pole dancing and doing that 3 days a week, which is a great workout! I will decide in Jan if I want to lose any more weight.

portwein

Great workout schedule. They only thing I would change, walk the dogs 7 times a week/once per day. They need the exercise too!

portwein

Since I was losing more than my goal, I now upped my calories another 200 (now at 1500 calories), kept the intensity of my workouts up. Still doing HIIT biking on M,W,F , bike 20 min with weight lifting for now 40 min and my pole dance class on S, and walking the dogs three times a week.

Great workout schedule. They only thing I would change, walk the dogs 7 times a week/once per day. They need the exercise too!

spm2010

sirrerse, so you were working out 6 days a week than? Did all that cardio help you lose weight faster? I think I might just work out 60-90 min 5 days a week. The intervals on the treadmill should be enough to burn some fat on my thighs. I want to be realistic and not go overboard than get bored and quit.

slrrese

Yes- I have a desk job and enjoy the workout so I roughly do something 6 days a week; sometimes it is intense workout and sometimes it is just walk the dog (I don't count walk the dog as exercise unless I do my long, intense walk). I can say what I did worked for me, I can't say it was just the cardio or just the diet or what but I did watch what I ate significantly- ate a variety of foods, ate everything in moderation, etc... I never deprived myself but if I wanted a treat like ice cream; i limited it to 1 serving and it had to fit in my calorie goals for the day. I think the cardio helped me lose weight- but I think the HIIT and weight lifting really did it more than anything. I am not as strict with my diet since I reached goal but I am still careful about high calorie foods and do limit them to 1 serving.

slrrese

Since I was losing more than my goal, I now upped my calories another 200 (now at 1500 calories), kept the intensity of my workouts up. Still doing HIIT biking on M,W,F , bike 20 min with weight lifting for now 40 min and my pole dance class on S, and walking the dogs three times a week.

Great workout schedule. They only thing I would change, walk the dogs 7 times a week/once per day. They need the exercise too!

My dogs are beagles and they are very active. We have a very active lifestyle with them and are at a very good weight. When it is rainy or windy outside and I walk on the treadmill- they walk with me. We also play ball, they chase each other and we take them to the dog park to socialize them and let them play with other dogs as well as their walks. My dogs are not deprived of exercise!

AsrarHussain

everyone is diffrent some can workout 5-6 days straight I cant i can only do 5 days a week

daylily2005

27 pounds by summer is completely possible. I recommend starting out slower on the exercise and moving up. You don't want to a) start with too much and burn out, or b) start with too much and injure yourself.

I started this the last week of may and have lost 27 pounds (5'5, 175 to 148). Just remember it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. The slower you change habits and acclimate the more the better lifestyle will become your new habits (and keep it maintainable). Best of luck!

katevarner

Make sure you give yourself a rest day, even if you do a little walking that day. I had one rest day when I was losing the fastest and have added a second rest day in maintenance. I'd probably do the HIIT and weights on different days, then if you want to add in the other walking, it can be done on either a weight or interval day.

slrrese

27 pounds by summer is completely possible. I recommend starting out slower on the exercise and moving up. You don't want to a) start with too much and burn out, or b) start with too much and injure yourself.

I started this the last week of may and have lost 27 pounds (5'5, 175 to 148). Just remember it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. The slower you change habits and acclimate the more the better lifestyle will become your new habits (and keep it maintainable). Best of luck!

I AGREE with you daylily, please start out slow and move up in your exercise. To put it in perspective, what I did was "slow" for me because I had always walked my dogs, always rode my bike and did a biathlon when I was 30. The 5 years before I started my weight loss journey I put on weight due to health issues, eating to much and being inconsistent in my exercise. I recommitted to my exercise and eating right to meet my goals.

CallieRettig

Just from personal experience, I found it hard to have rest days when it was nice out so I would go many weeks without a day of rest. I now suffer from bursitis/ IT band tendonitis and I cannot do anything with impact My doctor and Chiropractor agree is is from OVER TRAINING Just a tid bit for you since you are contemplating if you are exercising too much or not

kdeaux1959

27 lbs in that length of time is fine. 4-5 days of cardio should be sufficient. I like cardio and push up to 60 minutes per day when I do it.. and usually push the incline pretty high -- usually at about 3.5-4.0 MPH. Intervals are best. Another order of business here though is that if you will include strength training in your routine, you will maximize the visual effect of what you are doing. Lift heavy (for you) .. You will not bulk if you are female due to hormonal differences between men and women. I find that by increasing your muscle strength and toning, it makes you look a lot smaller faster... and for most of us, that is what we are really trying to accomplish... The scale is nice but the non-scale victories is what is most important... What do people notice and what makes us get around better....

For strength training, rest muscles like you do with cardio... Do upper body one day, lower body the next, core the next and repeat... that will work all muscle groups a couple of times per week and give you a much more toned appearance by the time you break out that swimsuit this Summer.

Best wishes to you on your journey.

BigGuy47

I looks like a solid plan to me - mix of cardio and strength training.

The only thing I would do is make adjustments for a full day of rest (3 days cardio + 3 days strength training).

DavPul

27 lbs by summer is a very attainable goal. But it's not about your exercise plan. It's about your calorie plan. Losing weight is all about managing your total calories, not about how many runs you do or how many weights your lift.