too much cardio?

I have always felt there can never be to much cardio. although to much stair master of hill climbing will make your butt and thighs larger and not smaller.

I do an 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours a day. I use it as a stress relief...so I hope its not too much. I usually run 1.5 - 5 miles depending on my mood and I use the elliptical/stationary bike and the stair stepper

Cardio...since it is usually a repeated motion is meditative. This is why so many people feel relief after completing it. Meditation is great for stress!

However, the body does need a week (here and there) to recover from all exercise. This means taking a full week off of doing ANYTHING. This allows your metabolic clock to reset itself.

Think of it this way...your body was SHOCKED the first time you did cardio. It did not have an economic way of performing the tast...becaues exercise was still foreign. However...over time it adjusted...doing the same 1.5 hours of cardio burns less calories now...than it did 2 months ago...because your body is more accustomed. Take the breaks people.

I know it's hard...and scarey...but necessary.

I don't think there is such a thing as too much cardio assuming you don't have any heart disease or defects. It is possible to overtrain. In terms of high intensity cardio workouts. I do these regularly training at 90% of my max heart for up to 2 hours. Ocassionally I'll hit 100% on hills for brief moments.

Cardio...
...........However, the body does need a week (here and there) to recover from all exercise. This means taking a full week off of doing ANYTHING. This allows your metabolic clock to reset itself.

Take the breaks people.

I know it's hard...and scarey...but necessary.

NOOOOO. I can't go a week without the elliptical. Can't we just use interval training, or circuit, or do something we don't usually do like TexasAngelBeth says? C'mon, fessler, you're killin' me. It's even WORSE cuz I know you're in the fitness industry!

:sad:

Is this another reason why we plateau??

I don't think 1 1/2 hours a DAY is too much. But is too much at once. 40 minutes twice a day would be better. You run out of energy stores after about 40 minutes and then your start burning muscle. That is not good. The other thing is shorter periods will help prevent injury especially for those that are not experienced athletes. When you exercise for a really long session you can create problems for the joints and back because your smaller supporting muscles can become exhausted and let you get out of alignment. The bad thing is that you really don't notice while you are working and even worse it builds over time. I had an Ortho Doc show me a bunch of my X-rays that proved it to me. I just wish I was not so hard headed when I was young and not broke.

what is too much cardio?

is 1 1/2 hours of cardio too much?? i just feel so relieved after i do cardio.

Back when I was doing triathlons long cardio sessions (twice a day) were common.
Overuse injuries especially if this is high impact or high intensity level work is something you need to be careful of.

My present trainer has me limit extended (low level) cardio bouts (more than an hour up to 4) to once maybe twice a week. The rest of my cardio is short bout interval training(20 min) and moderate to high level cadio(45min). He is also using this with his endurance athletes and clients trying to loose weight with good results.

Another thing to keep in mind with long cardio sessions is fueling. Your body burns fat and carbs at the same time(different levels). Most of us are not going to run out of the fat source, but our muscles will become depleted on glycogen. Plain water is not going to cut it. I use Accelerade for anything over 20min. It has a 4:1 carb protien ratio. You don't want to break down the muscle your trying to build up.

You guys are all amazing! I don't know how you find the time to get so much exercise in. I work about 10 hour days and I don't have kids but have 2 cats and 2 dogs (one is a 6 month old puppy and one is a 6 week old kitten) so with taking care of them plus making sure there is dinner for my husband, I try my best to squeeze in going to the gym 3-5 times a week. Usually while I'm there I do an hour cardio and an hour of weights (sometimes just 1 1/2-2 hours cardio). I would absolutely love to go more often but can't seem to find the time. Getting up earlier is simply not an option. I get up at 5:30, take the dogs out, feed them, bottle feed the kitten (he was a stray and so malnurished that he is still getting formula), then make a lunch for my husband, get him out of bed, finally get a cup of coffee, fix breakfast for my husband, finally eat myself, then shower, dogs out again, and off to work I go! I come home for lunch, dogs out, feed kitten, eat myself, back to work. I come home, dogs out, feed kitten, feed dogs again, fix dinner for my husband (and myself), eat, dogs out again and to the gym I go. By the time I get home, I do dishes and whatever other chores there are around the house and then it's already 11-11:30 and time for bed. This is my life. Wednesdays I have devoted to myself (it's my night off from everything. I don't go to the gym or cook or do dishes or anything. I usually get lost in a book. Fridays there is always something going on and I don't get to the gym. And it seems like the last couple weekends, I have just been to busy that I've either not had time or have just been to tired to get to the gym. I really wish I had more time to every day! So, I guess I just needed to vent--congrats to all you who can get to the gym as much as you do. I am seriously jealous!!
*kistinbee*

This is my take. I am sure doing 1.5 hours of cardio is OK but can you do it for the rest of your life? I prefer to think long term because what happens when you, down the road, stop doing 1.5 and just do 30 minutes? You will probably be used to eating a certain amount and that is when you start putting the weight back on. I suggest that you use a happy medium.

I swim at least two hours a day for at least 6 days a week and I'm talking intense workouts. There's never too much as long as you are enjoying it.