Exercise Burn Out?

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imdamom
imdamom Posts: 42
in Fitness and Exercise
Several years ago, I did a week trial at Curves. On the initial visit, the person asked me what other activities I did. I told her that I walked in the mornings and did an exercise video in the evenings. When I commented that I wanted to workout at Curves every day, she told me that the most I should do was every other day. And she went on to tell me that the days I worked out at Curves, I shouldn't do my walking routine or exercise dvds. She said my body would get so used to a lot of exercise that it would become ineffective and I would have a hard time upping the workout enough to lose weight.

I want to lose weight in a healthy manner not necessarily a quick one and I don't want to find myself having to work out for hours just to reach the same level of burn.

So here's my question. Is it possible to exercise too much? If I did a workout in the morning would it be overkill to hop on the treadmill in the evening? How much and how often do you work out? Gee, guess that was more than one question...:laugh:

Replies

  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    It really depends. I've recently gotten burned out on exercise after two months of pretty much having the same routine day after day. I've recently switched it up and have been re-motivated again. If you're planning on doing two workouts a day, make them moderate workouts...don't go all out on either of them and make sure you're eating enough to maintain your body and energy levels. What she said is true, once you become more fit, you'll burn less calories doing the same workout and you'll have to work even harder to see the same results. So switch it up and add more weights. It really is trial and error though!

    My new routine:

    Run: 3x a week (30-45 minutes with cool down)
    Irish dance: 1x a week (1 hour)
    Ab class: 1x a week (30 minutes) - don't count calories burned
    Gym workouts: 2x a week (45-60 minutes cardio; 30-45 minutes weights)
  • Bretto
    Bretto Posts: 196 Member
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    I guess there is a point when you can exercise too much. I think the key is to eat enough so your body has fuel to exercise. I do triathlons. I workout anywhere from 5-15 hours a weeks depending on where I am at in my training. When you exercise more you just need to eat more to make up for some of the calories you burn.

    There are days when I only feel like working out 30 min. and others that I work out for 3-4 hours. I think you should be fine.
  • cdavis1126
    cdavis1126 Posts: 301 Member
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    I don't think it's overkill at all. My "leader" on my food plan says to get in at least an hour of working out 6 days a week. I do about 40 minutes on the treadmill everyday. Yes, your body can get used to the same exercise over and over again so you should change it up. I throw in some strength training a few times a week as well. i tried the elliptical yesterday thinking I would switch off and do that for the next 2 months and then switch back to the treadmill but my knee really didn't like the elliptical. So I'm now just trying to up the speed on the treadmill. I think basically that whatever you are doing on a daily basis MUST be better than do NOTHING.
  • TCASMEY
    TCASMEY Posts: 1,405 Member
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    I don't think there is such a thing as too much exercise. I know people who run every day. It's good for them. I workout at least 2 hours a day. I lift 2-4 times a week. I want to keep muscle as I am trying to lose and only burn fat! It is true as you become more fit you'll burn less for the same activity. As you lose weight your calorie needs will also down because you will not need to expend so much energy to move the extra weight around!

    I read recently that people who are successful at losing weight and keeping it off are the ones who remain active! The active does not necessarily mean hitting the gym several times a week, but things like hiking, biking, dancing, doing things that are fun and keep you active.

    I do know when I hit my goals I will keep active. I do not plan on keeping up the 2 hours a day but I know I will shoot for at least an hour or cardio 6 days a week and 2 lifting days...for maintainance!
  • HawkeyeGuy
    HawkeyeGuy Posts: 183
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    Short answer, the Curves girl is nuts. Yes, you can overtrain. And yes, you should ramp up your exercise gradually. No offense allisleft, but you will NOT burn less calories the fitter you get - quite the opposite is true.

    In regard to the "burn less calories the fitter you are" thought. Think of your lean body mass as an engine...the more lean body mass you have (which will increase with strength training and a small caloric deficit), the larger the engine. It needs more calories when doing anything the more lean mass you have (i.e. your BMR will increase.) (If allisfit was referring to muscle confusion concepts - your body will adapt to workout, and each successive workout of the same methods / intensity will have less effect, I agree. This is why switching up and/or periodization training is effective.)

    Next on the over training. Don't worry about it right now. The human body (as long as you're overall generally healthy) can take a lot. Once you are becoming an avid fitness junkie, yes, you will have to manage your workout levels to make sure you have enough recovery. Allisleft is correct on the caloric intake and rest. You have to eat for those workouts to be effective and build the muscle you want. A slightly negative caloric balance will allow you to lose weight slowly, and keep your muscle mass increasing. It's a balancing act, but you can do it. Beyond that, make sure you have rest days built in, especially if you're lifting weights. Your body needs time to recover.

    In short, 99% of people who are new to working out are not overtraining. Put it this way, I'd love to see you overtrain for a month and then get the balance right, rather than half-*kitten* it at the gym and not see any results, and bail on the program. Undertraining is a MUCH bigger risk than overtraining. Do, it gradually, but do it intensely. Beyond this, I'd recommend getting and reading books on the subjects of fitness - MFP is useful to get a start, but you need to educate and arm yourself with the facts.
  • imdamom
    imdamom Posts: 42
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    Thank you all. I know that any movement I do is a huge improvement over doing nothing. I just started a 30 day challenge and I still want to work the treadmill in the evening but I didn't want to sabotage myself. Now I know that, at least for the time being, it's safe, sane and probably the healthiest road to take. Thanks again.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    And she went on to tell me that the days I worked out at Curves, I shouldn't do my walking routine or exercise dvds. She said my body would get so used to a lot of exercise that it would become ineffective and I would have a hard time upping the workout enough to lose weight.


    By that logic, you should not try to lose any weight.

    Because, if you lose too much weight, you will get so used to being thin that you will have a hard time losing any more weight.

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