Is too much exercise bad?

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wllwsmmr
wllwsmmr Posts: 391 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so I'm baffled by this... Can too much exercise hinder weight loss? Will too much exercise bulk you up? Asking this because I tend to try to do a lot of cardio because exercising is easier for me than eating lesser.
When I say 'too much exercise', I mean really intense interval running, elliptical at a moderately fast pace, amounting to 2, 3, or even four hours...

I am looking to look really lean because I am already tall and big boned as it is and I wouldn't want thick legs because I'm naturally really bottom heavy...

Also, does your muscles build differently if you do intense running in one go and then cool down VS interspersing cool downs in between?

Anyone has any comments on this please feel free to comment :) Very much appreciated!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    You don't build any appreciable muscle doing cardio. You have to do resistance training to build muscle. It is very difficult to actually bulk...women simply do not have the genetic makeup for it on average. Also, 4 hours of cardio every day is really over training your body and you're putting a lot of stress on your heart and cardiovascular system in general. Beyond 45 minutes or so of intense cardio, you actually start cannibalizing muscle...so yeah...no way you're building any muscle.

    If you're not losing weight it is because a.) you're not truly at a caloric deficit or b.) your caloric deficit is too big and your body has gone into metabolic stall and is storing rather than burning. With that much cardio, if you're not eating a LOT of food, I'm going to go out on a limb and say option b may be your issue, but I have very little info to work with here.

    Do you have any idea how many calories you consume per day vs how many calories you burn per day?

    As a side not, you'd be much better off using some of that time to lift...lifting will get you body composition...cardio is just weight lifting for the heart and lungs.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Cardio isn't going to bulk you up, even lifting heavy weights won't do it - women don't have enough testosterone for it, and you have to eat a LOT to build muscle anyway.

    But yes, you can exercise too much. Super long periods of exercise can put stress on the body and actually hinder weight loss. Pus it's difficult to eat enough food to make up for the huge calorie burns, and you end up with problems there too.

    Great article here, check it out: http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
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    I love working out as much as the next person. However, there is a sense of diminishing returns, especially with cardio, for that long. once you blow thorugh your glycogen stores (your body can store MAYBE 2 hours of sustained cardio) it starts going after muscle unless you have been refuleing along the way. You don't want that.

    If you want to lean out, do what we all know works:
    * eat the right QUANTITY of food. Approx 20% less that your TDEE.
    * eat high QUALITY food. No more crap in to your body.
    * eat back approx 75 - 80% of your exercise calories. Honest, DO IT!
    * mix weight training (3 or 4 days a week) with cardio training (HIIT for 2 or 3 days a week)

    Women don't naturally bulk up like men. You weren't designed for it. You would have to suppliment massively for that to happen AND work out like crazy.

    Enjoy the results of your focused efforts.
  • fpd226
    fpd226 Posts: 2
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    If you want to implement weights into your workout, it's a great idea. Low weight with high reps will build that lean muscle you're looking for without any concerns about bulking up. Focus on full body exercises with a few other exercises to emphasize certain areas. (ie. tricep extensions to tighten up the triceps.) Hope that helps.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    If you want to implement weights into your workout, it's a great idea. Low weight with high reps will build that lean muscle you're looking for without any concerns about bulking up. Focus on full body exercises with a few other exercises to emphasize certain areas. (ie. tricep extensions to tighten up the triceps.) Hope that helps.
    I disagree on the low weight with high reps - excellent case for lifting heavy and getting that lean, hard body here, and she's not bulky at all: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Edited because the photo I posted is way too big for the page & doesn't show the side by side comparison, but you can see it at the link if you scroll through. :smile:

    Fixed: 8464964837_5fa3aed06b.jpg
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 941 Member
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    If you want to implement weights into your workout, it's a great idea. Low weight with high reps will build that lean muscle you're looking for without any concerns about bulking up.
    Not this.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Agree with those that have said cardio won't build bulk. Also disagree with the one who said low weight/ high reps. Heavier weight and lower reps is the ticket. The amount of weight you can do 5 to 8 reps, 3 to 5 sets with is the "sweet spot".

    The issues with exercising too much are several. One, you don't give your body enough time to recover and rebuild. Two, you can stress your central nervous system with these kinds of excessive amounts of exercise, especially with intense interval training which is not recommeded more that 2 or 3 times per week. Third, exercise causes some release of a stress hormone called cortisol. A build up of cortisol will inhibit weight loss and keep the body in a state of stress. Attached is a good article on this subject.
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • Riemersma4
    Riemersma4 Posts: 400 Member
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    Agree with those that have said cardio won't build bulk. Also disagree with the one who said low weight/ high reps. Heavier weight and lower reps is the ticket. The amount of weight you can do 5 to 8 reps, 3 to 5 sets with is the "sweet spot".

    The issues with exercising too much are several. One, you don't give your body enough time to recover and rebuild. Two, you can stress your central nervous system with these kinds of excessive amounts of exercise, especially with intense interval training which is not recommeded more that 2 or 3 times per week. Third, exercise causes some release of a stress hormone called cortisol. A build up of cortisol will inhibit weight loss and keep the body in a state of stress. Attached is a good article on this subject.
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    For her goals, i would target 8 - 12 reps. no more. no less. IMHO...

    Although, it doens't really matter. GET TO THE GYM and start lifting! ;-)

    Good luck to all!
  • lauraniwa
    lauraniwa Posts: 131 Member
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    Also, does your muscles build differently if you do intense running in one go and then cool down VS interspersing cool downs in between?

    Anyone has any comments on this please feel free to comment :) Very much appreciated!

    I might not understand your question here...if you're doing a "tempo run" i.e. hold a certain pace for a certain length of time vs. "inervals" i.e. max sprint/rest/repeat you're training different energy systems. Both will make you stronger but strictly speaking those are cardiovasular exercises, more about stressing your aerobic system, than your leg strength.

    Lots of good advice here on lifting, but if you're a raw beginner, go low and slow, and get some help with technique before doing anything exotic. I love to lift heavy but it requires excellent technique to avoid injury and most people need some basic strength training before they start trying the big stuff.

    As an aside, the SMALLEST my butt ever was was when I could sumo deadlift 175lb and squat 125lb.:tongue: The bulking up thing is pretty much a complete bald faced lie.
  • shimsjojo
    shimsjojo Posts: 4
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    Wow...wllwsmmr had a great question and your answer made much sense. I use my elipitical every morning for 30 to 40 min. and was thinking of going longer but with what u said I think i will just adjust my tension and stick to the 30 to 40 min. I'm not very tall and have no intension of being a weight lifter just want to be fit. Thanks for the advise, (well the advise for wllwsmmr)
  • wllwsmmr
    wllwsmmr Posts: 391 Member
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    Thank you all so much for the advices!!! I will continue to do more research and see how my body responds to different methods! I had tried severe restriction of calories and intense exercising daily and have lost a couple kgs and then plateaued, til I had a couple of off days where I saw no change in weight but looked leaner, and then I went back to restricting but had an off day once or twice per week but I'd usually compensate for it the next and lost a few more.. But that wasn't so sustainable and having a history of struggling with binge-eating definitely wasn't ideal....

    I am starting to do a little strength training every alternate day but I am doing really low weights and decent reps. I typically only do lunges, squats, dumbbells and a little of the leg lift and chest press machines. I will also try to restrain from over-doing cardio even if I eat more than usual!

    I am not looking to be super fit, I just wanna lose weight and fat on a sustainable lifestyle so yeah :)

    I might come back in a week or two to update my progress! (Though disclaimer: The experiment is not entirely controlled because I am doing better calories wise (ie not binging and overeating less) and so my weight loss is not entirely indicative of how well my plan worked! )
  • wllwsmmr
    wllwsmmr Posts: 391 Member
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    And I guess my definition of 'bulk' is not exactly 'the hulk bulk' but more of having very thick legs due to lots of running (and I am also naturally heavier lower body)
    Though lots of exercise means a really lean upper body (when supplemented with a good eating diet)

    1. So I guess I'm just wondering if I should just stop exercising so much if my calorie intake is decent.

    2. Also, is calories all that matters? Or does eating a lot of carbs and/or sugars despite sticking to caloric goal hinder weight loss? I know that the best diet would be high protein and to not over do carbs and sugars but the thing is I really love fruits so my sugar intake is always over the limit, and I need carbs to stay sane but my fat levels are almost always much lower than recommended.
    I am pretty unwilling to give up being high carb but if it really is causing me to not lose weight and fat then I'd try really hard to reduce my carb intake...

    Any comments and advice would be very much appreciated!!! :)
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    You might find this interesting

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    You might find this interesting

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    I had posted this above. it is so good, it bears repeating!
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
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    You might find this interesting

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    I had posted this above. it is so good, it bears repeating!

    Sorry - missed it above.

    It;s one of my most bookmarked and referrd to references, along with - http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Options
    You might find this interesting

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    I had posted this above. it is so good, it bears repeating!

    Sorry - missed it above.

    It;s one of my most bookmarked and referrd to references, along with - http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

    No prob! I have it bookmarked too! And as I said, it's worth repeating. lol

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