How much is too much?

nmb0717
nmb0717 Posts: 130 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How much working out is too much? Is there such a thing? How many rest days a week should you take? My Zumba instructor mentioned at dinner that if you don't get enough rest days, your body won't respond well to all the exercise you're giving it, including plateaus. Then I was reading on the boards (I know, take it with a grain of salt) that it doesn't take copious amounts of exercise to be productive.

I work out 6 days a week with my rest days being on Thursday. My trainer doesn't want me to lift and do other exercise (aside from an add'l walk/jog, if desired) on the same days I lift. I would consider my bootcamp and 3 Zumba classes to be very high intensity with my heart rate very elevated. My two lifting days are obviously not strenuous on my cardio but exhaust my targeted muscles. So if I'm doing 6-7 hours of exercise a week, is one rest day enough?

Replies

  • Angie1366
    Angie1366 Posts: 85
    This is something I have been concerned about.

    What you need to know is what are you trying to achieve?

    If you are just wanting to feel great after exercise, then do what you want... BUT if you have a specific goal - train to the goal.

    I say this because I decided to do fat burning training, but it is no good for me... It is ruining my aerobic fitness. I do not do weights very often as my goal is to run a race in a specific time, so my weight training days are a day off running.... You do need a rest from certain exercises to get results.

    I have signed up for a month of run 5km a day, just doing it for a laugh, but I think I will regret, some days I am doing it slooowwww to do heart rate, others I go all out to test speed.

    I know I am no expert, but I would say listen to the trainer you respect the most.... If they are trying to help you reach a goal?
  • nmb0717
    nmb0717 Posts: 130 Member
    I'm meeting w/ my trainer tonight and I will definitely ask him his opinion... will post what I find out :)
  • Eileen889
    Eileen889 Posts: 117
    For me 6 days a week of exercise is good and I still perform well the following week after having just one day off. Everyone is different, though, in the amount of exercise that their body can tolerate in a week..... Let us know what your trainer has to say.
  • dkiger85
    dkiger85 Posts: 16 Member
    bump
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    depends on the level of intensity... can you do a heavy squat workout 7 days a week??? definately not. can you run a mile 7 days a week?? most definately

    just have to worry about adrenal fatigue if you are lifting or doing high intensity work.. its also dependant on age and the kind of shape you are in.

    so if you arent old and in decent shape you could do zumba 7 days a week assuming you eat and sleep enough, because moderate intensity cardio is not taxing enough on the central nervous system.
  • nmb0717
    nmb0717 Posts: 130 Member
    So before I could even finish my question about rest days, my trainer said I should definitely be taking 2 days off. He also said that ever 6-8 weeks or so, I should be taking a full week off of high intensity exercise and just do light walking to give my body a chance to fully recover. Same with food, every 6-8 weeks I should eat at TDEE and then cut again (which I knew).
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    So before I could even finish my question about rest days, my trainer said I should definitely be taking 2 days off. He also said that ever 6-8 weeks or so, I should be taking a full week off of high intensity exercise and just do light walking to give my body a chance to fully recover. Same with food, every 6-8 weeks I should eat at TDEE and then cut again (which I knew).

    Helpful info. Thanks for sharing!
  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
    what about 30DS? it is okay to NOT have a rest day during this? I feel if I stop or have a day off then I won't be able to push myself to complete it.
  • nmb0717
    nmb0717 Posts: 130 Member
    what about 30DS? it is okay to NOT have a rest day during this? I feel if I stop or have a day off then I won't be able to push myself to complete it.

    Being hat 30ds isn't that long of a work out, I would imagine that you could get away with doing it every day. Its ok to take a day off, your body needs it, especially if you're doing other exercise aside from 30ds. My trainer said that by giving your body breaks, you give it a chance to full repair itself and you actually come back stronger.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    So before I could even finish my question about rest days, my trainer said I should definitely be taking 2 days off. He also said that ever 6-8 weeks or so, I should be taking a full week off of high intensity exercise and just do light walking to give my body a chance to fully recover. Same with food, every 6-8 weeks I should eat at TDEE and then cut again (which I knew).

    I take a week off about every 3 months or so......or when I've gone too long and injured something. But I take the week off because of high intensity lifting. If I was doing primarily cardio like you are I really wouldn't worry about it that much.
  • Angie1366
    Angie1366 Posts: 85
    I think it is anout getting away from being obsessive... if you can take a day or so off, and you can rest a week every so often then that is probably as much for your mind, as well as physical self....

    I am on the 5:2 diet and this is very flexible, people who need set parameters find it weird to follow this diet as it is sooo flexible.... The only rule set out is to eat a small amount for 2 days and eat normal for 5...

    Exercise is the same - you have to do what you feel best. Take advice from your trainer as I expect they follow their own advice? Yes? But after a while you will know what you can and cannot cope with!
  • thumpthumpdrag
    thumpthumpdrag Posts: 11
    I'm glad you posted this. Exercise improves my mood and energy level so much that I rarely take a rest day, I just feel like too much of a lump. I wonder if a brisk walk or yoga would still be okay on a rest day...

    Oh, just reread and saw that your trainer said light walking was okay... duh.

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