Does overtraining slow the metabolism

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ijohn001
ijohn001 Posts: 166
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a brother who has a holistic doctor. He reportedly told my brother that doing extensive cardio (extensive being more than 3 times per week) will actually cause the metabolism to slow at a drastic rate. I'd never heard that before, but here's my situation...

I'm exercising about 5 days per week, including hiit workouts for approximately 30 minutes and doing high intensity resistance training about 3 days per week. Every workout that I do is high intensity.

When I started, I weighed 218. I'm now down to 195 and have been stuck at the same weight for about 4 weeks. I have had to tighten my belt a notch or two in that time, but no weight loss.

My question is... am I overtraining? Too much cardio?

My goal is not to build a bigger muscle set, but to get lean and tone what i already have.

My net calorie intake usually ends up being a bit low... around 1200-1400 per day... of course, that's after all the exercise calories are deducted.

I appreciate any feedback.... oh, and I'd also welcome any new friend requests.
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Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    What is a holistic doctor?

    Sounds like he's bought into the broscience of cardio gobbling up all of your lean muscle mass (which would result in a reduction of BMR).

    The only time this becomes a concern is if your % of BF is already very low, you're not eating enough protein and you are training for ultra-marathons.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    I lost 60 pounds doing nothing other than running and eating at a deficit. So I'm going to go ahead and call bull on that. (cardio slowing the metabolism). Your scale is probably not moving because you are gaining muscle from resistance training. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure you get enough rest and nutrients and you should be fine.
  • Kicker12
    Kicker12 Posts: 52 Member
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    Doesn't excessive stress on the body ( which is what excessive cardio for an extended period of time is ) raise the level of cortisol which can can cause metabolic damage? I could be completely wrong but I'm sure I have seen that before on here....
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    Dr Layne Norton has said LISS cardio can slow the metabolism - whilst I usually take everything he says on board, I was down to around 9-10% bf and doing LISS cardio 6x a week and was fine. The whole metabolic slowdown/damage has been blown very out of proportion and maybe only relevant to competition bodybuilders.
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    What is a holistic doctor?

    Sounds like he's bought into the broscience of cardio gobbling up all of your lean muscle mass (which would result in a reduction of BMR).

    The only time this becomes a concern is if your % of BF is already very low, you're not eating enough protein and you are training for ultra-marathons.

    a holistic doctor is one who uses natural cures and methods Vs. manufactured medicinal remedies... as far as i know....

    But, my main concern here is why i suddenly stopped losing weight. With my calorie burn/intake being what it is... it really doesn't make sense to me.
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    Doesn't excessive stress on the body ( which is what excessive cardio for an extended period of time is ) raise the level of cortisol which can can cause metabolic damage? I could be completely wrong but I'm sure I have seen that before on here....

    Perhaps. but i'm only doing cardio for no more than 30-35 minutes per workout... when i run, it's never for more than a fast mile... which is between 7:58-8:14 for me, then about a 10 minute cool down jog.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,631 Member
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    I have a brother who has a holistic doctor. He reportedly told my brother that doing extensive cardio (extensive being more than 3 times per week) will actually cause the metabolism to slow at a drastic rate. I'd never heard that before, but here's my situation...

    I'm exercising about 5 days per week, including hiit workouts for approximately 30 minutes and doing high intensity resistance training about 3 days per week. Every workout that I do is high intensity.

    When I started, I weighed 218. I'm now down to 195 and have been stuck at the same weight for about 4 weeks. I have had to tighten my belt a notch or two in that time, but no weight loss.

    My question is... am I overtraining? Too much cardio?

    My goal is not to build a bigger muscle set, but to get lean and tone what i already have.

    My net calorie intake usually ends up being a bit low... around 1200-1400 per day... of course, that's after all the exercise calories are deducted.

    I appreciate any feedback.... oh, and I'd also welcome any new friend requests.

    People are beginning to use "the metabolism will slow down" for all sorts of stuff now.

    I have to admit OP, I have never heard it used in the context of "too much cardio" though and I would say that no, training in cardio over three times per week, will not slow the metabolism down drastically.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    If what you're doing is too much cardio then we wouldn't be here having this conversation because all the Homo erectuses would have died of overtraining and Homo sapiens would never have evolved

    re metabolism.... if you do too much cardio and don't eat enough to support the amount of exercise you do, yes that can cause the metabolism to slow, but not by all that much. Most of the symptoms/problems associated with overtraining are actually due to undereating, not overtraining. If you eat properly, i.e. a sensible deficit for slow and steady weight loss if that's your goal, then you really would have to do a metric crap ton of exercise to risk health issues due to overtraining. If you're lifting very heavy weights, e.g. bodybuilder or powerlifting kind of weights, then there is more of a risk of overtraining, hence the importance of rest days (or not training the same muscle group on two consecutive days), so if you were doing heavy squats and deadlifts 7 days a week then that would be overtraining, but for cardio if you're eating enough you can do cardio near enough every day.

    Too much cardio can interfere with some goals, e.g. if you want to gain lean mass, doing a ton of cardio would make it extremely difficult to eat enough to actually make lean mass gains, because you have to eat enough to fuel all that cardio, plus enough to fuel all the weight training, plus your BMR (i.e. keep your organs etc working) plus a surplus to grow muscle... that's a huge amount of food, so it's often recommended to cut back on cardio if you want to gain lean mass. But if that's not your goal then don't worry too much.

    note: rest days are important (even if the dangers of overtraining are often exaggerated, you still need to rest sometimes), and the most important factor is long term compliance which means enjoying what exercise you do... you don't have to push your body to the absolute limits to be fit, but if you're enjoying doing the amount of exercise you're doing, and it's a sustainable lifestyle for you, then stick with it. The advice like 3x a week
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
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    I don't think "slows the metabolism" is exactly right, but it can slow weight loss. I like this article that explains it - the author is German so his English can be a little tough to read but it's good info, and he's got more on overtraining if you're interested: http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2013/06/overtraining-undereating-self-inflicted.html

    While this is directed at women because the author believes they are the only ones that do this, the biology is relevant for men too: http://suppversity.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/summary/-/SATS
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    I lost 60 pounds doing nothing other than running and eating at a deficit. So I'm going to go ahead and call bull on that. (cardio slowing the metabolism). Your scale is probably not moving because you are gaining muscle from resistance training. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure you get enough rest and nutrients and you should be fine.

    Thanks... i appreciate the encouragement.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    If you're not losing weight, you are over-eating, btw. The person who said you are gaining muscle and losing fat is also wrong, because you sound like you've been lifting a while - you cannot do both at the same time.
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    If what you're doing is too much cardio then we wouldn't be here having this conversation because all the Homo erectuses would have died of overtraining and Homo sapiens would never have evolved

    re metabolism.... if you do too much cardio and don't eat enough to support the amount of exercise you do, yes that can cause the metabolism to slow, but not by all that much. Most of the symptoms/problems associated with overtraining are actually due to undereating, not overtraining. If you eat properly, i.e. a sensible deficit for slow and steady weight loss if that's your goal, then you really would have to do a metric crap ton of exercise to risk health issues due to overtraining. If you're lifting very heavy weights, e.g. bodybuilder or powerlifting kind of weights, then there is more of a risk of overtraining, hence the importance of rest days (or not training the same muscle group on two consecutive days), so if you were doing heavy squats and deadlifts 7 days a week then that would be overtraining, but for cardio if you're eating enough you can do cardio near enough every day.

    Too much cardio can interfere with some goals, e.g. if you want to gain lean mass, doing a ton of cardio would make it extremely difficult to eat enough to actually make lean mass gains, because you have to eat enough to fuel all that cardio, plus enough to fuel all the weight training, plus your BMR (i.e. keep your organs etc working) plus a surplus to grow muscle... that's a huge amount of food, so it's often recommended to cut back on cardio if you want to gain lean mass. But if that's not your goal then don't worry too much.

    note: rest days are important (even if the dangers of overtraining are often exaggerated, you still need to rest sometimes), and the most important factor is long term compliance which means enjoying what exercise you do... you don't have to push your body to the absolute limits to be fit, but if you're enjoying doing the amount of exercise you're doing, and it's a sustainable lifestyle for you, then stick with it. The advice like 3x a week

    great... good word, there.
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    I don't think "slows the metabolism" is exactly right, but it can slow weight loss. I like this article that explains it - the author is German so his English can be a little tough to read but it's good info, and he's got more on overtraining if you're interested: http://suppversity.blogspot.com/2013/06/overtraining-undereating-self-inflicted.html

    While this is directed at women because the author believes they are the only ones that do this, the biology is relevant for men too: http://suppversity.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/summary/-/SATS

    thanks... i'll check it out.
  • clepant
    clepant Posts: 3,403 Member
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    A holistic doctor is one that treats the entire body rather then addressing just the issue. Usually the body is out of sink and what is the problem is a symptom of other issues. Cancer or disorder is often the result of other issues taking place in the body. It could be the immune system that is not able to fend off the attack...etc. Many people view them as quacks. I use an holistic vet in GB. He treated my dog for MRSP a form of MRSA. No American doctors were able to get a handle on it but he treated my dogs whole system to improve it and help it to naturally fight off the MRSP.
  • Barbellgirl
    Barbellgirl Posts: 544 Member
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    John, your net calories sound low to me. I'm 5'6" 112 lbs, female and 46. My lowest net was 1200, and when I increased it to 1500 I had better fat loss results. I'm just wondering if you are eating below your BMR which could slow down your metabolism???
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    If you're not losing weight, you are over-eating, btw. The person who said you are gaining muscle and losing fat is also wrong, because you sound like you've been lifting a while - you cannot do both at the same time.

    Is that really true... you cannot gain muscle and burn fat at the same time...? And you're sure I''m overeating at a net of 1400 calories? Wow... I'm not trying to be a smart allec, but, what about the warnings regarding starvation mode due to too few calories? Really, boiled down to the bare essence... that becomes the true question... am i undereating, which can slow the metabolism?

    Overeating would cause weight gain... that's not happening... and, as i stated above, the belt has tightened a notch or two during the process.
  • jgal86
    jgal86 Posts: 77
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    If doing cardio more than 3 times per week slows your metabolism I must be hooped... because I do it up to 7 times a week if I'm feeling good.
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    If you're not losing weight, you are over-eating, btw. The person who said you are gaining muscle and losing fat is also wrong, because you sound like you've been lifting a while - you cannot do both at the same time.

    Umm... I beg to differ. I haven't lost any weight in months but have gone down 3% in body fat doing cardio and weight training. If he is eating at a deficit and exercising he is obviously not gaining fat. It could be water retention or all manner of things. But to just dismiss muscle growth seems a little ignorant to me.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
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    If you're not losing weight, you are over-eating, btw. The person who said you are gaining muscle and losing fat is also wrong, because you sound like you've been lifting a while - you cannot do both at the same time.

    Is that really true... you cannot gain muscle and burn fat at the same time...? And you're sure I''m overeating at a net of 1400 calories? Wow... I'm not trying to be a smart allec, but, what about the warnings regarding starvation mode due to too few calories? Really, boiled down to the bare essence... that becomes the true question... am i undereating, which can slow the metabolism?

    Overeating would cause weight gain... that's not happening... and, as i stated above, the belt has tightened a notch or two during the process.

    Yes it is true, and gymgypsy is spouting faff.

    If you have been lifting for a while, (3 months or longer) you can not build muscle and lose fat at the same time, it takes years.

    If you disagree with me, go over to bodybuilding.com losing fat section, and everyone will tell you exactly the same. Starvation mode is not really an issue, and you're over thinking. You could also be miscalculating your calories (you wont like to hear it, but its possible).
  • ijohn001
    ijohn001 Posts: 166
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    John, your net calories sound low to me. I'm 5'6" 112 lbs, female and 46. My lowest net was 1200, and when I increased it to 1500 I had better fat loss results. I'm just wondering if you are eating below your BMR which could slow down your metabolism???

    Lenora... that's exactly what i'm trying to get an answer to... am i under-eating? if that's the case, then perhaps i should back off of the cardio a bit, because chances of me eating more are not very good, considering factors unique to my life... schedule, good food availability, etc.

    My wife doesn't believe in eating more than a couple times per day, that makes it difficult for me to get the proper nutrients... but, that's a completely different story.

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