Critique my fitness regimen + Am I Overtraining?

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phillipedes
phillipedes Posts: 16
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!

I am a busy lady with lots of energy, so I have a habit of taking exercise classes for fun. I've been active in Aikido and Bellydance the past 10+ years, and recently took up Yoga a few times a week. This semester, I was looking to try some new Martial Arts, so I also signed up for Kung Fu and Kajukenbo. This leaves me wondering, am I overtraining?

Regardless of the answer, I'd appreciate some knowledgeable critique on how I can make the most of this!

I'm 22 and in pretty good shape, currently 137 lbs. I don't have any health problems. I'm looking to lose about 13 pounds and then put on a few pounds of muscle after I've cut down.

Diet wise: I eat as much protein as I can in every meal - lentils, garbanzos, black beans, tofu, quinoa, spinach, peas, Sunwarrior protein powder etc. I'd say my average protein intake ranges from 65 - 100 g per day.

Here's my schedule:

SUNDAY
Walking (90 min)
Kajukenbo (90 min)
Yoga (90 min)

MONDAY
Bellydance (60 min)

TUESDAY
Hot Yoga (60 min)
Aikido (60 min)
Kung Fu (60 min)
* Considering adding in 30 min weight training...

WEDNESDAY
Bellydance (50 min)
Yoga (90 min)

THURSDAY
Aikido (60 min)

FRIDAY
- - - Off - - -
* Considering doing Yoga or Rock-Climbing...

SATURDAY
Aikido (75 min)


What can I do to maximize results? I'd love to gain muscle WHILE losing weight, but I know that's nearly impossible, LOL.
How can I prevent injury without changing this schedule? (Icing? Epsom soaks? I do the Yoga for the stretching...)
Any other general tips?

As my classes all end mid-March, I'll probably cut the Kajukenbo and possibly Kung Fu classes to switch with weight training. We'll see.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    i'm of the keep it up and see how you feel camp. listen to you body and if it gets to be too much then cut back


    and with so much working out, i have to wonder do you have a social life? i know when i used to work out that much and more, i didnt really have much of a social life outside my team.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    When I was about that age, I did a similar schedule with capoeira, dance, running, and lifting. About 4 hours/day of exercise/training. Was perfectly fine. But I wasn't trying to lose weight or be vegetarian or vegan. My meals were like, entire bag of pasta + entire can of beans + chicken. Plus snacks and wine.

    Anyway, if you're feeling fine, it should be fine. But pay attention to your body. Start feeling run down, might want to dial down the training or up the intake.
  • db34fit69
    db34fit69 Posts: 189 Member
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    I say, if you have the time for it, go for it.

    Most of those activities are not very intense, so I don't see the harm in walking an hour and half and then doing that amount of yoga as well.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    When I was about that age, I did a similar schedule with capoeira, dance, running, and lifting. About 4 hours/day of exercise/training. Was perfectly fine. But I wasn't trying to lose weight or be vegetarian or vegan. My meals were like, entire bag of pasta + entire can of beans + chicken. Plus snacks and wine.

    Anyway, if you're feeling fine, it should be fine. But pay attention to your body. Start feeling run down, might want to dial down the training or up the intake.

    YAY ! another capoeira lover!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Well, overtraining is usually characterized by injury, illness symptoms from compromised immune system- like catching a lot of colds, general feelings of lethargy, sleeping problems, appetite issues, etc. If you have the energy to do this much and you want to do more, I doubt you're actually overtraining. Sounds like your body can handle the activity....


    ...I have no idea how...it sounds exhausting....but you seem to have it down.

    Just make sure you're eating enough to support our activity and slow down if you start experiencing any of the symptoms of overtraining.

    To gain muscle you'll need to start weight training somewhere in there, and eat at maintenance or a calorie surplus.

    To prevent injury, your best bet is to warm up properly for each activity and, again, eat enough to support the activity level. Epsom will help with soreness, but not really preventing injury. And get enough sleep.
  • phillipedes
    phillipedes Posts: 16
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    Thanks guys :)

    I'm gonna keep this up for another week or so and start adding in some weight training here and there... I'm thinking of Tuesday and Sunday to start, maybe I can fit in a Thursday morning before my English class!

    @MoreBean13: I haven't been sleeping as much as I should be due to work/home stress and caught a cold recently, so I actually took tonight off to stay in and rest. Of course, that led to me scarfing a thing of dates & almond butter, but that's a whole 'nother challenge *sigh*

    I'd like to lose weight before building bulking, so I can reeeeally focus on having the weight I gain be almost entirely muscle. Maintenance it is! Just wondering if it's possible to eat below maintenance and still be able to be active, I really want to lose 10 pounds - I've gained a bit too much weight for my preference lately

    @jwdieter: Awesome! I really want to add in a few weight sessions like I said above, but I was concerned that I might be overdoing it. My family all thinks I'm nuts for exercising for hours every day, but it doesn't really feel like much of a workout, honestly - I always want to do more LOL

    @meshashesha20: I am pretty burned out on the conventional "having a social life"... I go to aikido, dance, etc. because it keeps me happy and sane. I live in a smaller town, and the social life options are basically smoking grass, "tinder"ing or going to bars, none of which are anything I'm interested in.

    @db34fit69: Thanks for the input, I figured something similar - most of it's rather low-impact, so I should be ok :)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    So what you got from the responses is that you should not only continue this plan but that you should also add more to it?

    So the question was, "Am I over training and if not, what more can I add till I get there?"
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Doing a lot of activity/exercise does not automatically equal overtraining. You just have to be aware of the signs of overtraining and not ignore them if they appear.

    My main concern in looking at your list is not so much the volume as the fact that it doesn't seem to be focused on the goals you say you want to achieve. It seems a little random. I would recommend that you set a "core" group of workouts, esp two focused strength sessions per week, and then look at everything else as "fun". That way if you find yourself becoming overextended, you cut back on the nonessential stuff first.
  • phillipedes
    phillipedes Posts: 16
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    @Azdak:Thank you! This is quite helpful - I am going to start strength training twice a week, on an upper/lower body split. I was considering doing conditioning anyways, because my yoga inversions are weak!


    @DavPul: Well if you want to go the snarky route, LOL! I appreciate tangible contributions, but since that's not what I'm seeing from you right now I'll just have to take your comment with a grain of salt :)
  • fionawilliamson
    fionawilliamson Posts: 110 Member
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    No wonder you describe yourself as busy - holly smokes I wish I could do half of what you do.

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