how much is too much?

LauraFouhse · March 2014

I started my fitness journey in September of last year. I have a trainer who I work with 3 times per week (M,W,F) for an hour. I am also doing HIIT on the treadmill 3 times per week (Tu,Th,Sa). I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of these workouts. I feel like I"m in pretty good shape, considering I was a complete couch potato prior to joining the gym.

Next week I am starting to train for a triathlon (it's a group thing). I will be doing bike training on Monday nights, running on Thursday nights and swimming on Sunday mornings.

In your opinion, is it okay for me to simply add on the triathlon training to what I'm already doing or will that only hinder my progress? How much training is too much? How will I know when I've reached that point?

I'm just so excited about being fitter and that I have the energy to actually do stuff that I just want to do it all and I can't imagine giving up any of it... but I also don't want to injure myself or compromise my goals (I still want to lose about 5% body fat).

bms34b · March 2014

1. Ask your trainer her/his thoughts.

2. Make sure you're eating enough/resting enough.

3. Listen to your body. This sounds crazy, but as someone who herniated a disk by working out too, there were signs where my body was telling me that it was too much. Listen to that.

LauraFouhse · March 2014

I should add... I did talk with my trainer about it. Just looking for other opinions.

MinnieInMaine · March 2014

There is such a thing as overtraining so you really do need to be careful. You could try it but really pay attention to what your body is telling you. Common symptoms of overtraining include: extreme fatigue, restlessness/insomnia, inability to progress in training (or even regressing), decreased immunity, increase in muscle/joint pain, decreased appetite, etc. Rest and recovery are needed in order to progress with your training, as is proper nutrition and hydration.

Good luck!

JTick · March 2014

I would mostly be concerned that you're eating enough to support that activity. If your calories goal is something like 1200, then you will burn out FAST. If you're still trying to lose weight, make sure you deficit is reasonably small so that you're not trying to do all that while still shooting for 2 lbs/week.

Make sure you take rest days. If you feel fatigued all the time, sore all the time, etc, you might be overtraining.

mailroomclerk · March 2014

Sounds pretty legit.

It depends on your current level of fitness and intensity you bring to your workouts. If you're alternating weight lifting and cardio like this throughout the week it shouldn't be too bad, just make sure you're respecting your rest day.

You'll know if you can't handle it, I'll just say that haha. If you're training extensively you want to make sure you are getting enough sleep and if need be you can take a look at recovery supplementation (BCCA, Creatine etc.) or a simple protein powder with an apple (carb) directly after you workout can help as well.

If you haven't biked in a while let me tell you this, your *kitten* is probably going to hurt for a little while. For running, be careful of impact on the ground (especially downhill). Swimming is amazing but it's also very difficult.

If this is what you love doing, I say go for it. Respect how you feel is all.

(I"m a PT too)

SephiraRose · March 2014

Wow Laura that's fantastic, I know you already eat a fabulously healthy diet. I'm sure you'll have to increase your calories to support all that extra training. Make sure you get your rest too. You go girl! Best success for your triathlon goals.

LauraFouhse · March 2014

thanks everyone. I will most definitely try to pay attention to my body and how I'm feeling. I'm a wee bit on the obsessive side of things so not always good at healthy balances. I do have people in my life though (my trainer being one) who will kick my *kitten* if I'm not taking care of myself.

Eating is going to be a challenge for me, definitely. I have spent so much of my life yo-yo dieting with significant calorie deficit to lose weight (of course gaining it back every time). My trainer tells me I should definitely not be eating less than 1500 calories a day and is constantly encouraging me to eat more. I have such a hard time believing that I can eat more and not get fat (even though I have lost over 20 pounds so far). It just goes against everything else I've learned to this point. I have decided, however, to put my trust in my trainer... I do believe he has my best interests at heart. So I will set a goal of eating more of my exercise calories back.

chunkytfg · March 2014

I'm currently Ironman training and my plan calls for 3 swims, 3 runs, 3 bikes a week along with 1 of the bikes being a brick session so technically thats 4 runs a week. Even with all that I get a light day on the wed and a rest day on the Monday.

I would definitely make sure you have 1 day off a week and it works well if you can have it the day after your big days. Monday works for me as my long bike/brick is Saturday and long run is sunday.

As others have said though account for the extra into your diet to stop yourself burning out. Also being a bit sore the next day is not a sign you are overtraining merely that you are doing a lot of it. Overtraining is a more gradual problem that creeps in and could be more a case of your recovery isn't right. Ice baths and foam rollers are your friends as much as they are horrible!! I work my plan so I don't bike and run the same day except for the brick and tend to swim on run days as the biking is more time consuming.

LauraFouhse · March 2014

Ice baths and foam rollers are your friends as much as they are horrible!!

say what????? I thought nice hot epsom salt baths were the answer to all my problems?
An ice bath... as in ICE?
How does it work? ice cold water, in an out? or are you supposed to soak?

I'm asking cuz I know without a doubt that I'm going to be sore and I need all the help I can get.

but an ice bath? really? hmmmm

how much is too much?

Replies

Categories