Is there such a thing as working out too much??

djspacecaptain
djspacecaptain Posts: 366 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is there a point where one works out too much that it hinders weight loss? Like last week i worked out for a total of 6 days clocking about 17 hours of exercise and over 9,000 calories burned (give of take but thats about right). I also stayed good on my diet eating atleast 600 calories under my daily goal each day. Giving the math i should have lost a few pounds but i actually gained 2. I dont understand why and now i am thinking maybe im exericising too much? I know 17 hours in 6 days is a lot which is why its in my mind.

Replies

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Well, working out too much can cause burnout, excessive fatigue, and greatly increase your chance of injury, but it won't hinder wright loss. What's likely is that, as commonly happens when you change or increase your exercise routine, your muscles will hang on to water in order to repair themselves, causing a slight, temporary gain.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited March 2016
    What kind of exercise are you doing?

    My only exercise is walking, and I average around 14-17 hours a week of purposeful walking. It hasn't slowed down my weight loss, but it's obviously not high intense activity.

    ETA: As Jennifer mentioned, any new exercise regime almost always results in water retention in the beginning. So that could be masking any losses, provided ofcourse that your calories in are accurate.
  • djspacecaptain
    djspacecaptain Posts: 366 Member
    Water retention was another possibility i was thinking. Well no burnout, fatigue or injury yet. Im guessing i just need to power through this until my muscles repair?
  • djspacecaptain
    djspacecaptain Posts: 366 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    What kind of exercise are you doing?

    My only exercise is walking, and I average around 14-17 hours a week of purposeful walking. It hasn't slowed down my weight loss, but it's obviously not high intense activity.

    Im doing two sessions daily. In the morning i do about 20 mins of abs followed by 40 minutes of HIIT on the stationary bike and ending with another 40 minutes on the row machine (not HIIT). Then at night i do an hour on the treadmill at incline level 14 for 2 miles then incline level 12 for the last mile, then to end the night i do a 20-30 minute weight lifting session.
  • brrrycicle
    brrrycicle Posts: 64 Member
    djspacecaptain wrote: »
    Water retention was another possibility i was thinking. Well no burnout, fatigue or injury yet. Im guessing i just need to power through this until my muscles repair?

    I would scale back the exercise and eat closer to your caloric allotment. Being too aggressive in the beginning will cause most people to burnout and give up after a couple of weeks/months. I usually eat back 50% of my exercise calories because most calorie-burn calculators are rather inflated. Try easing up a bit and reevaluate how you feel and your progress after a couple of weeks. Good luck!
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    djspacecaptain wrote: »
    Is there such a thing as working out too much??

    Yes, it's called "hypergymnasia".

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypergymnasia

    Not sure you have it, though, but it's important to be aware of its dangers.
    brrrycicle wrote: »
    I usually eat back 50% of my exercise calories because most calorie-burn calculators are rather inflated. Try easing up a bit and reevaluate how you feel and your progress after a couple of weeks. Good luck!

    This.

    Intense exercise causes water retention a day or two after, yes, which could explain your lack of weight loss. Also make sure you are accurately logging.
  • shed77f
    shed77f Posts: 41 Member
    It's really brilliant you're so active but for me the key is sustainability.

    Is this level of activity something you really enjoy & plan to do forever? Or is it just to get to the finish line I.e. Your goal weight?

    If it's just the temporary thing that might make maintenance more tricky & cause yo-yoing in the long term.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    djspacecaptain wrote: »
    Water retention was another possibility i was thinking. Well no burnout, fatigue or injury yet. Im guessing i just need to power through this until my muscles repair?
    That's because you've only been doing it for a short period of time. Just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't.
  • K_deng
    K_deng Posts: 12 Member
    Doesn't sound too tasking...just make sure you are at least resting. Your body needs time to recover. Also, as long as you are doing the exercises properly and eating healthy in order to have energy, your scheduling seems fine to me!
    Dr. D · 8 years ago
  • Dofflin
    Dofflin Posts: 127 Member
    Sounds like you increased your workload.
    Take a break, recover, return to your workout regime.

    I personally gain weight when I try to do too much exercise because I supplement with caffeine which causes insomnia, and then I eat more the next day in my sleep-deprived state. I found the cause and eliminated it now I workout in moderation and my fitness has improved because I can recover at night. Look outside the calories.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    When we workout more than usual our bodies definately hold onto water to repair our muscles, hence our weight appearing to go up (briefly).. you need to find what workouts you could do consistently on a long term basis.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    edited March 2016
    A lot of the gains in exercise come when you rest, not right when you are doing the exercise. People training for distance triathalon, and professional athletes, work out a lot of hours a week, and people with active jobs that require a lot of running around and lifting... I think your 17 hours is admirable and won't hurt you, but without adequate rest and nutrition built into your training schedule you limit your progress and risk injury.

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