Overdoing it?

GTOgirl1969
GTOgirl1969 Posts: 2,527 Member
edited September 18 in Fitness and Exercise
How many days in a row should you exercise? I already know that you aren't supposed to do full body strength training every day, as this gives the muscles time to rest and rebuild. Is it OK to do HIIT cardio 6 days in a row?.

Replies

  • GTOgirl1969
    GTOgirl1969 Posts: 2,527 Member
    How many days in a row should you exercise? I already know that you aren't supposed to do full body strength training every day, as this gives the muscles time to rest and rebuild. Is it OK to do HIIT cardio 6 days in a row?.
  • joanne123
    joanne123 Posts: 69
    ooh, I didn't know there were rules about this, looking forward to the responses you get as I have been doing cardio for an hour 5 days a week....
  • tiangelah
    tiangelah Posts: 144
    I guess so I run twice 5 days a week unless it is raining. I do this so after dinner I dont fall asleep on the couch. I walk around my apartment complex once then run once. I dont know if it is doing something but I sure do feel better and it helps me go to the bathroom lol. I do cardio period 6 times a week. I only run once on saturday. Sunday is my lazy day. Church, sleep, eat , sleep, eat, sleep. lol lol
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
    Cardio isn't the same as weight training. Aside from the first few days or weeks, where your muscles were previously atrophied and need time to rebuild to normal, cardio work doesn't need a lot of repair time for the muscles. In cardio, when your muscles get tired it's because the body can't distribute oxygen to the muscles fast enough, so when the blood becomes oxygen poor, your muscles start to burn lactic acid, which is that burning you feel when you are really tired. This disapates over a period of minutes or hours. So, you can do cardio every day if you like. I run 6 days a week. Some weeks 7. The first few weeks might be rough, but your body snaps into fighting form pretty quickly (with obvious exceptions like obese people working out for the first time, and people with nagging injuries or health conditions...etc).

    Weight training, on the other hand, actually creates microtears in the the muscles, which never close, instead the body fills in the tears with new muscle, creating denser, stronger, (and sometimes) bigger muscle. this takes a longer period of time (usually between 1 to 2 days for the "in shape" weight lifter. And until the body is healed, any new work with that muscle will be much less efficient.
  • alyfin
    alyfin Posts: 103
    Be careful, though, if you do intense training for anything, especially running. If you haven't done much working out then you start to hard you can injure yourself. Women are prone to knee injuries, and over training can cause problems. There are reasons marathoners have to take days of rest and cross train. Generally don't worry about overdoing it at running until you run more than 1 hour a day, do sprints, or steep hills. Gentle stretching after exercise can help minimize the risks. Ask around what the limits are for other types of exercise. Cardio can be fun. Enjoy it!
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
    very very true. Make sure you take precautions. As an avid runner, I recommend finding a running coach for a lesson or two. Believe it or not, there is a right and wrong way to run. I was lucky in that I was taught in high school how to run correctly. But heel toe is rough on your knees and back. Watch any good distance runner and you'll notice they run on the balls of their feet.
  • jessneill
    jessneill Posts: 380 Member
    I agree with Banks. You can do cardio every day as long as you pay attention to your body and nothing is hurting you.

    Weight lifting you do need to take a day off in-between. You can do a full body strenght training on a single day if you want but you do need to give your body time to repair. That is the way my boyfriend does his. I, on the other hand, alternate between upper body and lower body.

    So, one week I'll do 2 days of upper body and 1 day of lower and the next week I'll do 2 days of lower and 1 of upper. On days I do strenght training I do at least 20 minutes of cardio to warm up. If I have time I'll do another 30 minutes after. Days I don't do strenght training I do anywhere from 1 to 1.5 hours of cardio.

    I work out 6 days a week total and take every Sunday off right now.
  • crystalicfusion
    crystalicfusion Posts: 79
    I agree, just make sure that you listen to your body so you know when to stop.

    I have karate 2 days a week and I run every other day except sunday, its my day off. If I feel sick or overworked then I slow it down a bit.
  • GTOgirl1969
    GTOgirl1969 Posts: 2,527 Member
    Thanks guys, that's about what I thought. I tried only working out every other day, but my weight loss was going NOWHERE (in fact, I gained 8 lbs.). So I decided to only take one day off per week (usually Sat. or Sun., it depends on what my weekend plans are.)
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    Don't forget to cross train. As your body adapts to the new demands being placed on it, you will burn fewer calories for the same exercise because you become more efficient. Mix things up to keep your body guessing and the metabolic fires raging!
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