Working out LESS to see results?

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TahanyE
TahanyE Posts: 83
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm seeing a personal trainer and he wants me working out 5 days a week. He wants me doing weight training 3 days a week and 45-60 min cardio 2 days. He also wants 30 min of high interval training 3x's a week (on weight days). I was doing this for the first 4 weeks of our training and started feeling very drained, physically exhausted & my workout intensity started unconsciously decreasing. I just couldn't push myself as hard as I normally did. We ended up moving farther from the gym & during the week of crazy packing, moving and settling I only went to the gym once to workout with my trainer. In the 3 weeks since ive dropped 11 pounds and am going 2-3 times a week. I'm seeing more results going less than I am going more and I feel better. I'm wondering if I started too fast & should have started slower. I've never really worked out before. Before this it had been easily 8 years since I last was in a gym. Maybe starting slow would have been better. I meet with my trainer again this week and plan to discuss this with him. Just wonderin what the possibilities of this being the case are?

Replies

  • gunmetalsunrise
    gunmetalsunrise Posts: 131
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    Working out less until you can get to that intensity your trainer mentioned is probably a good idea. As much as our minds believe we can kick ALL the machines' *kitten*, it soon becomes apparent our bodies just can't keep up. :) It's why people who are not in at least some shape can get the full effect from work-out programs like P90X: it's just not meant for those of us who arn't strong enough yet.

    There's no shame in going "easy" at first. You need to be able to get yourself in shape and build yourself up before you can go super intense. I mean I was upset at myself that walking on the treadmill at 3 mph winded me, when six months ago I could run at 4 mph. Now I can run for some minutes at a time at 4 mph, but that took walking on the treadmill every day, drinking lots of water, eating right, etc.

    It's called training, and you'll get there. Don't give up on yourself! :)
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    My personal trainer is like yours.. Got my started on my gyms strength training program(it's called activtrax and puts together workouts for you) and wants me strength training 4x a week, plus seeing him once a week. First week I tried it, I about killed him because I was so stressed out from trying to get it all in.

    I've now found that i need to do what works for me.. and if you can't get it all in yet, thats ok. Do what your body(and time!) allows. He'll understand.. and if he doesn't then he's not for you!
  • andrejjorje
    andrejjorje Posts: 497 Member
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    I'd say this is food related.Calories in vs calories out.Not enough carbs or too low daily intake.Are you discussing nutrition with your trainer?You should.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Everyone is different and sometimes Trainers who are in great shape forget about how hard it is to build up the strength & cardio endurance to work out at this suggested pace.
    In addition, one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of training is REST. Your body needs rest time to repair and rebuild the muscles used when you exercise.
    Try manipulating the program your trainer has given you to better suit you current fitness level and life.
    Maybe 2 cardios @ 30 - 45 min & 1 strength & 1 interval session per week. Note: I add 10 min of cadio before my strength training as a warm up and from time to time depending on how I feel I add a cardio after a strength workout.
    What ever combo works for you, go with it for a few weeks. Give your body a chance to get used to the demands you are making on it. Once it is no longer challenging, make a change of some sort.
    Remember the most important thing about any training is that it should be fun!
    Good luck!
  • TahanyE
    TahanyE Posts: 83
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    I am going to talk with him about altering my workouts. He seems to want to push me which I do need but I feel better over all since cutting back my workouts. I don't have the greatest diet but I do have enough carb & calorie intake. I just need to change up where those are coming from. Diet has been the hardest change for me.

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