How much exercise is TOO much exercise?

frankiesats
frankiesats Posts: 114 Member
edited December 18 in Fitness and Exercise
On a 1400 calorie diet, how much would you say is TOO much exercise?

A typical gym session for me (4 times a week involves)

- 30 minutes interval run (5 min warm up and cool down included) i'll typically cover about 4.5-5km
- 20km cycle (split in two halves - around 18 minutes each part)
- 2km row (10 minutes)
- 15 minute ab work out (Nike Training Club)
- 20 minutes of strength training (not including rest time)

I'll then try and road run at least 3 miles once a week on top of the above and swim 1-2 times per week (15-25 lengths of a 25m pool)


How much is TOO much and what do you typically do in a gym session?

Replies

  • Toddrific
    Toddrific Posts: 1,114 Member
    Too much is when you feel tired and sleepy all the time.
    Too much is when it hurts.

    other than that..go for it!
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
    So about 2 hours? Perfectly fine. As long as you 1) Don't feel ill/unwell afterwards and 2) feel it is sustainable, GO FOR IT!
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    Too much is when you feel tired and sleepy all the time.
    Too much is when it hurts.

    other than that..go for it!


    ^^^^ exactly. Just listen to your body and don't ignore signs of overtraining. And when working out that much you MUST eat back your calories, or at least a good portion of them, otherwise your body will also burn muscle for energy for an immediate source.
  • technicalman
    technicalman Posts: 23 Member
    keep it fun, or you won't do it for very long.
  • LindaCWy
    LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
    I do 40 mins on my training days, 20 mins weight training, 20 mins cardio. On my "off" days I do 20 - 40 mins cardio, complete rest days atleast one, maybe two. Which isn't alot, but with my hectic shedual it's all I can do, and I still get results. If you are getting the results you want and you aren't spreading yourself thin then you are fine.
    If you are tired/ exhausted all the time then you need to eat more but if you feel good with your schedual then all the power to you.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    When it hurts, when you get tired so that it affects your concentration even slightly, it is time to give it a rest. I know 2 great white-water canoeists who will portage rapids at the end of the day that would have been a welcome challenge earlier in the day. They know they are fatiqued and that their reflexes will be off. The same applies to any exercise.
  • shovav91
    shovav91 Posts: 2,335 Member
    If you're eating that little, you need to be making sure you're eating back what you burn in the gym. Otherwise, that's really not a sustainable fitness plan and you will burn your body out.
  • nikki_marie05
    nikki_marie05 Posts: 88 Member
    ^^^^ exactly. Just listen to your body and don't ignore signs of overtraining. And when working out that much you MUST eat back your calories, or at least a good portion of them, otherwise your body will also burn muscle for energy for an immediate source.

    Yes, make sure you are getting net calories of at least 1200. Not only will your body burn muscle under 1200 cals but it will also go into starvation mode holding onto fat instead of burning it.

    Net cals: Total amount of cals - Cals burned during exercise = net cals
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
    I do 3 times a week about 1-2 hours each time - that's on a 2000 kcal/day diet and I eat back most exercise calories.

    My personal opinion is that 1400 calories sound like an awful little amount of energy compared to the expenditure you describe....but then again I don't know how sedantary you are, when you are not at the gym or if you have any medical conditions.

    A conservative estimate of your expenditure during the training you describe is 600-750 calories (and on your running/swimming on the non-training days it's probably around 300 calories) - this means that on a training day you have perhaps 800 calories left to fuel basic bodily functions and normal life........to me that seems rather low, and I would in general not recommend to try and sustain yourself on such a low energy intake.

    But rather than tuning down the exercise I would up my energy intake.......
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
    Too much would be an injury. I know I won't do too much until I do more than my pilates instructor. She over 50 and probably does 2hrs a day.
  • frankiesats
    frankiesats Posts: 114 Member
    There are always the same people I spot in the gym... I always think 'god they're here a lot' but they're only there as much as I am, they must think the same thing :)
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