Too much exercise?

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zozzabubba
zozzabubba Posts: 137 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have a question regarding healthy limits on exercise. Thanks in advance for any help!
I'm 18 and therefore probably at the absolute best time in my life to handle lots of exercise. Right now, with it being the Summer, I have lots of time on my hands and therefore am able to spend 3-4 hours a day at the gym. My gym is REALLY good, with lots of varied classes so it's not like I'm running on a treadmill for 4 hours straight.
It really does vary for me (e.g. today I'm just doing 1 hour of spin class and that's it) but in a day, I might do something like

1 hour body pump
1 hour cycling
Break to rehydrate and eat
1 hour pilates
1 hour swimming

Would this be too strenuous or in any way bad for my health? I've been doing 2-3 hours daily for the last few weeks, and feel fine, though sometimes I get achey. If I'm achey is it a sign that I should take a day off? And is there any reason why I shouldn't be working out this much?
Thanks a lot!

Replies

  • cryshelle247
    cryshelle247 Posts: 78 Member
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    whats body pump?
  • Matthewgd24
    Matthewgd24 Posts: 41
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    the absoluate best time isnt 18 necessarily..ive heard youre ideal prime body shape is when youre about 26-28 for guys and 24-26 for women
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
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    If you're in good physical health and you can handle it physically, it's perfectly safe. Dancers and athletes train for 8-12 hours a day all the time. Just make sure you're meeting your higher caloric requirements so you don't accidentally starve yourself.
  • Mawkish1983
    Mawkish1983 Posts: 117 Member
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    I don't like exercise.
  • JoyofTraining
    JoyofTraining Posts: 4
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    As long as you vary in both classes and intensity it should be fine. All days and all classes should not be high intensity. Make sure you eat and get enough sleep. The body needs rest to build itself back up after exercise, but that doesn't mean you have to stay on the couch. Listen to your body and take a day off when needed. I'd also make sure the need to exercise doesn't become an obsession, but is based on health and enjoyment.
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
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    unless you are planning to be a professional athlete I would suggest that 4 hours a day getting fit is too much. With the proper support and care 4 hours a day is not too much for your body but I think it is not good for your whole life balance to be spending so much time following one pursuit.
  • Eelkov
    Eelkov Posts: 88 Member
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    They do recommend that you rest muscle groups in between exercise sessions. I think that applies to pumping iron more than cardio though.
  • Anayalata
    Anayalata Posts: 391 Member
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    Would this be too strenuous or in any way bad for my health? I've been doing 2-3 hours daily for the last few weeks, and feel fine, though sometimes I get achey. If I'm achey is it a sign that I should take a day off? And is there any reason why I shouldn't be working out this much?

    Over the course of a few months you can "overtrain" yourself meaning that your body will give up on you and force you to take a break.

    As long as you take a few days off every few months you'll be a-O.K. I don't believe there's such a thing as TOO MUCH exercise. Pursue your goals and fuel your body properly.
  • kristianamonroe
    kristianamonroe Posts: 15
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    I'm 18 as well <3 and as long as you stay hydrated throughout the day, sleep enough and are meeting your body's caloric requirements you'll be perfectly fine. =)
  • lounicholls1970
    lounicholls1970 Posts: 6 Member
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    Just something to think about.
    I was a female soldier I could outrun most males in half marathons and trained extensively throughout the day. If I was standing anywhere our PT Instructor would advise us to find a muscle group to exercise... When you push your training to these levels you HAVE to maintain it OR...the muscle and tone that you have built up will be lost and from experience I can tell you it looks different from before you even started to exercise...so moderation and think about are you willing or could you keep this up for the rest of your life...don't torture yourself just enjoy it...I am addicted to cycling at the moment so if you love your exercise I do understand.
  • johnsummerton
    johnsummerton Posts: 86 Member
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    My. Mother is 73 year's old and your schedule is very similar to hers 3 days a week she is in great shape . So I think no problems
  • pietomb00
    pietomb00 Posts: 69 Member
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    As most people have said...it's fine so long as you eat, sleep and drink enough, and definitely listen to your body so you don't end up overtraining.

    I didn't eat or sleep enough while do inglots of exercise at one point, I then got ill because of it and had to spend a few weeks doing noting, it wasn't worth it.
  • zozzabubba
    zozzabubba Posts: 137 Member
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    Just make sure you're meeting your higher caloric requirements so you don't accidentally starve yourself.

    I'm not necessarily eating back all of my exercise calories if that's what you mean...I'm a bit wary of overestimating the burn, or underestimating the calories I'm eating. I stay between 1200 and 1600, depending on how intense each day is. Would this induce starvation mode? I thought the idea of starvation mode is that your metabolism slows down due to lack of food, but if I'm exercising a lot and regularly, and eating smaller meals all throughout the day, wouldn't this keep my metabolism high? Thanks in advance for any help understanding this!

    Oh, and if it helps, I'm 5'7 and (I think? It's been a while since I've weighed myself) 120ish pounds
  • zozzabubba
    zozzabubba Posts: 137 Member
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    whats body pump?

    Body pump is...awesome :)
    Each person has a bar, and then there are different sizes of weights that you can add to the bar to make it any weight that's good for you specifically (i justt graduated to the 12kg bar!). The instructor plays super pumped up music and then you do various things with the bar for a combination of strength and cardio training. It works all of the major muscle groups :) It's really good for if you want to maintain weight but tone up (which is kindaaa what I'm looking to do) as it builds muscle while burning fat.
  • aimforhealthy
    aimforhealthy Posts: 449 Member
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    Just make sure you're meeting your higher caloric requirements so you don't accidentally starve yourself.

    I'm not necessarily eating back all of my exercise calories if that's what you mean...I'm a bit wary of overestimating the burn, or underestimating the calories I'm eating. I stay between 1200 and 1600, depending on how intense each day is. Would this induce starvation mode?

    I really hope that's net, and not total. If that's total, you're literally not providing any fuel at all for your body, and it's not something you can maintain longterm. If it's net, it's still not enough for a very active person IMO, but it's probably not starving yourself. You could check with a nutritionist and buy a heart rate monitor to see how many calories you're burning.

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