When you're just starting out, how much is too much exercise?

Way back when I was a teenager, I was a runner, then gave up running and became a hardcore cyclist. I loved the rush that came from a good work out. I can sense that starting to happen. I was at the gym yesterday, for the second time. I did 50 minutes of cardio (broken up), and a round on the weight machines. I spent the rest of the day feeling like I should do more. I did stretch out a few times, using my 3lb dumbells. Today I am up and at'em and wanting to go to the gym, or do a work out video (or both?).

I am sort of concerned that I may fall back into that "addiction" of working out, and wondering, if I am just starting out, is that a bad thing? I can I damage myself or my weight loss efforts?

I did some weight lifting as a teen too, and I know that I can hurt myself by using too heavy of weights, or using them improperly, etc. But what I am really wondering is, will I do myself harm by working out too often?? Or will I stagnate my weight loss efforts?

Here's my take on this. I get addicted to the gym quite easily. I get so addicted and so intense that eventually a day comes that I simply can not face another day of what I've been doing. In the past this has led to giving up. This is all-or-nothing thinking at its worst.

What I did this time was set up what I call a "baseline" of activity. It is a routine that is easy for me and routine. It's what I fall back on when things get too hard. For me, that's cardio M/W/F and lifting T/Th, period. Simple and sustainable.

Right now I'm on a gym kick and really pushing it hard. I'm running 30 minutes, then spinning 45 minutes M/W/F, lifting one hour and running 30 minutes T/TH, and an hour's spin class on Saturday. Since I give my absolute all in each of these workouts, by the end of the week I am flat out exhausted. This is not sustainable. But I'm only doing this through March 1st.

So I say, give it your all. Push yourself to the max. But if you are the type to eventually say ENOUGH, then try giving yourself something simple to fall back on for those days when you just can't face another grueling day.

Eliana,

Thank SO much for that!! So doing "too much" now won't stagnate my weight loss on me? Also, it appears that you take weekends off, do you take them COMPLETELY off from working out? Or is it that you have no specific plan for those days?
I love the idea of a sustainable baseline, so when I fade out, I don't stop working out all together, I think that's a fantastic idea!

I do generally take the weekends off completely, yes. When the weather's warmer this is nice because it gives me reason to get outside and do other activities, like biking, hiking, walking, basketball with my boys, roller blading, etc. So I'm active, but not officially working out. However, this winter I have been a slug on weekends. Well, not entirely. I get some house work in there.

Now and then I'll spin on Saturdays or do a body + abs class or even both. It depends on my mood. I also love to swim. Saturdays are kind of my "do what I feel like" day.

I usually go 6 days a week and take a day to rest. This week I am upping my workout to twice a day on two days. AM and PM. I am trying to bust a plateau.

I figure on the Biggest Loser they work out for hours and hours so my 2-3 hours can't be too much.

Just remember, the Biggest Loser contestants are under a doctor's care daily and have trainers. If you don't, working out 2-3 hours a day can be harmful. If you Google it, you will find that more than an hour a day can be counter productive. I think the BL weight loss more comes from the drastic lowering of calories than the exercise.

Not only are TBL contestants are also supervised by medics while they train. In addition, if you've read any behind-the-scenes dish, it turns out that many of them are injured during the course of a show. I remember reading an account of a contestant who was on crutches whenever the cameras weren't rolling.

IMO there is definitely such a thing as too much working out. There is even a recognized form of bulimia where the method of purging is overexercise. Exercising too much, without adequate time for recovery, sets you up for overtraining.

When you are overtraining, you are not only setting yourself up for injury, you will see diminishing returns. I ran and ran and ran all summer and didn't get any faster. I scaled back in the fall and saw my times drop by almost a full minute/mile with no special speedwork or anything.

I would take some time to fully research the concept of recovery from exercise. It is so, so important to give your body time to rest and repair between workouts. And this is my opinion -- but it seems to me it is especially important if you are restricting calories because you are already on a "fuel" deficit (fuel being an important part of repair and recovery).

Ok, I probably didn't explain myself too well. Firstly there's no way I am working out 2-3 hours at a time...lmao OMG I would die. I am coming out of a very sedentary lifestyle, and am working out for about 1 hour at the gym, 3x a week (I live about 40 minutes from the gym, so that's as often as I can go), but feel like I should be doing SOMETHING on the 4 off days.

My work outs aren't hardcore at the best of times. Today was a "day off" working out, but I did a few exercises with my 2lb dumb bells, and a few stretches/exercises on the floor. Nothing that really got my heart going, just enough to help loosen stiff muscles, and help keep me from feeling like I am doing nothing, and even these exercises are spread out throughout the day, 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there. Other non-gym days I may do a work out video, or a faster paced walk, or play on the Wii Fit.

Is that too much?

I am not just trying to lose weight, I am trying to gain health. I know that includes increasing physical activity (from basically nil)...I'm just not sure how much is too much, too soon. I know from my younger days, the difference between "it hurts and I should stop", and "feel the burn" type of hurt. I just never had to go from "fat and lazy" (which I have been), to "trim and fit", and I don't want to get lost, or screw up my efforts along the way.

OhMyDogs, that does not sound at all like an unreasonable schedule. Just be sure to listen to your body -- like Eliana said, if you get exhausted, it's time for a break. But three gym workouts with gentle work in between at home sounds pretty sensible to me.

If you do have a history of exercise addiction, it is worth taking time to "check in with yourself" and your mindset before workouts -- just make sure you're in the right place.

Happy workouts!

I know this isnt the answer you wanted to hear, but we are all just SO DIFFERENT there's no way to answer if what youre doing is too much fo ryou or to stall weightloss...
Can you work out so much its detrimental? YES. OF COURSE. I myself am a perfect example of this, but there are so many factors that come into play, like your fitness level, your starting weight, your daily calories. Remeber that more than anything, your diet will determine your fat loss. You must be in a caloric deficit to lose fat. Working out CAN speed things up if done properly, but you know whats even BETTER than spending *too* much time in the gym? your NEAT. Thats Non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Its how active you are all day long that gives you your real burn. You can burn 200-600 cals in the gym in an hour,, but it doesnt compare to the 2000+ you burn the rest of the day.


ETA id just like to add that a great barometer for women and excess exercise is your period. If it starts to get wonky (in any manner that is unusual for YOU) that is a HUGE indication that youre stressing out your body too much

I think you're being overly generous.

If you're getting anxious about whether you'll be able to work out-- it's too much. If you're getting anxious about how hard you've worked out-- it's too much.

Basically look for the same signs you'd look for for disordered eating.