I have lost 57 pounds and I have come to a complete and utter stop to my weight loss. I have now started working out twice a day because I do not want to give up any more calorie (1500 a day). My workout time for the day consists of 2 to 2.5 hours and can be rowing, swimming, jogging, elliptical, weights, yoga, or pilates. I feel like this is a manageable amount of time and exercise, but of course I have heard differently from others. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
First of all great job! Second of all, you are far more dedicated than I have ever been to exercising 2-2.5 hours...wow! I can't get my *** to do 30 right now...(alas I gained back what I lost a few years ago)....but there's been many threads with plateau problems...usually it involves mixing things up. How old are you? If your under 30 it should be easier. Do you happen to know how many calories you are burning? Are you eating up to 1500 AFTER working out...or eating only 1500 and then working out...Because if that is the cause you are not eating enough and your body will start to horde up on any energy you eat.
What are your average 1500 calories? Twinkies? Lettuce? Protein? That can make a difference too.
Do you mean 2-2.5 hours of intense exercising? Or barely breaking a sweat exercising? I would stick with 1 hour of intense exercising and call it a day. You will eventually start losing again.
Yea, I think you are over exercising. While you do need exercise, your body needs time to recover. As an example, I split my free-weight workout by body part. I will do biceps, pecs and lats on Mon Wed and Fri, then do shoulders and triceps Tues Thurs and Sat. This way it gives the muscles enough time to rebuild.
You must look great! You are exercising a lot. I am a two-a-day too and I exercise about 1.5 hours a day and spend about 2-2.5 hours in the gym after accounting for getting changed and showered.
I think what you are doing is manageable and OK.
Here are some tips based on my experience.
First, don't mix your cardio and weights in a single session. Do one session weights. The other cardio. Doing both in one session will just tire you out for one of them making it less effective.
Secondly, weight training will add muscle which messes with the scale. So don't worry so much about the scale. Use the mirror more.
If you're conditioned over time, like let's say you've been running for a few years and you're training for a marathon, then a few hours working out isn't unreasonable. On the other hand, if you've been walking for 45 min. 4 days a week and you jump up to an hour of Zumba and an hour of weight training every day, that might not be ok.
When I'm increasing my workout schedule, I try to go by how I feel. Am I having trouble sleeping or am I feeling tired all the time? Is my performance falling off? Do my joints and muscles feel recovered by my next workout?
I'll say that I'm in much the same boat that you are. My weight loss really slowed down over the 50 lb mark. Sometimes the scale doesn't move for weeks. Like you, I'm at 1500 calories and I don't want to cut any further.
My problem is that I've had a sidelining injury in the past when I was working out hours a day, and I'm over 40. I have to be patient and gradually increase my training as my body allows it.
I have noticed that eventually that plateau breaks if I just keep on doing what I'm doing. The last one was over 3 weeks, but I dropped 3 this morning.
My hubby usually does around 3 hours a session 5 or 6 days a week. He walks to the gym, uses the treadmill in the winter for aerobic exercise or does a 60 minute spin class, then either a lower or upper body workout with weights, then yoga for stretching and balance. Then walk back from the gym (3 mile return trip). In the summer he mixes it up with long distance cycling at a really hard pace. He mixes cardio with weights all the time to great effect.
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He's 50, in great shape, his cardiovascular system and bp rocks, and has maintained a consistent weight for the past 32 years (within 5 lbs up or down). His fitness is functional aka no "gym muscles", and is the envy of pretty much everyone we know with respect to his condition.
Don't be afraid of "over exercising" - humans were meant to move. It takes intense effort to get into and stay in good shape. I know he feels that, in general, there is aLOT of "pampering' with respect to "fitness rules". Just get out there, do what feels right. It doesn't have to be textbook to be great.
wow talk about dedication. Just be sure you are still burning more calories than you are eating. 2.5 hours of working out can be a waste if what you are putting into your body is garbage.
Yea, I think you are over exercising. While you do need exercise, your body needs time to recover. As an example, I split my free-weight workout by body part. I will do biceps, pecs and lats on Mon Wed and Fri, then do shoulders and triceps Tues Thurs and Sat. This way it gives the muscles enough time to rebuild.
Agreed, seems like overkill on the working out and could be counter productive.