[kaw]

Azure: Just to third or fourth what others have said. There's really no physical need to spend 2.5 hours a day in the gym, or do that much cardio on top of weight training (assuming you're not in training as an elite athlete or require the gym time for your mental health). At some point, it will become counterproductive, but you need to experiment to find out what that point is for your body.

If it helps, remember that more is not better, better is better. If you're in the gym for 2.5 hours a day, there's simply no way you're giving, or can give, maximal effort to your lifts or HIIT or whatever the session of the day is about. It's often more efficient (for fat loss and muscle gain) to work out for less time but at a higher intensity than to work out for hours upon hours but at a low intensity.

BTW, "overtraining" usually refers putting your body into an accumulated deficit over the long term. This is overly simplistic, but when you work out, you tear down muscle tissue that your body has to rebuild. "Overtraining" typically means that you've just asked your body to do too much repair work, too often: you build up a deficit by not giving yourself adequate recovery time, and eventually that deficit not only slows your gains but leads to various unpleasantries elsewhere in your system. E.g., you may start getting unusually susceptible to colds, or feel like you are tired all the time even though you're eating right. But this takes a while -- you don't become "overtrained" in a day, or a week, or even a month.

Short answer: sit down, already!

Kim

[elisa822]

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I only have time for a quick post but I wanted to pop in to join the chorus of "be careful of trying too much" - especially at the beginning. I've been going to the gym now regularly for about a year. I started off at 3 times per week, bumped it up to 5 and then tried 6 but it was a bit too much. I know some people (okay Mel ) can manage regular twice a day workouts but she's superwoman and for most people, you have to find what works for you and is sustainable in the long run. And as has already been said, it's how you spend your time that's really important.

Shan - so glad you loved your power class...it's still my favourite class of the week! I feel so strong there and I love using the barbells. I have trouble in the regular part of the gym because the barbells alone (without the plates) are so heavy. And yes, here I go again promoting the spin classes....try it, I love it and let me know if you do too. I know you run too and it's the best cardio workout (for me) next to running.

Bad workout week for me but I will go tomorrow...can't decide between a run and a spin class. I'm really dying for a run but I'm not sure on the weather and do I want to get on a treadmill?? Not sure.

Happy almost Friday!!



Edited to say what I forgot to say. You know how I know I'm crazy ? Well, I've been trying to eat a bit "cleaner" since I can't eat much less but the problem is that I'm worried because part of my brain thinks that it's "better" to have a 200 calorie breakfast that lacks much nutritional value rather than the homemade oatmeal with some psyllium husks, a bit of splenda, cinnamon, half a banana and a little bit of apple that I've been eating this week (sooooo good). Really, even though it's actually more calories...isn't that a much better breakfast than a processed "breakfast bar"?? Help

[Mel]

Hey, I get tired too! That's why I have 1 complete rest day, and take time off every 10 weeks or so (or at least I think about it

Elissa- Add some protein to that breakfast and it'll keep you going longer!

Gotta go! later....

Mel

[4rabbit]

Hi LWL ,

FRIDAY!!!! And I biked to yoga class today, which brings the weeks exercise down to:
4 hours biking, 1 hour power class , 1 hour yoga, 6 hours total. So if I throw in a c25k & weights session over the weekend, I'll be good ! I missed out on biking to work & doing machines yeaterday because i have a cold and TOM came around, and I just felt too lousy. You can see that the biking solution uppes my exercise hours very nicely, so I'm definitely trying to keep that in!

Food wise it 's so-so, but I have made an amazing discovery: Some weeks ago I switched to ff yoghurt, and my normal type (with living yoghurt culture ) was unavailalbe. It was like I swolled all over, tight pants, gained a pund etc. Now I found biological ff, with the living culture, and strange enough the bloat is gone, the pants zip again and 2 pounds are gone !! bacteriaea work in mysterious ways...I'm sticking to the biological ff yoghurt for the time being. I never knew the living yoghurt culture made such a big diffference to my day!

Have a great day all,
Rabbit

[shananigans]

Happy Friday!

My lower body says "ow!" today. Go power class with its million squats and walking lunges.

elisa - I've been to one spin class at my new gym and went a handful of times at my old gym over a year ago. I do like them, but right now I'm trying to find a balance with all the other stuff I want to fit in! Spin is on my schedule for next Monday, hope to go once a week maybe.

I think I might start rotating my cardio emphasis every few weeks, like do mostly running with one cross-train day of swimming or spinning every week, then swap them around. With the strength training (2 x/week) and yoga (2 or 3 x/week) I think I'll do well if I can get a total of 3 or 4 cardio sessions per week.

Rabbit - All that biking still sounds fabulous. That's interesting about the yogurt, I've been thinking about adding more soy yogurt. I have an occasional fruit smoothie on the weekend but I'm thinking maybe I should use it in place of soymilk for my cereal in the morning. I know all them active cultures are supposed to be so good for you.

Heading out for a run tonight. Gotta make sure I eat dinner before 8 since I have to fast 12 hours before I get my blood drawn for my cholesterol check (it was at 215 last time I had it checked about 2 years ago I'm sure I'll get better news this time.)

[OH2007]

*yawn* I so don't like mornings.

I think I've figured out the cause of my nausea during my lifting sessions. Motion sickness! During pushups, I'm looking at the floor, coming, going, coming, going, can't look up at the horizon easily. During my deadlifts (which I suck at, by the way), I was facing a tall dresser, fairly close, and was seeing up, down, up, down, without being able to gaze in the distance.

So, for deadlifts now, I'll just turn around and face the other way. Not sure how I can "fix" the pushups, though. Any ideas?

Only I could get carsick doing weightlifting... Doh!

[baffled111]

Hmm. I tend to feel a bit sick when I get home from the gym after a FBWO. I am attributing it to hunger though, as I tend to feel better once I've had my breakfast. The sickness is a bit disconcerting though. Good luck finding a solution!

[sportmom]

Diane, try closing your eyes on the pushups? Or, if that doesn't work, do them on a slight incline so that you can see forward.

[Azure]

Evening, ladies! I'm getting ready for bed, but wanted to post that I'm excited to start my week off tomorrow with a lifting session! I'm looking forward to my weekly routine at the gym, and it feels so good to be excited about it AND to have the idea that going IS a routine

Thanks SO much to all for answering my question about the HIIT question

Does anyone else have issues with tight hamstrings all the time after starting a lifting regimen? I haven't lifted since Wednesday of last week and my Hams are still sore if say, I'm sitting and I extend my leg straight out and up a little. They're really tight-feeling the day after I have a lifting session with squats or deadlifts, but it's been 4 days since I last did either of those things!

[Mel]

Azure- I think my hamstrings were sore perpetually for several years Welcome to the club

I skipped my leg workout this weekend because I felt horrible Saturay and we had a trainers' meeting Sunday morning that annoyed me so much I just wanted to get out of there. Bad excuse, but doing a workout angry is also a bad idea.
So my week is all mixed up and I'll be doing legs at lunch

Mel

[4rabbit]

Hi Mel,

Sorry to hear you were feeling off - I hope everything is OK now!

Azure - i do a yoga stretch "downward dog" for my hamstrings to stretch them. might be worth looking into.


Rabbit