Is working out too much bad for you?

[Determined2lose]

I have been going to the gym every day so far and will continue this everday. I get up and am at the gym by 5:15 am and workout for about an hour. I wanted to start working out at lunch too but worried that is too much. When I workout I normally do the eliptical and treadmill, and then cycle, and do weights but not much.

[bull.dogz]

I'd say go ahead and work out twice a day if your body is ok with it but you should really give your body a rest day (no cardio or weights). Cardio in the am and weights in the afternoon if you really want to split your workouts.

[vanillabn]

I do cardio 3x a week in the AM before doing weights in the evening, and I'm really liking it.

Are you currently doing both cardio & weights in the AM?

[Determined2lose]

Sort of. But not really. I do the hip/thigh abducter workout. That is pretty much it. Other than that just cardio.

[twinnett]

You should not work out every single day. Your body needs a rest...how many days are you lifting?

[Determined2lose]

Not really "lifting" at all. Mainly cardio everyday for 45 minutes solid. I try to do some weights...but if I do it is only target areas and not much at all.

[jesika1985]

you should try lifting more if you really want results. youre body will eventually get used to doing 45 min of cardio everyday and it will become less effective. also, if youre worried about overtraining, you could use supplements to aid recovery of muscles. it depends on what your goals are i suppose.

[Determined2lose]

My goal is to lose at least 15 pounds. I am small now but need to get rid of the extra weight I can see on me. And it is obvious in my pics.

I am trying to add weights......but am scared I don't know how to use 1/2 of the machines at the gym. :( I know sad huh>?

[vanillabn]

My goal is to lose at least 15 pounds. I am small now but need to get rid of the extra weight I can see on me. And it is obvious in my pics.

I am trying to add weights......but am scared I don't know how to use 1/2 of the machines at the gym. :( I know sad huh>?

It's not sad! I felt exactly the same when I first started doing weights - the first day was the worst, just kind of stumbling around the gym looking at things and hoping nobody was watching me, because I felt so out of place and didn't know how everything worked! However, a lot of this was in my head, and everyone (mostly) is at the gym for the same reason - to improve their bodies, gain strength, and achieve their own personal goals... so they're probably not concerned with what you're doing (for me that's a good thing!).

Is there anyone you know who does weights that you could tag along with when they go one time, just until you get comfortable? Luckily I had one friend who had done weight training for a year or so, and along with my boyfriend, I was able to learn pretty quickly - but I know it can be intimidating if you haven't had any experience.

I also found the site here to be a big help - for example, they have an exercise database where you can click on a part of the body and find exercises that target that muscle group, and sort the exercises by equipment type (e.g. free weights, cables, machines). When you click on an exercise, you can see pictures that show you how the exercise is done; there's also a lot of videos which show you proper technique. That's really helpful if you want to get an overview of how to use things before you try them for yourself!

You should definitely incorporate weight training into your routine. Trust me - I ran a marathon this summer and did nothing but cardio, cardio, cardio and was STILL unable to lose the fat until I started lifting. Although I still have a ways to go (I am trying to lose 15 lbs as well) - I have seen more results in the past 6 weeks of weight training than I ever have in my life by doing only cardio. It's intimidating to start sometimes, but you will be glad you did!!

[TurbulentFluid]

Arnold's BB-ing Bible "preaches" 2x a day workout. He used to do upper body in the morning, and lower body in the evening (or the other way around, at times), which allowed him for maximum energy while doing each (not being exhausted from bench when starting squats typea thing...)

Basically your w/o consists of sets and reps, if you wanna break it up into 2x or 5x a day doesn't matter - you'll get into overtraining ONLY if your total volume/intensity are too great for your body to support.

[Determined2lose]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I feel great since going. And do not want to stop. It beats my 20 minute jogs in the morning. I love going to they gym for an hour. :) More if I could.....but they don't open early enough. :)


Thanks Vanillabn You are the best.

[vanillabn]

You're welcome! Let me know how it goes! :D