Do I work out too much?

[KBob93]

When I go to the gym, I usually will do the treadmill or the eliptical, then I'll lift. I do push-ups & planks as much as I can. This week it's to the point where it's quite painful down in my abdomen. A bigger concern, however, is that my appetite gets high around the evening time, which I feel offsets my workouts. I feel me gaining muscle might have to do with it. I'm just worried if I might be exercising too much. I want to tone but not sure how successful I'm being.

[SenNausicaa]

How many days a week? Recovery days are needed with weight lifting or you start to plateau or get injuries. 3-5 days are usual but 3-4 probably better unless you have a program that calls for 5-6 days of lifting. You can cardio everyday but at least one full rest day a week would be ideal.

I use to cardio every day, weight lift 3 days, strength train (push ups/planks/etc) 2-5 days. I only hurt (the good kind of post work out hurt) if it was a new circuit/routine/program or if I upped my weight load it could be for a few days but only really noticable for one day.

Make sure your not under eating (even if you are eating at a deficit for weight loss) if you under eat like over 1000+ Daily deficits (unless your obese, obese people can have bigger deficits), even over 500 daily deficit if you are already in a healthy bmi could be too much. Under eating can bring on binge eating or plateau your progress or you could get injured with your lifting.

If you don't know if you are under eating nor about deficits, check out caloriecount. com or check online for calorie intake calculators for weight loss or maintenance.

[SenNausicaa]

Also if you are gaining muscle you have to be eating at a surplus to your calorie maintance. When you hurt your muscles are repairing (and they are also holding more fluid/water weight) if you are eating at a deficit and lifting you are less likely to lose muscle mass and more likely to lose fat%, which is why lifting while eating at deficit to maintance calories is so great.

[KBob93]

So it's ok that my abdominal muscles are hurting today?

[SenNausicaa]

It's normal especially if your not use to it, when you lift your muscles get small tears then repair, that how you get that hurt. Abdominals are your core and most weight lifting and strength training uses your core. If it prolongs or gets worse I'd take some more recovery days before lifting again or see your doctor.

[kaylaS91]

No, I don't think you're working out too much. I got to the gym 4-5x/week, also with a minute of plank, leg lifts, some arm curls with 40 minutes of elliptical. A recent addition to the routine is doing some leg raises. Now that the weather's nicer, I'm fitting in a ~30km bike ride every weekend as well.

I've been doing all of that for over a year now, and it seems okay. My appetite is also much higher now, also towards the evening. I just have some crackers and a fruit shake which usually gets rid of that issue for a bit. It's understandable that your appetite will get higher as your calorie burning is consistently high. Plus, you need to fuel your body in order for it to tone/build muscle.

Pain, unless it's internal, is also fine within reason. Whenever I get sore I'm actually pretty happy because all that means is you were working an otherwise weak muscle haha.

[KBob93]

Is it ok to do the same thing during your workouts? Like, is that a bad thing? It sounds like you do & it works fine for you.

[kaylaS91]

yeah idunno... I did read a while ago that it's not necessarily bad but your progress will plateau because the same muscle groups will be worked over and over if you do the same workouts. Even doing everything in a similar order which I also do will supposedly be a factor.
I've been doing the same order/workouts for over a year now though and I'm still seeing progress. I think that would affect you more if you were actually trying o make muscle gains, like in terms of size. For us, since we're both just trying to tone or at least maintain, it's probably fine.

It's good to once in a while though mix it up a bit. Like add a new workout, as I did with the leg raises just this past weekend. With the weather warming up. occasionally go for a jog/bike ride for cardio rather than elliptical/treadmill.

[Climber]

agree with @kaylaS91. And if you are really hungry in the evening, you can eat something healthy, like a slice of brown bread with a slice of cheese. Your muscles recuperate during the night, so some extra energy and proteins will not hurt.

[Theguyoverthere]

Basically I feel that you will need more rest if your performance is suffering in your workouts. In this case though since you mentioned 3x a week I would just avoid the consecutive days and space it out. The other thing I feel is that your goals aren't clearly defined. Also it's natural to be hungry after a workout so that's where the nutrition plays a role in whether or not you "offset" the exercise. Eating a ton of junk food after a workout is very different than being on a good nutritional pattern.

In order to determine if you're being successful you'll need to decide for yourself what the goals are as well and just map out a plan to help get you there. Like for one goal you said you gained muscle. Is it muscle you wanted or were you just trying to burn fat? Everyone's got specific goals.

[Blondiee2014]

Well its not good to do a full body work out everyday as you are working the same muscles. you are supposed to target different specific muscles each day so that you are giving your other muscles a chance to heal and develop from your previous workouts.
your muscles get bigger and stronger during the rest periods not during the actual work out.
So to answer your question you aren't working out to much you are just not working out efficiently.
body builders work out twice a day for up to 4- 5 hours.

[KBob93]

Yeah I know it's not good to do full body, I work with a trainer but she's on vacation. She'll have me do different stuff. I was told by a nutritionist that as long as I'm doing something it's fine. Was he being too general?

[Blondiee2014]

@asker well a nutritionist should only be advising you on nutrition as he is not qualified to advice you on anything else.
You shouldn't train the same muscles as they need to heal.

[Anonymous]

That's supposed to happen with your metabolism. The more active you are, the more food your body needs to repair your workouts and still fuel you as normal. The more you work, the more fuel you need.

This is where proper dieting comes in. There's a difference in just eating whatever you see vs. only giving yourself the right proportions of nutrients. You need enough protein for the repair work, enough fats to maintain your body fat percentage and keep your body from burning muscle instead, and enough carbs to give your body "easy to reach" fuel for workouts.

The only way you're working out too much is if your body isn't recovering in a reasonable amount of time and/or you're injuring yourself from overuse.

[Kris85]

No pain, no gain. I do pretty intense workouts and even after doing this for two years now, I still get sore after certain exercises. Your body needs to refuel after a workout so that's why you are always hungry after. Drink a fruit protein shake after or have some sort of protein. It helps repair the muscles that were worked, keeps you full and boosts your energy.

[KBob93]

yep! I was also a little worried about monotony in my workouts

[fuuuark]

Hard to answer, how long have you been going to gym? doms (delayed onset muscle sourness) is going to happen if you push yourself and is a favorable indicator of progress. More muscle does equal a higher caloric maintenance, as in you need to eat more to stay at the same lean muscle mass. Give me more info on how many days a week etc. right now i would say no, you aren't working out too much.

[KBob93]

Well I'm guilty of not having worked out in sections, I've gotten a bit monotonous in my workouts. I usually work out with my trainer but she's on vacation so I've been working out however although I know it's not good. I just don't know what "sections" I should do and how to do them.

[fuuuark]

What do you mean by sections?

[KBob93]

Like, different specific muscles.

[fuuuark]

Each muscle group once a week (if you do it intensely as to cause hypertrophy) is usually fine for most. I have been working out for years and am more muscular than like 95% of people, ask a specific question about how to work a muscle group (or other specifics) and i should be able to answer fairly well.

[KBob93]

Ok...

What regime should I do for my
a) lower body
b) core

[fuuuark]

Squats (try 4 sets of the most weight you can handle at 8-12 reps)
Deadlifts (same as above, make sure your form is decent, do it in the smith machine to begin with)
Maybe a few sets of leg presses.

Those if done correctly work your core more effectively than any direct ab exercise, Don't even bother doing planks or crunches. At your current bodyfat % don't worry about them, eating right will do far more for your core along with those lower body exercises ( i assume your goal is aesthetics rather than function).

[fuuuark]

i should specify that stiff leg deadlifts are better for your legs and glutes (just look up how to do them)

[KBob93]

with squats, what am I holding as to how much weight I should be able to do? A bar? General weights? What?

[fuuuark]

A bar, with weight on it if you can handle (as much weight as you can that would make 8-12 reps the most you could do before the next rep is physically impossible for you). Though you can Just use the smith machine to squat since you are a beginner.

[WeaponZero]

Too much? No. But your workout program is poorly designed and you could get better results with a lot less time invested by following an actual program. The way you do it is woefully inefficient.

[KBob93]

I'm going to talk to my trainer about it when she comes back into town.

[JackKerouac77]

To tone: lower weight, increase reps.
To build muscle mass: increase weight, lower reps

Eat less fat and find more sources of lean protein. Increase intake of fruits and vegetables.

[HumbleTeddy]

I hope this is a sincere question because I will answer sincerely.
How often do you visit your gym?

[KBob93]

I try to visit 3x a week. I have a trainer but she's on vacation.
I just worked out on consecutive days this week & I'm sorer.

[HumbleTeddy]

Now is the time to take, at most, a two week break from exercise. During this break from exercise, maintain a steady diet of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber (all from lean sources). Stay away from foods whose saturated fat percentages exceed 5%. Drink a lot of water to prepare your body again for exercise.

[Iron_Man]

Unless your a pro body builder trying to keep your female sex appeal you can never workout to much

[KBob93]

Then why am I ravenous when I get home?

[Iron_Man]

You wondered about if your over doing it I said no unless your getting big like a man

[KBob93]

Do you even know what ravenous means?

[Iron_Man]

Yeah what about it?

[KBob93]

Why do I eat so much after working out?

[Iron_Man]

I do as well the thing is it to stay busy so you dont get fat

[KBob93]

You're kind of no help right now no offense. Have a good day.

[Iron_Man]

Your always such a sour puss to the guys here.. No offense. Have a nice night

[Anonymous]

do u lift? : O

never seen u mentioning that u r into gym and stuff basically...

[Ihav2fart]

are you Olga Beliakova?

[KBob93]

I just looked her up...

[Despondency]

How long have you been doing this?

[KBob93]

Well I work out every week, at least 3x, or that's what I aim for. Last two days I worked out consecutively & noticed that I get ravenous later. I just don't know if I'm overdoing it.

[Despondency]

I mean how long have you worked out for, how many total weeks.

[KBob93]

I've started working out regularly since January.

[Despondency]

Then, no.

[maiez]

No it doesn't sound like you work out too much.

[Swimmerdude1994]

Not at all, i workout six times a week.

[KBob93]

But my appetite shoots up after I work out. How to fix it?

[Swimmerdude1994]

MIne does also, its ok to have a bigger appetite. Your body needs it.

[Prettygurl12]

Nah you're fine.

[KBob93]

Is it normal to want to eat a bunch afterwards? Is that ok?

[Prettygurl12]

It's normal. You should always eat after a workout. Just make sure you don't overeat and make sure what you DO eat is healthy.

[KBob93]

I like tuna, tofu, and cottage cheese. lol.

[Prettygurl12]

Those are all very good. Cottage cheese is an awesome after workout snack.