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2005/10/04, 10:52 AM
I am 5'7" and weigh 151 lbs. I workout continuously. I'm talking 7 days a week at least twice a day. I need to know if I am doing too much or if I should break. Here's a sample of my regime.
Sun - run cross-country 4 miles - a.m. - resistance & weights for arms and upper body 50 min.- p.m.
Mon - kickbox for an hour a.m., run 8 flights of stairs 14-15 times at lunch (run, double step, triple step, criss-cross for inner thighs - alternating 3 reps each also a warm up and cool down flight), leg toning and jump rope p.m.
Tues - cardio, toning and upper body a.m. 50 min., kickboxing, abdominal - 1 hr - p.m.
Wed - kickbox for an hour a.m., run 8 flights of stairs 14-15 times at lunch, leg toning and jump rope p.m.
And that is how I alternate. I make sure to change it up every 4-6 weeks using new routines and exercises. Unfortunately I am only able to run on the weekends due to my hectic schedule with a newborn and a small child.
Am I doing too much? Should I break at some point? Please let me know. I am very muscular but still have some areas that could easily use improvement.
When I don't workout I feel like Jaba the Hut so it's very difficult for me to rest.
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2005/10/04, 11:35 AM
Interestingly your hieght and wieght are about the same as mine, and I too struggle with loosing those pesky 10lbs. IMO, you are overdoing your workouts. I'd suggest alternating cardio and wts on different days and do cardio 3X/wk, wts 3X/week and give yourself 1 day of rest. Your body needs time to recover! I'd guess that diet will be your key to the last 10lbs. Diet may not necessarily mean eating less for you, it may mean eating the right foods in the right quantities. Look around the site and get a feel for what good nutrition is and go from there.
Welcome to FT and good luck with your goals!
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Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.
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2005/10/04, 02:37 PM
sounds like fly has it for the workout.. what is your diet like?
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2005/10/04, 05:10 PM
Actually I am on a 1540 caloric intake diet and at 30 g. of fat a day, no more. The weight comes off easily and has for some time thanks to the workout schedule.
My concern is that I'm going to overtrain or stall progress. I can't just work out a few times a week. I am too afraid that I will gain the weight back.
Please tell me what you think.
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2005/10/05, 06:18 AM
Amelia,
I understand how important it is to you that you not regain the weight that you lost. Over training can cause more harm than good. If you are relying so much on exercise to lose and maintain your weight, you own it to yourself to get at least one complete day of rest. By allowing yourself a day of rest your body has time to strengthen and rebuild the muscle that you have broken down during exercise. I also agree with cardio 3x and strength training 3x.
Your diet should bare the brunt of managing your weight. Sometimes not eating enough calories can cause your body to store fat. I suggest breaking your day’s calories up over 6 small meals eating every three hours from the time you wake up and have your first meal. Eat a serving of protein and a serving of carbs together and add a serving of veggies to lunch and dinner. Watch your fat and keep the carbs complex (avoid sugar & flour).
Rather than feeling like “Jaba the Hut” on your rest day, you can tell yourself what an awesome job you have done all week and treat yourself to something special like a massage or buy yourself something nice. Consider that you are developing a new healthy lifestyle and in time with being consistent you can relax and enjoy your fit healthy body. You deserve to be healthy.
Cass
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\"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything. But still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do\"
Edward Everett Hale
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2005/10/05, 10:48 AM
Good post cassborn...lots of great points! Amelia, based on what you've listed as your workouts, it looks like they are primarily based around cardio. You may want to introduce a more serious resistant training routine 2-3X/week. The more muscle you have the higher your metabolism will be-and trust me, you won't get "too muscular". Check out some of the exercise programs on FT and give one a try. I totally agree with cassborn in that diet should manage your weight and exercise should shape your body. I too have gotten caught in the "all I need is more exercise to control my weight" when what I really needed was to "tweak" my diet..makes a big difference. Also, as a side point, try and get a %BF measurement done or take some measurements yourself and judge your progress that way. All that exercise without rest will likely catch up to you.
Good luck to you!
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Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.
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2005/10/05, 11:14 AM
Weight loss is done IN the kitchen and Muscle is built OUTSIDE of the Gym. Remember that and you'll be able to build a workout and diet program suitable to your needs while allowing you to prioritize the rest of your life a little easier. .
You have a newborn and you're trying to squeeze in 14 workouts (of some kind or another) a week...that in and of itself causes stress, which sparks cortizone which tells the body to store fat. Plan your workout around your life and not the other way around and you'll do fine.
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2005/10/05, 01:17 PM
7 days a week, 2 times per week, simply said, way too much.
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If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything....
bb1fit@freetrainers.com
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2005/10/05, 03:18 PM
If you are really struggling to cut down your workouts, you could do it gradually, by changing some of your sessions to "recovery" type sessions i.e. working out for 20-30 minutes at no more than 65% of your maximum heart rate.
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2005/10/05, 03:19 PM
I should have said that I agree that ideally you should have a day off, but the above suggestion would be better than what you do currently.
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2005/10/05, 05:14 PM
I appreciate all of your feedback, truly. Thank you for taking time out to help me. I got on the scale for my weekly weigh in and I'm at 148.5 lbs... SWEET! I really watch my calories and the best thing for me is like the aforementioned complex carbs combined with protein (as cassborn said). Too much protein doesn't breakdown right in my body and only makes me fat. I guess to each his own on that one, huh?
Sometimes though I just don't feel like eating. I try to only eat when I'm hungry and if I'm not there is no point in forcing myself. Also I try to down as much water as possible all the time because I don't want to mistake hunger for dehydration. I will also drink at least 20 oz. of water before every meal for the weight and to make me feel fuller faster. I get so excited and caught up in the fact that I'm losing weight that I just generate more and more energy and require less food. Does that make sense?
I do alternate weight/resistance every 4-6 weeks. Last time I went heavy on the weights. This time I'm going heavy on the resistance. I hear going back and forth like that is a good thing.
Thank you again for all of your help and advice. I certainly appreciate it to no end.
One more question... I think I've gotten accustomed to all kinds of cardio because I hardly ever get winded. Do y'all have any suggestions for more intense workouts besides kickboxing, running (inclines and intervals) or jump rope? I want to be challenged.
Y'all rock!
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