Hello again Ray,
Question: Thanks for the great Commando class tonight. I’ve been quite lazy for about
6 months and have gained some weight and loss some energy. Just feeling
generally sluggish all the time. I’m looking to get back into shape and
raring to go. I’ve got the time to workout all day, everyday, and attend all
the fitness classes as well. However, doing back to back cardio sessions
tonight darn near killed me.
What would you suggest is the best strategy to go about getting some daily
fitness/exercise back into my lifestyle?
Thanks!
Answer: The crazy thing about working out is that you cant get there faster by simply doing more exercise to the point of working out all day. Overtraining with weights or any fitness activity will stop your progress and it will do it fast.
Overtraining in the gym can stall you out in a couple different ways. The fist is the fact that when you go really hard and you do it too often, you overtrain and you have the motivation of a wet paper bag. The second is that since your body has a limited ability to recover, doing too much exercise and fitness related activity will eventually exceed your ability to recover and you will get an injury. Another third factor is that every time you exercise, you experience a dip in your immune system. If you keep hitting that immune system over and over, you will overtrain and catch what ever bug or flu is going around.
When it comes to getting back into the gym, moderation is key. Enthusiasm is rarely the problem actually. When most people decide it is time to lose some weight and get involved in a fitness program, the problem is that they want to do everything NOW.
A great concept to keep in mind is that exercise tears you down. It may feel great, but just like a car, when you run it hard, it needs to cool down. When you go home after your workout, that’s when your body starts to recover and become better than it was before. If you train two cardio classes back to back, you’ve revved the engine too long. Your on the road to overtraining if you keep it up. 45-60 minutes is plenty of time to get the job done. After that time catabolic hormones start to run through your system and these will eat up all your metabolism boosting muscle.
Anytime you use a certain system of your body, it needs a break. If you train with weights one day, then do cardio the next. If the activity is not hard, then you can do it several days in a row. However, if your weight training sessions are not hard, then they are probably not producing results. Consecutive days workouts are usually reserved for lighter cardio activities only.
My general guideline answer for getting in shape as quick as possible is the same I recommend in my book FAT TO FIT. Do a three day a week full body routine and mix in 30-40 minutes of cardio 4-5 days a week either after your workout or on an off day. This works well for everyone for at least 2-3 months. This kind of routine will produce a 1-2 pound of weight loss per week as well as muscle, but only if you lift heavy.
Hope that helps!