Am I Exercising Too Much??
This week’s question:
“Am I exercising too much?? ”
Now if you laughed at this, firstly that’s disrespectful, and you’ve answered your own question! Now stop reading and get moving.
For the serious readers… you’re probably not exercising too much. But you may be lacking smart training.
1. Variety is key. Now if you just run or just cycle or just lift heavy stuff , stop it! Your body craves to be pushed and challenged in multiple ways. That’s why I’m a fan of CrossFit, because it is a broad, inclusive fitness. You’re exercising too much if all your exercise looks the same. Stop it.
2. Listen to your body. This term is so over used and I’m not helping the problem, but listen. If your work load is crazy, the neighbour’s cat is keeping you up at night, your muscles aren’t recovering as they should, just ease off a little! You’re not competing in the next Olympic games, chill out. When you’re feeling on fire, go for it and smash it.
3. De-load weeks. If you regularly put yourself through tough training, consider taking a de-load week once in a while. Use this time to mobilise, go for long walks or try something you’re not used to, like windsurfing or climbing.
What does my training look like? This is a rough example and it’s constantly changing with the above factors in play. I have my core method of training and on occasion I will divert completely away from that, for example by easing off the lifting.
(Every day: Skipping as a warm up)
- Mon. Lift heavy stuff at gym (45min)
- Tues. Long walk
- Wed. Lift more heavy stuff at gym
- Thur. Intense interval work (30min)
- Fri. Lift even more heavy stuff at gym
- Sat. Hill Sprints (20min)/occasional bike ride
- Sun. Day off
To sum up, I lift heavy stuff 2-3 times per week majoring on the fundamental human movements (squating, deadlifting, pressing, olympic lifting). I do a lung buster 1-2 times a week consisting of sprint work. Then I pack out the in between with low intensity work, like walking and bodyweight exercises most days.
I occasionally throw in a long endurance workout, but rarely. I personally don’t thrive on them and find my endurance is at good levels from my sprint sessions (research supports endurance gains from interval sessions).
If you’re just starting out with this and the above example seems a bit overwhelming, here is a plan you could implement straight away:
- Mon. Lift heavy stuff or home bodyweight workout
- Tues. Long walk
- Wed. Interval session (30 min)
- Thur. Rest
- Fri. Long walk
- Sat. Hill sprints
- Sun. Rest
Is your training working? It is increasing performance across all models of fitness (strength, stamina, speed etc.)? Are you exercising too much in one area? Don’t miss out on gains, start training smart.
Ping me across your question and we can chat about it next week.
Dorchester personal trainer - Dave Wall - www.dorchesterpersonaltraining.co.uk
