How much exercise per week?

HappyHendrix

HappyHendrix

New member
I am thinking of bumping my workouts to two hours a day 5-6 days a week. Is this to much? Summer is coming soon and I will be out of school so will havea little more free time.

I am 20 yo 254lbs a female and 5'4" My workouts are about an hour and 15mins. I just want to do more and think I can do it, even with my busy schedule.

So my question is for all you out there who have lost extreme about of weight, I am talking 40+ lbs how much working out did you do?

I know food is a big thing here too and I have my 1st appointment with my RD next week. But right now I am just wondering on work outs.

Thank you in advance.
 
Anything past 75 minutes a day IS over training. However, you can increase the intensity instead of the length.
 
That's a bit of a sweeping statement.

My "workouts" vary in length, anything from 1 hour upwards. If I'm at the gym, I don't usually do more than 1 hour 30 minutes, but when I'm out walking or cycling, it can be a lot longer - so far, anything up to 5 hours, but I do take breaks if I'm out for a long time, and always take some food with me.

Do whatever you feel comfortable with, but if you notice the same workout is getting harder, it's a sign you're doing too much and not giving yourself chance to recover.

I've lost 30lb so far, by the way, and most of it was lost through changing my diet. I only started working out 5 weeks ago.
 
Sustainability. You need to develop exercise practices that you will continue way into the future, post-weight loss. That means that you must first of all, find exercise activities that you personally enjoy. Do they make you feel good, do they still give a buzz?

Not everyone is going to find that going to gym 2 hours a day 6 days per week is sustainable. Many people get bored, because they find that they don't get as much out of it as they put in. Gyms usually have a small hard core of regulars, but they see thousands pour in and out of the doors, each lasting maybe up to six months.

I personally like to focus on the recovery periods - rest, relaxation, and living off of that buzz from the enhanced fitness that exercise gives me. I value my rest periods more than the exercise - its the pay off. I also like to change my exercise programmes for variety. I plan on focusing on weight training - full body workouts 3 times per week for the next month or two, but then I might turn to cycling, or hiking. Last week it was cross country running. The week before that, I had an exercise free week - just chilled out.

Its horses for courses. Some people here can sustain 5 sessions per week for several years. But others are quickly choked off by this commitment. For long term fitness, for the majority of us, three or four hours per week is more than enough. Keep it interesting, and enjoy life in between exercise more. :)
 
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Hi im a newbie here and reading this i was thinking the same. I hate exercising, always have...but since i need to loose this weight, specially for health reasons, I started walking on the treadmil. I cannt say i like it...lol..but its been the longest ive ever stayed exercising and i actually feel good after it. I have. Im hoping once i loose the weight i wanna loose ill go and try some fun work outs. FOr now Im doing 3 miles 5 times a week, and just increasing the intensity. Right now the inclination its at 4.5. Ill keep adding as time goes by. 20 pounds off, ..around 70 to go...hahaha...uff that sounds brutal.
 
I think that sounds like too much too me. I work out cardio 30 minutes, 4 times a week. and I do weight training 3 days a week. I give myself 1 to 2 days off that a body needs to restore itself. I also go hiking/walking during the week too, but I don't count that as my cardio days, just relaxing and enjoying nature with a healthy boost. If you feel like you need more, why not go for a walk with a friend or go swimming. I would be afraid you would burn yourself out exersizing that much IMO. And I give you a big pat on the back for working out like you have been! How many inches have you lost so far?
 
I only ask, because I feel Like I am not doing enough. I also do extra walking at work. However, I like to feel good after I workout I am not seeing the results I need. Or want.

Sorry I don't know I just hear stuff about people working out 3 hours a day.

That seems crazy I was just curious thats all! Thanks for responding!
 
I have lost nearly 35lbs in the last 2 1/2 months mostly through my diet. I havent really gotten an exercise plan figured out yet that i stick to. I have a gym at my school, but I absolutely detest doing the cardio machines...I just get sooo bored. But, I have found that I am much more likely to exercise more times a week if I go walking on the track. The important thing is to do an exercise that you enjoy/can stand doing. If you force yourself to do something for 2 hours a day that you hate, you probably wont stick with it. I can walk for 2 hours no problem, but the thought of being in a gym for that long just makes my stomach cringe. This summer I will probably start swimming for cardio cause I live in Houston where it is WAY too hot to walk on the track usually. It all depends on the level of intensity - you can walk very slowly for 2 hours and burn about the same amount of calories as if you walk briskly for 1 hour. Your body can handle cardio that many times a week (as far as i know) but it depends on what you are willing to sacrifice in terms of time. Just remember, I think a really important thing is finding something that you enjoy at least somewhat, otherwise you wont end up going those 6 times a week.
 
I think that everyone is different. I work out at least 1.5 hours a day 6 days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays I do 2.5 hours. But different classes are included with that to keep me going. I only put in about 4 hours a week just on cardio machines. I also take and aerobics class, power yoga class and a cardio/weight lifting class.
 
I started the new year doing cardio at least 6 days per week. I am holding steady now at 3-4 days per week 40 minutes to an hour - varied intensities. Each person is very much different. I want something enjoyable and sustainable. I need to push into strength training though.
 
amount of exercise

You know I have to disagree with the idea that any set amount of exercise will induce overtraining. Overtraining, physiologically, is very hard to achieve, and is too variable person to person to set a number to. I have lost 130lbs after a gastric bypass 2 1/4 years ago and I exercise generally 6 days a week which includes 45min-1hr daily of vigorous ss cardio and 1-1.5 hours of heavy weightlifting 4-5 days a week. I have been doing this for more than 2 years. I feel great, amazing energy and motivation, and I LOVE going to the gym. Of course I eat 2200 clean calories MINIMUM to sustain all that exercise.
You have to see what works for you. You also do not want to burn out. I say do as much as you feel comfortable doing, as much as you can sustain motivation for. It needs to become a part of your life, not just a weight loss strategy, same thing for your diet, if you hope to achieve long-term success.
 
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