is working out TOO often bad for you????

my cousin told me that working out too often is bad for you. she said the reasoning behind this is because you're body retains more water when you work out too often....

personally, i'm not buying it. how can excercise be bad for your body?
this can not be correct.... right?

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

It is possible. If you overdo it & your body isn't ready for it, it's easy to get injured. Too much, too soon. Your muscles do need time to heal & rebuild, especially after lifting weights... that's why they say it's better not to work the same muscle group two days in a row.

ETA: I've never heard of the retaining water from too much exercise.

Message edited 5/6/2011 6:02:25 PM.

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

You definitely need to rest muscles at least 24 hours before doing weights on those muscles again. When you lift your muscles tear (tiny) and the rebuilding of the muscle is what causes them to tone up.

I think its totally fine to do cardio every day, I would just not do the same thing every single day - if you overuse your muscles you can cause injury - just listen to your body!

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

Sorry to agree with you cousin but working out everyday can actually be more harmful then good especially when you are trying to build lean muscle. Exercise especially weight training causes damage to the muscle fibers and your muscles will retain water. Most trainers will recommend a day of rest between muscle groups. There are some conflicting opinions but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Most fitness goal can be achieved with 3-5 days of training a week.

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

I have heard that working out too much isn't good. However, it also depends on what you mean by "working out".

I go hard 4-5 days out of the week (generally alternating muscle groups on the resistance/strength training days). If I do work out 5-6 days out of the week, 1-2 of them are very easy days. i love the gym and its hard for me to not go. So on an easy day I'll do the elliptical for 1/2 hour or go for a walk or a slow jog.

I would think working out your body hard more than 5 days a week could just lead to exhaustion and/ or injury. You need time to rest! Took me awhile to get that one (I used to work out 8-9 times a week...I'm just obsessed!)

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

I heard 1/2 hr - an hr of cardio every day is good.

I've heard overtraining (strenuous exercise every day) can be bad because it causes stress on your body. Stress raises cortisol levels. Cortisol contributes to fat storage...something like that. Its a hormone thing. However, I also heard it is very difficult to determine if and when your body is under enough stress from working out to raise your cortisol levels. Thats why bodybuilders take all these supplements, Glutamine, Creatine, Amino acids, L-lysine, etc etc...they all contribute to building protein and supporting hormone production & speeding up recovery from stress on the muscles.

eta: I never heard about the water retention thing

Message edited 5/7/2011 6:51:35 AM.

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

I think working out 5-6 days of week is fine as long as you have built up to it. If you go from nothing to almost everyday you will most likely get injured. It is important to also important to take at least one rest day.

Re: is working out TOO often bad for you????

I don't know about the weight training part. I know that you aren't supposed to do the same group two days in a row...except abs can be every day?


As for cardio. 1 day a week off is good. I have read 1 day off every 14 days, but I think it's easier to keep a 7 day cycle. If you do long cardio - the next day should be rest or VERY easy/light. If you do intense cardio (intervals) the day before should be rest or VERY easy/light. But you can combine those. Long cardio on Sunday - Monday rest - intense cardio on Tuesday.