Working out is the best way to get fit, fast. You don’t need any special equipment to perform some of our best exercise moves! But how many days a week should we be working out? What happens if we do too much exercise? Can we do too much exercise? CrazyMass wanted to find out.
How Much Working Out Is Too Much Working Out?
While we all agree that getting in a good gym session is excellent for our bodies and our minds – how far can we push the limit. The CDC recommends that adults should do at least 2.5 hours a week in (at least moderate) physical activity. They put the healthy limit at 5 hours on the upper side of the scale… but can you go beyond five hours a week?
Well, research shows that too much exercise can be bad for your health. When you push too hard for repeated periods, you risk doing damage to your muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Sprain, breakage, and even debilitation can follow.
Worse, perhaps, is the effect on your body when you don’t get enough rest time. While your body is at rest, it processes all the proper nutrition you have taken in. Protein synthesis, the method by which the body builds new muscle mass, is triggered by sleep. If you aren’t resting all the work enough you do in the gym won’t pay off.
More than 5 hours in the gym a week is acceptable for a pro athlete. For the rest of us, this is ample time. Do too much, and the symptoms can include:
- A slowing of performance.
- Mood swings and irritability, including anxiety and depression.
- Insomnia.
- Overuse injuries such as RSI.
- Weight loss and lack of healthy immune functioning.
Creating A Workout Plan That Suits You
The best way to avoid doing too much (or too little!) exercise is by creating a workout plan that suits you. To do this, try to fit your gym time in between your real-life – instead of focusing on appropriate gym time in first. In this way, you should avoid any psychological negatives associated with pushing yourself too hard.
The second thing to consider is what you want to achieve. You can better reach your fitness goals if you plan your workouts with your target in mind. Do you want to build muscle? Do you want to lose weight fast? Setting out your desired results can help you plan what sort of exercise you need – and for how long. Aim to schedule in three hours a week at the gym. That way, if you run over, you are still getting optimum time.
The Right Ingredients for Fitness Success
Don’t forget to supplement correctly, get plenty of rest, and keep an eye on your nutrition levels. Great form starts with great care. Visit our online store for inspiration or keep an eye on our blog for further hints and tips on how to get fit – and stay that way.
Gary David is the founder and CEO of CrazyMass, one of the nation’s leading supplement companies. Before starting CrazyMass in 2006, Gary was a bodybuilder and personal trainer for several gyms throughout Northwest Michigan, helping clients meet their fitness goals. Gary happily worked in this profession for over 15 years. He saw that most weight gaining products to increase muscle were made with ingredients that were dangerous or of poor quality. He knew there was a safer and healthier way to do this, so he created a special blend of herbs, amino acids, and nutrients to help bodybuilders slim down and gain muscle.
Although Gary no longer participates in bodybuilding competitions, he continues to be involved in the community, helping others prep for shows and attending events where he can advertise CrazyMass products. When Gary isn’t working long hours, he likes to spend his time working out at the gym, boating on Lake Michigan, traveling the trails around Northern Michigan by four-wheeler, and spending time with his family. He also loves to take a yearly trip to Europe with his wife and children.
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