Too Much Cardio???

Is there such a thing as too much cardio? I push my self to do at least an hour per day 5-6 times a week. Recently I added more to my routine - Normally at lunch I use the Gym @ work and go for an hour.  I just added riding my bike in the evening for a couple miles to get in some diffrent type of cardio. Has anyone had any adverse affects of over exercising? Two benifits are that I sleep better and I don't spend time watching tv as much also.   Tell me what you think and what are your experiances?

Watch the dehydration...Number one reason for returns to the hospital.  Also add alittle salt to your diet...Hard exercise and Texas heat could really take a toll.  My minds goes toward losing muscle mass.  You just aren't getting enough protein in the pouch right away.  If the body can't grab the energy from the stored fat...It could take it from muscle.  Just my two cents.  I would talk to your doctor.  Brian   PS  Try to know the signs of dehydration too.

I would also look at the question here on the Men's Board  "Why?" by Troybear (about 10 posts down).  Some really good responces to basiclly the same question.  Brian

Brian, This is good information. I am taking in between 80 to 100 grams of protein daily and my total calorie intake is between 750 - 1000 cal per day.  I get very few carbs between 20 - 50 grams daily mostly from veggies, fruit, and crackers with Tuna. My water intake is between 96 oz (6 bottles) - 128 (8 bottles) of water 1 centrum chew mulit - vit 1 iron suppliment (per doc) 1600 mg Calcium - Citrate + Vit D I have been following my Dr's hand book to the letter -  I am 2 weeks shy of 4 months post op and I am down 88lbs as of this morning. I fly out to Vegas on 4/14 and I would like to be 100lbs down, and not need a Seat belt extention also. ( I dont think that I need one any more but it would be nice to be 100lbs down @ 4 months)

Prior to my recent pre-op weight loss I was only about cardio if I ever made it to the gym. The free-weights side of the gym just seemed to intimidating so I would just hop on a treadmill and maybe a stair machine and that was it. The problem is you're burning calories but you're not really building any muscle until you start doing some resistance training.

Six month ago when my surgeon put me on a serious diet, I joined a gym and then I signed up for some sessions with a personal trainer. He really showed me how to use different resistance exercise to really firm up my body and not just drop pounds. Even doing something like lunges or squats will really get your heart pumping and get you sweating like crazy but at the same time it will be building muscle in your legs. And best of all, it's all with your own bodyweight (at least to start) and you don't have to be an expert, just make sure you get your form right. Even doing pushups or trying to do some chinups (or using one of those partial chinup machines) will really do you a lot more good than doing just a 100% cardio routine.

I still do some cardio training in between or just about 10 minutes to warm myself up before hitting the weights but it seems to work well. Look into "functional training", it's basically doing workout movements that actually are useful in everyday life or in sports. Doing a regular bench press might get you a huge chest but what good is that if your back is weak or your shoulders are small? Functional training is more like doing a chinup that uses a full range of muscles to complete a movement that normally work together anyway.

Nope, never can get too much cardio unless you have a heart condition imo. As long as we WLSers are eating well and don't have medical conditions, we can never get too much exercise period. That said, there are times when you can break down your body by going "lunatic fringe" with the exercise and by not building in periods of rest to allow the body to recover. Seriously though, I don't think any of us guys here would approach that breaking point. On the other hand, I do think many of us (including me) continue to grasp for reasons why we can't exercise. Boner

I think there are some "factors" that play into it that may make the answer yes (depending on how you look at it). I watch the trainers put 400 lb people through the same fitness regime they'd putt a 100 lb person at my gym.  IMHO it is inappropriate for someone that is 400 lbs to be jogging or even trying to jog on a treadmill or in the indoor track, because it puts a LOT of pressure on the joints and knees.  It is not a good idea to start off doing 3 hours of running or biking 10 miles the first time on the road.  Just like any other exercise, you should work up to your cardio regime.  People become too eager to "do it" that they end up doing damage to their knees, backs, feet, hips ....etc.  Also in my experience as a post op,  I found that doing  a bit less cardio and a bit more weight lifting gave me better results, both in terms of losing weight and getting the muscles to fill in some of the excess skin. Scott

I agree there are ignorant trainers out there who don't understand the health impacts of a 400 pounder trying to exercise like a 200 pounder. That said, there are many truths which I NOW understand about exercise, most of which are obvious. These exercise truths are:


1. If you have a medical condition such as a weakened heart, obviously consult your doctor before undertaking an exercise program. It's probably a good idea to talk to you WL surgeon about your exercise plans even if you don't have any pre-existing conditions. I told mine who basically just told me to "go for it."

2. The heavier a person is, the more likely it is that any type of high impact cardio exercise, such as running, could end up damaging your joints. That's why I chose cycling which is low impact. Swimming is another fine example of a low impact cardio exercise.

3. Start slow in whatever form of exercise you choose and gradually work up to more and difficult objectives. This tends to happen naturally I think since most people can't start out running/cycling/swimming hour after hour. Hell, when I first started cycling I couldn't even make it 10 feet without stopping and catching my breath.

4. Recovery is a huge part in getting fit. Even if you're able to work out every day, it's not a wise thing to do since your body will break down. As a result, your overall performance will suffer, your motivation will decrease and the "I don't want to exercise" downward spiral begins.

5. A person has to find some form of exercise that they get a semblance of enjoyment out of. See Michael's post earlier this week about hiking and "reaching for the sky."

6. Any form of exercise is more difficult than not doing anything at all. Everyone has to "force" themselves to exercise, some more than others.

7. A balance of both weight training and cardio training is crucial to a persons overall health.

I'm sure there are more truths about exercise out there and I would like to hear them.

Thanks

Boner