How much exercise is too much? In this interview with Tony DiLorenzo, from Thrive90, dive into how much exercise is too much. We talk about what it takes to get crankin’. Get infected with the fitness bug, endorphin rush, but don’t get burned out or injured. Tune in to find out more.
How Much Exercise is Too Much?
Find 15-30 minutes 4 days per week you will be crankin’!
We are all busy, but 4-5 times each week. The workouts don’t need to be long 30-40 minutes each.
Don’t Half-Ass It
Have a plan. Warm-up, then have a focused plan to workout. Dive into each movement with determination and focus. That focus will make a huge difference in your workouts both in your enjoyment and in results.
Focus, short duration, 4 times per week.
Crankin’ baby! We decided that this is a perfect term. If you can find 3-4 times every week to workout you will be crankin’ it. That means you will be making improvements, seeing your body transform, and equip yourself to enjoy all life has to offer.
Form Matters
Just because we use the term crankin’ it doesn’t mean we throw form out the window. You know you’ve watched the Crossfit videos where form was long-lost. Hey, there’s lots that I like about Crossfit. The one downside I often see if crap form to gain speed. Don’t do it. When your form goes to crap, you should expect injury.
Vary your speed. Tony talks about using the dumbbells he has at home. He slows the movements down and can feel the impact. Just like I talked about in How To Do Pull-ups.
Interview With Tony DiLorenzo
This is part two from Tony. If you missed part 1, go back and find out how Tony packed on 16 pounds of muscle using Vince Delmonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building program.
How Much is Too Much?
You just don’t need to exercise more than 4 times per week. Just carve out 4 times where you can workout for 15-30 minutes each week and you will see the difference.
But let’s hear from you. What have you found as the answer for how much exercise is too much? What wall did you hit? Did you get injured? Did you burn out? Where did you find balance? The key to how much exercise is too much is finding a level you can sustain for a lifetime.
How much exercise is too much? Leave your thoughts in a comment below.
Totally agree about the folks who have what I call “random non-productive workouts.” I used to be a victim of that syndrome, but didn’t start seeing significant results until I started having a focused plan of action BEFORE going to the gym to workout.
It also cuts down the time spent in the gym so much. Many people do not realize how much time passes when you don’t have a planned workout in terms of how many sets, reps, which exercises, etc.
So true. I’ll admit that without a plan the night before one of two things happens: 1) I don’t sleep well agonizing about how I should workout, or 2) I sleep soundly and sleep right through the workout.
Neither is good. Have a plan, work the plan.
I think this is one of those “no correct answer” questions. On the one hand 3-4 times per week is just fine and enough if GPP is all you’re after. And I think that’s the case for most. On the other hand you have your fitness fanatics that are “crankin it” 6 days a week because they’re after some form of elite-ness. I’d say the latter group should be well seasoned athletes that know their body and can “read” what it’s telling them in order to prevent injury.
At 42, I train hard 3 – 4 days and easy cardio on 2 – 3 days. That’s my plan and it’s been working great so far.
Bryan recently posted..Workout Routines For Women – Simple and Effective
Bryan, I tend to agree, but then I look around. At least in the US we are a declining fitness trend. http://healthyamericans.org/report/88/
There are those, like you and me, who are in their 40s and working the same 3-4 hard, 2-3 easy routine. It works and works well. The elite-athletes are … well elite. There aren’t many and they do have unique needs. Burn out and over-training take on different forms at that level.
But what would say would be a good measure for most of us? For you and I, for our peers, or for our kids?
-Troy
I definitely agree with the 3 – 4 times per week for most. That’s what I was hoping would come across in the first two sentences.
I was only adding that there really isn’t a correct answer. I’ve just come across so many that are looking for an absolute answer to questions and take things as black and white, no grey at all.
Training frequency is tied directly to your goals. If someone is only looking to get/stay in decent shape then there is no need to train any more than 4 days per week and for no more than 30 minutes. Agreed.
I like that link too. I knew the numbers somewhat, but seeing it like that only makes me shake my head.
Bryan recently posted..Workout Routines For Women – Simple and Effective
Oooo…. Now can I do that? Go back and edit the post?
While we didn’t talk about goals/who/etc directly with Tony. He was talking about his own experiences and how he’s helped others. But didn’t get into goals and current fitness level assessments — all that.
Now you’ve got me thinking. Thinking about going back and adding content. :/ Can I do that?
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
I say – don’t go back and edit this post, write up a whole new one. Training frequency is one of those things I get asked about a lot. I’m sure you do too.
Great site & keep up the good work
Bryan recently posted..Workout Routines For Women – Simple and Effective
Training frequency and abs – those two seem to be never ending conversations.
Sounds like a great topic for an upcoming series.
I also agree with this. Many people seems to think that if they exercise more it will yield good effect but that’s not entirely true.
This is really interesting, I was always told that I should do 30 minutes exercise 6 days a week but if you said I need to do less then maybe I’ll try that!
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Harriet, Again there are lot of factors that affect this decision (i.e. goals, fitness level, etc).
But consider the intensity of your exercise. 30 minutes 5 days a week is what ACSM recommends if it is low intensity. When the intensity is cranked up they back off to 20 minutes 3 times a week.
You’ll see that the Bulgarian Training Bag program (coming soon – really!) will be based on 3-4 day interval training.
Read more about ACSM’s recommendations on my post over on Technorati: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/how-much-exercise-is-enough/
What type of exercise do you enjoy doing?
Thank you all for your comments on how much training is too much. Most of my clients are busy moms and dads who are want to get in shape. Their goal isn’t to walk across a stage in a fitness competition or PR a 5k or 1/2 marathon. They want to keep up with their kids and mostly have more energy.
This is where I come from when I talk about how much exercise is needed. I believe and have seen many lives transformed with 3-4 days of intermediate to intense workouts of 20-30 minutes. Our program, Thrive90 Fitness, is a testament to impacting lives in a short amount of time.
Whatever you may be always remember that burnout is a place you don’t want to be. If you need a break take one and readjust to better suit your needs.
Cheers.
Awesome. Thanks for dropping by and chiming in. Proof that lives can be transformed with this amount of exercise. “Crankin”
Hi it all depends on the exercise you are doing If you are weight training then 4 times a week should be your max. on the other one or two days you should be doing some cardio if you still want to exercise. You MUST have one day completly exercise free to allow your body to repair its self. One last thing I alway advise people every 8=10 weeks to take 4-7 days off
kevin redman recently posted..Welcome to Muscle building over 40
Kevin, Excellent advice. I see your site is for us old-dudes over 40; we need our rest. As we age our ability to just keep going slows down, either that or a few decades of abuse start to catch up to us. To often it is easy to skip the rest days, or not even think about those rest weeks. They are so essential for long-term benefits from exercise. I always find that I come back stronger after a rest-week. Don’t you?
Yes I find that if I have a complete break my mojo comes back. Thanks for your kind words loving your advise. Ps I think I am the only person who gets younger each day
kevin redman recently posted..Welcome to Muscle building over 40
Kevin, I’ll join you on the getting younger each day approach.