Physical exercise - how much to do?

[Joe Normal]

Is it better to do a moderate amount of exercise daily, or to do a more strenuous workout? Obviously the latter will improve physical condition more, but I find that it's easier to slack off if I feel that I am faced with having to do what feels like a more difficult workout. Whereas if I do something more moderate, I know it's easy and I don't have a problem getting it done each day.

 

Anyone with experience of this?

[FieryDream]

You should limit exercise to about 1 hour a day, because too much exercise is pretty bad for u. Protein shakes are good for after exercise as they give you some energy or an energy bar will do. always take a drink with u unless theirs a water fountain or something like that to. don't exercise everyday and even exercise that seems easy is still getting you in shape. Push yourself too hard and you can do damage and get horrible stretch marks.

[Trojan John]

Do what works best for you, and what will keep you going to the gym constantly.

 

Personally, I alternate training strenuously one week, and light the next week. It keeps me on my toes.

 

Best.

[Devil Inside]

Do what works best for you, and what will keep you going to the gym constantly.

 

Personally, I alternate training strenuously one week, and light the next week. It keeps me on my toes.

 

Best.

 

I agree..the key is to be consistent. If you are slacking off then it is doing you no good. Find some activities you really like and commit to them. Also, mixing up your workouts is an excellent way to keep yourself motivated.

[Green]

Just taking a walk and moving around is better then nothing. It all depends on your fitness goals.

[Meaplus3]

Is it better to do a moderate amount of exercise daily, or to do a more strenuous workout? Obviously the latter will improve physical condition more, but I find that it's easier to slack off if I feel that I am faced with having to do what feels like a more difficult workout. Whereas if I do something more moderate, I know it's easy and I don't have a problem getting it done each day.

 

Anyone with experience of this?

 

Form what I've read and been told, excercise on a daily basis in a great way to go in order to keep in shape. A simple 30 minute power on most days of the week will help one accomplish this goal. It's really the frequency that matter most here. Good luck.

 

Mea:)

[sally4sara]

I recommend the P90X workout. Even if you don't go diving fully into the whole program, even if you can't hang for his entire DAILY hour to hour and a half workouts, you WILL know you are accomplishing better fitness. You will feel it. You will see it.

 

I hate the man in the videos. I want to smash his face in at 6am. But at 3pm, I'm loving that gratifying ache and the way my bum is looking.

[deux ex machina]

...I hate the man in the videos. I want to smash his face in at 6am....

 

Haha!

 

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My vote is daily as well. Doesn't mean it's all out every day, and it doesn't mean things don't happen that make me miss a workout. But you roll with it.

 

If I skip too much I get a little restless.

[Jeff1962]

Is it better to do a moderate amount of exercise daily, or to do a more strenuous workout? Obviously the latter will improve physical condition more, but I find that it's easier to slack off if I feel that I am faced with having to do what feels like a more difficult workout. Whereas if I do something more moderate, I know it's easy and I don't have a problem getting it done each day.

 

Anyone with experience of this?

 

I would suggest joining a gym that provides personal trainers. Tell them what you want. They will design a program for based on your personal needs.

 

I work out 4 times a week, 2 days on, 1 off then 2 days on. Rest on the weekends. I also run 2x a week. I do not like the bodybuilder look, gross. I am very lean and well defined and this is the way I like it. I can wear just about anything and look good in it.

 

Get in there and do it.

[GrayClouds]

Do what you like, just do.

 

Specially if your goal is just to be generally healthy. If your lookin gfor a bit more then that throw in a couple workouts of with a bit more intensity.

[flc]

Exercise works in two ways first is simple burning of calories and this is just a function of time and effort. The whole fat burning less effort workout has been pretty much debunked and if you want to loose weight then you just have burn more calories than you eat. The second is changing your basal metabolism. Moderate exercise of 30min a day will accomplish this. I work out high intensity for 1hr 4-5 days a week and even with working out this much if I don't watch what I eat I put on weight.

 

In the end the though the best exercise is the one that you will do, so pick something you enjoy.

[Maxxx]

I'll put my 2 cents here........ long story short I decided to start exercising the first of this year... So to this point I have been doing it for a month. Just some info for ya I joined Planet Fitness they have deals as low as $10.00 a month..

 

Any way I exercise 45 min. a day 5 days a week I started a month ago with 30 min. 4 days a week...... Anyway I feel so much better it is UNREAL!!!!! I feel so much better in fact I WANT to go.. when I first started I made yself go.....

[Lauriebell82]

I exercise about 5 time per week. I usually do about 45 minutes of cardio per day and alternate lifting days. I don't kill myself but I do enough to burn fat and calories.

 

I think that you should do moderate exercise, more frequent days. Take at least 1 day off also in order to let your muscles repair and relax. Working out TOO much also tends to exaust you and make you unmotivated to continue.

[Enema]

OP - it depends on a few things:

 

- What fitness level you are now

- Your fitness goals

- What type of exercise you're doing

- What intensity you exercise at

 

Little more information would be naice.

[TheLoneSock]

Is it better to do a moderate amount of exercise daily, or to do a more strenuous workout? Obviously the latter will improve physical condition more, but I find that it's easier to slack off if I feel that I am faced with having to do what feels like a more difficult workout. Whereas if I do something more moderate, I know it's easy and I don't have a problem getting it done each day.

 

Anyone with experience of this?

 

If you're just starting out, start small and push yourself further each week. You'll eventually work up to the condition that you're able to do the strenuous workouts 3-4 times a week. Getting to this point and maintaining this requires a lot discipline. Without discipline you won't go anywhere.

 

Make sure you're training for the right reasons, in the right way, and with the right mindset. Cover those three things and you can't fail. It's all about discipline.

[Joe Normal]

OP - it depends on a few things:

 

- What fitness level you are now

- Your fitness goals

- What type of exercise you're doing

- What intensity you exercise at

 

Little more information would be naice.

 

My fitness is fairly poor right now. I basically had an injury about 18 months ago that stopped my exercising (I used to do about 30 mins daily) for several months, and afterwards I'd got out of the habit and stopped entirely. Went up about 1 waist size and got a bit of a belly. I started again about 2 months ago but I've not really settled into a routine yet, although I have lost probably half a stone.

 

My goals are to get back into decent condition and get into the habit of exercising regularly, then once I've reached that, I want to get more serious and probably take up some physically demanding sport on top of that.

 

I just do pressups, situps, some basic arm and chest exercises with dumbells, then some cardio on a cross-trainer for about 10 mins. Nothing intense but I am just trying to get a base to build from at the moment.

[skydiveaddict]

I ALWAYS go down "gamblin" everytime I hit the gym. (go for broke) To me anything else is a waste of time.

Edited February 6, 2010 by skydiveaddict

[allina]

I try to run at least 3 miles 4-5 days a week. In the summer I'm more active because on top of running I often spend weekends hiking or kayaking.

[Joe Normal]

Ok, I have a bit of an update - I spoke to an old friend of mine who used to do amateur boxing in his younger days, and asked for some tips. He gave me a full "beginner" workout - well, let's just say I've done about half of it this morning, took me around 2 hours and I am completely shattered! I don't even know if I can manage 5-6 days a week at that intensity, but there's no question that anyone doing even half of it would get in shape within a couple of months. I shudder to think what the "advanced" version is I might scale down to about 1 hour a day as it's hard for me to spend more time than that, but I'm certain it'll work much better than what I was doing before. Best thing is it doesn't need any weights or equipment (there's one portion which needs a boxing heavy bag but I'm skipping that), and it's more fun than pounding a treadmill as a good chunk of it incorporates some boxing moves. I'll let you know how I feel when I wake up tomorrow - have a hunch there will be some aches and pains lol.

[deux ex machina]

Oh, are you in for it! Hahaha...but while I'm laughing, I may as well be helpful.

 

Here Joe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness

 

Just walk if off as much as possible.

 

Sounds like it's something that synchs well with you. Keep at it, even if you have to adapt down for a little while.

[Joe Normal]

Oh, are you in for it! Hahaha...but while I'm laughing, I may as well be helpful.

 

Here Joe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_onset_muscle_soreness

 

Just walk if off as much as possible.

 

Sounds like it's something that synchs well with you. Keep at it, even if you have to adapt down for a little while.

 

Currently hobbling around like a cripple Is it better to wait for the soreness to pass before exercising the sore muscles again?

[deux ex machina]

Currently hobbling around like a cripple Is it better to wait for the soreness to pass before exercising the sore muscles again?

 

This is a tough call - with that link to the DOMS Wikipedia page, there's a part that addresses the training aspect, and they have it right in that there are so many contradictory opinions on it. The problem is if you are too sore, and workout intensely again on top of it, you're just going to compound the problem. Warm/cool showers really do help in some instances.

 

My personal feeling about it is to wait 3 days, and see how you feel - as it seems like quite a bit of soreness. Adjust as you will. This is a hard thing to jump into with both feet. When I do hard weight-bearing stuff I have to go a longer time than most between sessions, but I'm anemic and do loads of other things. I get really fragile if I go overboard, so I've learned to listen to my body...it is something that gradually happens, and you will get that body awareness over time, as well.

 

For now, wait until the worst of it is over.

 

All of that hobbling around you're doing! You've had one intense break in to this workout! Sort of going from 0-180 mph. Hope you're getting on okay, eating and sleeping well.

Edited February 16, 2010 by deux ex machina