Is exercise 4x a week excessive?

I am interested to know how much exercise the concerned friend does 😏

No, I work out for 1-2 hours 6 days a week and have no issues. I box, HIIT and weights (each twice a week). It’s helped my mental health and fitness beyond all recognition!

It’s much much much harder for women to build muscle then it is for blokes. She’s probably just a little jealous of you doing this or can’t be arsed and would prefer it if you can’t be arsed.

I exercise almost every day, often I dog walk in addition to gym, tennis, Pilates, running. It makes me feel strong and capable, lifts my mood.

4 sessions isn't excessive. That's a nix mix of classes.
It'll do you the world of good.

It’s something I’ve been doing 4-6 times a week for 15yrs+…

No it's not excessive, just make sure to listen to your body though.

Sounds perfectly reasonable and healthy to me.

As for your friend — Urgh, spare me. She needs a reality check. You won’t suddenly become Arnold fucking Schwarzenegger by doing an extra pole session a week. Does she have any idea how hard people have to work to build serious muscle? I’m a former competitive powerlifter — trust me, I know! I was lifting HEAVY in the gym 5-6 times a week and eating like crazy, and I still wasn’t Mr Muscles! Plus, you can’t be “toned” without having a bit of muscle, and being “broad shouldered” is completely down to genetics and your own conformation. Ignore her nonsense, she sounds jealous and ignorant.

You do you and tell her to mind her own

I do about 4-5 sessions a week. Try to aim for three of those as a run and the others as weights/strength.

I'm currently in cancer remission and would like to keep it that way. So many cancers have a heightened risk due to inactivity. Mine was genetic but being at my healthiest is only a good thing if the sod returns. I'm a firm believer in the more effort we put in during our younger years the easier our old age will be. So many adults with chronic conditions that could have been easily avoided by more exercise and better diet in their 20's, 30's and 40's. Unfortunately though I don't think the current COL will have helped recently.

I don't think it's excessive. I run most days and do weights 3 days a week. The only people who have ever said anything negative is a couple of very unfit people who have something to say about anything positive anyone does. 🙄 If you feel good, carry on.

I work out 5 or 6 times a week. It sounds like your 'friend' doesn't want you to work on your wellbeing. Also, it's bloody hard to get broad, muscly shoulder but so what if you do!

I thought we were supposed to exercise every day. I don't, but I feel guilty about it!

I exercise every day. Tell her to mind her own business. What is it to her if you get muscly arms? What a strange thing to say!

I pole 3-5 times a week for between 1 and 2 hours and do strength training on top of that twice a week for about 40 mins and flexibility training about 3 times. Making sure I have atleast one rest day but often two full rest days where I don't do any exercise a week.

If you want to get good at pole you have to be consistent and show up regularly. I don't cancel class unless I am sick and I do not cancel it to go do other things. I prioritise it and other things fit round it. It's important to me. Your friend is talking nonsense

Extreme = cancelling other plans to go to exercise classes, refusing to adjust plans

I don’t think that’s extreme, that’s just prioritising what’s important to you rather than being a people pleaser. My exercise routine is what works for me, and it’s important to me. Not my problem if it’s inconvenient for others that I won’t compromise on it.

Not excessive unless you’re finding it too much, and you’re the kind of person who will give up altogether rather than scale back.

It's not excessive, but there is a line where it does become extreme. It won't be about the number of times you go, but how you feel when you don't, and what you do about it.

Extreme = cancelling other plans to go to exercise classes, refusing to adjust plans, becoming depressed/anxious when you can't/don't go, overcompensating for missed classes etc. x

Exercising 4x week including one session of yoga wouldn’t be anywhere near enough exercise to slow recovery in an otherwise healthy person.

It's an old wives tail that exercise makes women over muscley.
It's actually very difficult for women to put on noticeable amounts of muscle and those who do work out very hard with heavy weights.

Muscles need some time to recover between exercise sessions to grow and recover. Too frequent exercise and they cannot do this and you increase the risk of injury.

why would regular exercise be counter productive from a health point of view?

No, it's not too much. Though if you've had a few months off you might want to ease into it.

Are you making time to do other things though? See friends, eat out, etc?
She may be more concerned about the balance in your life as presumably she knows about whatever you've just come through.

You don't need to follow fitness advice from someone who worries that pole will make women's shoulders broad and muscley. Is she full of other advice like "running gives you bad knees"?

If you've had a long, consistent base of fitness, then returning gradually after a few months off is not usually a big deal. Your mix of exercise is varied which means that you're not always using the same muscle groups in the same way.

Overtraining is a thing, but if you listen to your body, fuel it well and build up gradually it's not often a problem and society's bigger issue issue is most people doing too little. The more muscle mass and bone density you build/ maintain, the more your body will thank you through life and into old age.

4 times a week is not excessive and you're not going to get hench with what you have listed. Toned and fit yes, but not suddenly take on the shape of a body builder.

It would be understanding if/how it is linked to why you took time off. When you are used to exercising a lot it's very easy to use it to compensate for other stressors in life(and often hand in hand with eating habits)

I say this, not because I think it's too much(I do more hours of an endurance sport and the supporting gym work/pilates for it), but as I know that's something I do myself. When I am particularly stressed I fall into the habit of under fuelling and over training, and see it in many other sporty friends too.

If not, your mate is a tit.

Your friend is talking cobblers. I suspect she doesnt have any reason to be considered an authority on this.