Gym/Exercise - Is there such a thing as too much?

[HanJackMum]

Obviously going to the gym and exercising is a good thing. But do you think there’s a point which is sufficient volume and anything beyond that’s unnecessary. Say 5 gym sessions a week - feels a lot to me, whereas I think you can get sufficient benefit from going 3 times assuming adequate intensity of course.

Of course there's such a thing as "too much".

5 times a week is unlikely to be "too much". Some form of exercise every day is advisable, whether that means 5 gyms trips depends what else you're doing (and what you're doing at the gym).

Getting anxious or angry if you're unable to get to the gym, is a definite indicator of too much. Regularly getting injuries is probably an indicator of too much. But it's not that 3 is the magic "right" number...

If it starts impacting negatively on somebody’s health, relationships and/or quality of life, that’s too much.

Of course there is such a thing as too much, however YABU to think 5 times week is too much.

5 times a week is pretty average. I’d say every day twice a day is too much (assuming someone is pushing themselves and not just hanging around )

Average for who? The general population? I highly doubt that. Given that only about 1in 6 uk residents has a gym membership.

@TheOriginalEmu i don’t have a gym membership. I workout at home. I know many people who do that too.

Yes there absolutely is such a thing as too much. Whether 5 days is too much depends on what you're doing and your own body/age/limitations.

I'm certainly finding now I approach 50 that I gain nothing but injury if I'm not careful about what exercise I do and when. I can still get away with 5 exercise sessions though - 2 strength, 3 runs one week and 3 strength, 2 runs the next seems to be my sweet spot.

It would be about your body's tolerance, the intensity of your sessions, and ensuring there was sufficient rest.

I only do 3 gym sessions plus a run every week due to long hours job and 3 kids. But, I push myself within those, lifting weights at the limits of my capabilities and doing circuits with press-ups, mountain climbers and plyometrics as hard as I can.

I used to go more often but if I'm honest, not as intensively. And when I had an eating disorder at university, I went through a phase of running a couple of hours every day - that definitely was too much!

I don't think there are hard and fast rules really, it's about balance, intensity, and results.

Even Olympic athletes have a rest day. It's too much not to have rest days in my opinion.

You really should have a rest day or two in a week if you're an average level of fitness, as I have found when overdoing a running programme by adding in extra days, but it depends. Someone stopping in for 30 mins after work is different to someone doing a 2-hour PT routine 5 times a week.

I do 9 classes (45 minutes each) a week at the sports centre. On 3 of the days I do 2 classes back to back. It's a mix of cardio, weights and LBT type things. Saturday is my day off

What do you regard as too much?

It absolutely depends on the individual and the type of exercise they do as to what is too much.

I do a mix of rock climbing (bouldering, no ropes and you fall onto big squishy mats) and go to the gym wher I can. A week with a lot of free time this could look like:
Monday- Climb
Tuesday- Gym
Wednesday-rest
Thursday- climb
Friday- gym
Saturday-climb
Sunday- rest

But I'd typically target muscles and movements at the gym that I don't use whilst climbing. This is mostly for muscular balance and to reduce injury risks whilst climbing as well as some strength exercises that improve my climbing.

I do absolutely fine on weeks like this but I'm in my mid to late 20s so this wouldn't necessarily be sustainable for someone older.

But on some weeks it's 2 days of climbing and 5 days of being too busy to even think about it. Or no climbing because I've injured myself because that's the nature of the sport sometimes.

I am one of the 1 in 6 that doesn't have a gym membership. Though I'm not sure that counts for too much when there are so many other sports/ fitness activities/ hobbies that don't rely on the gym!

Fair point. I just mean that 5 days of exercise a week doesn’t feel average to me. But I suppose it depends on what you call exercise.

I go the gym 5 days a week, and would go more if my body didn’t need rest to recover.
I love the gym, I thinks it’s basically an adults version of a playground.

I have a large social life at the gym, most of my friends are there, so it’s not just a heath thing it’s also social.

Oh my God, I love this. I am forever going to think about it now as the adults playground.

It is not the amount or type of gym we do that determines whether it is 'too much'; it is the hold the gym has on us.

My son became obsessed with the gym. He worked out until failure seven days a week at the gym. He turned down jobs because he would not be able to fit gym (and other exercise routines) in. He worked out through injuries, He was totally obsessed with having a gym-perfect body. The hold that gym had on him was obviously negative.

So if the gym becomes your life rather than a healthy part of it, then it is too much.

Yes of course, your body needs to recover and it can affect someone's life negatively if it becomes obsessive.

5 days a week really depends- if someone is going to the gym to do the same sets for hours on end to the detriment of their other commitments and body then probably not ideal. If someone goes 5 times a week with a plan ie different sessions to target different areas and supports this activity with decent nutrition then not at all.

HIgher injury risk if same type of exercise is daily and intense. Professional athletes manage their own workout routines carefully to reduce injury risks.