Am I over doing the fitness regime that I'm on? Maybe I am because I am aching right now.

I swim for about 45 mins, 5 days a week. I work out with two types of dumb bells ~ 2.5kg(5 lbs) & 5kg (11 lbs)to strenghen the arms/shoulder area. Plus as many as 40 stomach crunches & the usual leg exercises for the lower body.

So why all of a sudden after doing this stuff for the past 9 months am I aching?

Oh yeah, I'm a petite female (5' 3") weighing in @ 122 lbs.

Any suggestions?

I dont think you can "overdo" the fitness regime at that rate. Although I do have a few suggestions to take away that "ache".

First of all I think maybe you should mix-up the cardio and wieghts that you do that way you are not just working ONE specific area over and over EVERYday, you should do (for example) legs one day and arms the next. And dont just work on one tyoe of arm either (legs are hard to make extreme diverse) but do like one day of chest and such or push-ups and pull-ups than the next do like biceps and triceps...just an example.
Mix-up wieghts too, one day do a max and next do a little less.

Besides swimming (cardio wise) you should work on running, biking, or even something physical you enjoy, like tennis or soccer, or basketball. Anything.

If you change up your regime you wont ache so bad becuase it will be a different muscle group you work everytime.

Plus, ALWAYS stretch either right after cardio and or right after a warm shower (becuase you muscles are warm then).

Hope this helps a little bit. It should. Good luck to you.

Running? You must be joking! Running can wear out your joints pretty fast. Forget soccer, over here they play rough. Tennis? Hmmm if I could only get a partner to play against me. Basketball? hahaha!! Yeah right ~ a shorty like me playing basketball.

Anything ~ Yes that sounds better.

Look I was pretty fit at one time. I used to cycle for miles every day. I've climbed the highest mountain in Britain (Ben Nevis). That's the honest truth here. I also hiked long distances too carrying a 65 litre back-pack on my back, but I can't do that anymore. I injured my left ankle and if I do anything strenuous then my ankle breaks down and I'm back to square one all over again ~ Unable to walk far.

I got a confession to make ~ I just got back from the USA about a month ago and for three weeks I didn't do any of those exercises. I partied for two whole weekends & watched two real American football games. Well you know how it is ~ Tailgating is a must before a game..beer & plenty of food. Now you don't think that Cool Breeze (Me) is going to fly all from England to Seattle & Buffalo just to be a good girl do ya? We partied big time. Sorry!

But I'm home now and I am trying my best to get back to the fitness level I was before going to the States. I guess I need to look at the things that I do and tweak it abit.

I would like to correct you, running is NOT bad for your joints unless you have a bad running form (which can be trained differently) or if you do LONG running and run more than once a day. But, it actually can be good for you, especially if you run on dirt or grass, now concrete or pavenment is worse for you body yes, that is true. But running is not bad for you, by any means!

Biking or like if you have ever heard of an elliptical machine, those are two good workouts for you also.

Now the question is have you already been to Basic? Or are you training for Basic?
Its good that you are trying to get back in shape.

quote:

Originally posted by lilspitfire66:
Am I over doing the fitness regime that I'm on? Maybe I am because I am aching right now.

I swim for about 45 mins, 5 days a week. I work out with two types of dumb bells ~ 2.5kg(5 lbs) & 5kg (11 lbs)to strenghen the arms/shoulder area. Plus as many as 40 stomach crunches & the usual leg exercises for the lower body.

So why all of a sudden after doing this stuff for the past 9 months am I aching?

Oh yeah, I'm a petite female (5' 3") weighing in @ 122 lbs.

Any suggestions?

Have you taken a week off? Or even taken it down a notch for a week and only exercised 2 or 3 times low intensity?

To me it sounds like your nervous system is tired. You need to rest, otherwise your body will weaken and you'll be at a higher risk to catch a cold or other sickness and lose what strength and endurance you just worked so hard for.

A week off is not going to kill you, I'd suggest resting.

Did you know if you take more than 3 days off you loose what you gained from those weeks of working out.

Also I suggest you take a day off each week so your body has a chance to "catch uo" per say. 3 days more is worse.

quote:

Originally posted by soccerartist15:
Did you know if you take more than 3 days off you loose what you gained from those weeks of working out.

Also I suggest you take a day off each week so your body has a chance to "catch uo" per say. 3 days more is worse.

lol. No you don't, thats physically impossible. Many times a week or two of recovery (meaning no to little activity) results in a person coming back STRONGER then what they were before.

I'd suggest you do some research on the topic before making such absurd remarks, not trying to be a jerk, just pointing out that your way off track.

Actually I have done my research Im not saying that you will come back a weakling, but you do loose some of what you have attained.

I know this from not only fact but also from experience.

For example if you take your weight lifting regime for example and add weight by each day and then take a week off you will not be able to jump right back to were you left off you will have to start from that middle limit.

Not only does that rest make a factor for you (lilspitfire66) BUT you might feel like you are overdoing it becuase you arent eating right, that makes a BIG influence into your recovery from your workouts and such.

quote:

Originally posted by soccerartist15:
Actually I have done my research Im not saying that you will come back a weakling, but you do loose some of what you have attained.

I know this from not only fact but also from experience.

For example if you take your weight lifting regime for example and add weight by each day and then take a week off you will not be able to jump right back to were you left off you will have to start from that middle limit.

Not only does that rest make a factor for you (lilspitfire66) BUT you might feel like you are overdoing it becuase you arent eating right, that makes a BIG influence into your recovery from your workouts and such.

You lost strength from taking a week off? I find that hard to believe unless your one of the rare instances.

If you wanted to go by personal experience then my training partner and I, plus several others I know always, and I mean always come back stronger after a week off.

If what you say is true then the majority of power lifters would not be as strong as they are. Many times power lifters will train once or twice a week. Why? because they lift with such an intense matter that they must allow their CNS to recover. How do they do this? They space training days out 5 days, 7 days, 10 days, etc.

Diet does play a role, but sleep plays just as large of a role if not larger. To recover, you need nutrients and rest.

So the new question for the starter of this thread.

How does your diet look?

How much sleep do you get each night?

How stressful is your life? Stress also plays a large role on the CNS and when combined with one of the other factors can directly lead to burning out in the weight room.

First off not saying I lost complete strength, but plus I think its a tad different for a woman, but I could be wrong. Now to move off the subject onward...

Sleep and nutrition to play a huge role together in your regime.
So you are asking the right questions.

quote:

I would like to correct you, running is NOT bad for your joints unless you have a bad running form (which can be trained differently) or if you do LONG running and run more than once a day. But, it actually can be good for you, especially if you run on dirt or grass, now concrete or pavenment is worse for you body yes, that is true. But running is not bad for you, by any means!

Correction, running long distances or more than once a day is not bad for you if you are experienced and know what you are doing. Knowledge is key. I have ran over 4,000 miles for this year and I am still not even close to some of my ultra running friends. Training for my first 100 mile race I was running 180 miles a week and running 2-3 times a day for over 4 months. Lilspitfire66 I don't know where you got your facts about running wearing you out quickly but maybe start with an actual distance runner. I have ran races with people that have longer running streaks than I've been alive. Some of these guys have 50+ year streaks (streak is running 7 days a week without missing a day) and are into the ages of 80.

StillThinking you must understand everyone is wired differently so what works for you will not work for everyone. You missed the biggest key in your physical attributes and that is your family genetics. I have an extremely fast recovery rate so I can powerlift more often and run more miles faster and be fine the next day. I can run back to back 62.5 mile (100K) runs 3-4 days in a row and still run my 1.5 mile in 7:41. With that being said it is not surprising that Soccerartist15 was losing some of what he gained after a week.

Sleep and proper nutrition go hand in hand.

Like Soccerartist15 said you need to start changing your routine up. Yes your body can and will adapt but you must also allow it to rest and re-build.

When you take time off yes, your muscles will be achy the next time you really work them. You’ve just shocked your muscles. I’m a fitness fanatic and I’ve been achy this week after taking just one week off. Also, you should mix up your workout every few weeks. If you don’t your muscles get into a rut and you won’t progress. I’m not talking about body building either. I’m also a woman and I’m certainly not a body builder at 5’9” and 135 lbs.

YOU DO NOT LOSE STRENGTH FROM TAKING A FEW DAYS OFF! Just the opposite. Woman to woman, I’m telling it straight, you will not lose strength. What happens is, if you do the same routine all the time you will plateau. Take a few days off, change your routine and you will shock your muscles and be stronger for it. Heck I take a week off from every exercise. I only work each muscle group once a week and I’m getting stronger, more ripped, and feeling fantastic.

On another note – A good supplement to take is L-glutamine. It helps alleviate soreness and muscle fatigue. Also make sure you are getting plenty of protein.

It takes atleast two days for muscle recovery, after workouts always stretch out good. Also take L-Glutamine for muscle soreness and tone back your work out so you complete all sets all reps so there is no soreness or ache. also know when to take a break. To shock your system when your body is telling you to be careful. Also diet is very important to maintain the muscles as per your goals. Ease up a bit. I am a personal trainer.