Burn More or Burn Out? Exercise Less For Better Results

Ever looked in the mirror after six months of hard, intense training, and utter the words, “this isn’t worth it“? It’s happened to me on a few occasions and it’s painfully disappointing.

Busting my butt, working out HARD 4 days a week with cardio on my “off days” seemed like a good plan. Hell, more then a few books and programs told me this was the only way to lose body fat and achieve great results in the gym.

Wrong!

It’s the classic “more is better” mentality, or what’s better known in the fitness world as over training.

[Yes, we all like the burning sensation during and after a workout but too much of a good thing can be detrimental to your fat loss goals and could be a sign of over training!]

Sounds pretty strange to say your training too much but trust me, it’s very real and can become a dangerous obsession.

Researchers have identified more than 130 signs of over training, including elevated heart rate, changes in blood-lactate levels, hormonal imbalances, and weakened immune response.

Throw in the mood swings and change in attitude that is often associated with over training and it’s amazing this topic isn’t talked about more in the mainstream.

At the gym I’ll hear men and women constantly complain they can’t lose any body fat after training five days a week for 60 minutes. That’s 5 hours a week!

Almost the equivalent of one work day a week in a typical office environment. Absolutely nuts!

I personally know fitness pros and athletes who exercise 50% less and they rely on being in the best shape possible for their livelihood!

Let me put it another way.

Do you pop a handful of aspirins for your headache thinking the more you take the faster your pain will go away?

Of course not!

So why do people apply the same logic to fitness?

Only a certain amount of exercise is required. Beyond that, you’re wasting valuable time and energy.

How do I take it down a notch.. or two?

1. Shorten the length or frequency of your workouts

Space your workouts farther apart or take days off for rest and recovery. Instead of 60 minutes, try 30 minutes.

Doing the same amount of work in less time always gets my blood flowing and it allows for the same intensity but more recovery time between workouts. Efficiency is the name of the game!

2. Nutrition and what you eat

Half the battle starts in the kitchen, not in the gym or on the treadmill. Meals that include lean protein, and low glycemic carbohydrates (think vegetables and fruits), and fats (yes I said Fats, read why here) will supply the body with all the nutrients it needs to maintain stable energy levels inside and outside of your workout sessions.

Eating smarter and training less is way better then training all the time and eating 8 times a day (another crazy obsession to avoid) just to recover in time for tomorrow’s workout.

Fitness expert and author, Tom Venuto does a great job exposing all the lies about training too long and why this is not the best way to achieve the results you and I want in his book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.

Check it out if you want some more evidence as to why this obsession is killing your fat loss progress and how to rebound and break on through to the other side.