Exercise is good for you. Doctors tell us that it will improve our health, help maintain a healthy weight, and release endorphins that will make us happier and decrease mental anxiety and depression.
But how much is too much exercise? Except for top athletes—who are trained and must perform at an optimum level—others should follow simple rules to make sure that the exercise is appropriate and helpful rather than debilitating and even harmful.
For people beginning a fitness program, one of the biggest questions is often a simple one: How much exercise is enough—and when does it become too much?
The key factors are the person’s fitness level, exercise intensity, the types of exercises being performed and the amount of recovery time between workouts, experts say. Consulting with a person’s physician is usually recommended.
Arlette Perry, professor in the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development and director for the Laboratory of Clinical and Applied Physiology, said that people should look at how long it takes them to recover after an exercise workout as a sign of whether they are pushing themselves too hard.
“If people take too long to recover, they may have overdone it,” she said. “Bruising, pain, fatigue and swelling postexercise are indicators that you may have overdone it.”
Another indicator to cut back is an elevated resting heart rate, said Perry.
All exercise should begin with a five- to 10-minute warmup period that may include stretching or walking on a treadmill to ease you into the exercise routine.
For beginners, fitness experts generally recommend starting gradually rather than jumping into long-distance or intense workouts.
Unlike resistance training, cardiovascular exercise can be performed every day, depending on its intensity and an individual’s fitness level.
“Beginners should start with light-to-moderate intensity cardio for about 20 to 30 minutes, three to five days a week,” said Porshia Pryor, assistant director, fitness and personal training at the University’s Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center. “After establishing a baseline for two to three weeks, they can gradually increase the duration or introduce interval training.”
Over time, the goal can be to work up to 30 to 45 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, she said.
Moderate intensity means exercising hard enough to raise the heart rate and breathing while still being able to carry on a conversation.
Pryor said beginners also can incorporate resistance training two to three days a week. A basic program should target the body’s major muscle groups, including the chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes.
A typical resistance training session can last 45 to 60 minutes, beginning with a five- to 10-minute warmup.
She said one approach is to organize exercises into circuits:
Circuit 1
- Chest press machine
- Row machine
Circuit 2
- Hamstring curls
- Leg extensions
Circuit 3
- Shoulder press machine
- Biceps curls (a resistance exercise that targets the biceps brachii and supporting arm muscles by flexing the elbow to lift a weight toward the shoulder)
Circuit 4
- Triceps extensions (exercises that work the muscles on the back of the upper arms)
- Hip abduction machine (a machine that strengthens the hip muscles by pushing the legs toward the adjustable weight)
Beginners can aim for three sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise, with larger muscle groups generally targeted before smaller ones, said Pryor.
But it is important to remember that muscles need time to recover between resistance training sessions. Beginners should generally allow 24 to 48 hours between workouts that target the same muscles, said the experts.
“Most common mistakes are overdoing the exercise program, particularly early on when the individual is unaccustomed to training,” said Perry. “That’s why we see delayed onset muscle soreness, more often in beginners just starting their exercise program.”
Recovery can help reduce the risk of injury and overuse while allowing the muscles to adapt and become stronger.
If combining aerobic and resistance training, it’s best to separate them on alternate days. To save time, however, some people combine both on one day, with resistance training first and moderate aerobic training second, said Perry.
Workouts should finish with a five- to 10-minute cooldown period performed at low intensity, ending with stretching, said Perry.
Some overachievers may go for two hours in an exercise session.
Perry said this is not necessarily a bad thing if they have worked up to that level.
“A typical, combined cardio and resistance workout might last 60 to 90 minutes, but there is no rule that says every workout must last exactly one hour—or that exercising for more than 90 minutes is automatically excessive,” she added.
But Perry warned that moderation and patience is the key.
“Remember, if it takes someone 10 or 20 years to get out of shape, it is going to take longer than one or two weeks to get back in shape,” said Perry. “One must be patient about seeing results when starting any exercise program for the first time.”
