Watch out for over-training in exercise

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I just found out the hard way about over-training after talking to a doctor. I was recently diagnosed with shingles following four weeks of training that included 30-40 minute weight training sessions of two muscle groups followed by some high intensity/impact track/cardio workouts. The weights were done 3x each week & the track/cardio workouts were done 6x weekly with Sunday as a day off. This is on top of being a new dad and various work committments. I still got about 4-6 hours of sleep each night even with the baby.

The shingles haven't been so bad thus far, but we'll see if that changes. I plan on taking it a lot lighter this week on the exercising.

My fitness goal for 2012 was to be around 195 lbs and get my bodyfat down to about 15%. If you're curious I'm currently an honest 5'10.5" and 198 lbs. I'm down from 206 lbs with only about 0.75 lb of muscle loss during the slim down. Only supplements are a multivitamin, fish oil capsuls and whey protein since my wife is a vegetarian (I eat what she makes).
 
This just backs up what I've read before: slow and steady weight loss is far healthier and more sustainable than quick and hard weight loss.

Hope you're feeling better.
 
I have to be careful not to overtrain. I'm 59 years old and somewhat addicted to exercise. I make myself take off once a week and limit the amount of interval training where I go as hard as I can. When I overtrain my sleep patterns change, not sleeping as well. It also reduces my resistance to any bug that is going around. Shingles tends to hit people that are already stressed physically or mentally. Your somewhat younger than I am so I feel certain that your training, along with all your other commitments, was a factor. Exercise is great but can be overdone, especially if your have other things stressing you as well.
 
I'm a PhD candidate in exercise science. Your problem isn't training too much. It is sleeping too little and all the other stressors you have going on in your life right now. You probably have dietary issues (perhaps not eating enough, and/or not getting enough nutrients with the food you are eating) as well. So the combination of all the other stuff, plus the exercise, is what did you in. It isn't the exercise on its own.
 
My mom had shingles and the blisters were very painful, her skin remained very tender to the touch a few months after it cleared up. She had it on her arm, shoulder and back. Luckily she didn't have it on her face like David Letterman had about 10 years ago.
 
Yea, overtrainining is bad too...I went thru it
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When I first got my gym membership, I was all up in arms, ready to go DAILY, sometimes twice daily even
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Now.....I gotta find ways to motivate myself to go....

Almost like I burned myself out
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But [censored], it feels so good, after running a good 3 miles on the elliptical.
 
I run through the summer in hot humid houston and have gotten what I thought was shingles on my chest and shins. My brilliant GP doctor confidently said, "nope, has to be herpes because you generally don't get shingles until 60 or after" even though it was not in the expected areas. So she had me tested for herpes and it came back negative (thank-you very much). Glad to hear that someone else has similar experiences.
 
Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
I'm a PhD candidate in exercise science. Your problem isn't training too much. It is sleeping too little and all the other stressors you have going on in your life right now. You probably have dietary issues (perhaps not eating enough, and/or not getting enough nutrients with the food you are eating) as well. So the combination of all the other stuff, plus the exercise, is what did you in. It isn't the exercise on its own.


Agreed. If it were exercise alone, then you'd see all sorts of elite athletes with shingles.

My wife does this and sometimes more all the time with no negative impact.
 
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Originally Posted By: wallyuwl
I'm a PhD candidate in exercise science. Your problem isn't training too much. It is sleeping too little and all the other stressors you have going on in your life right now. You probably have dietary issues (perhaps not eating enough, and/or not getting enough nutrients with the food you are eating) as well. So the combination of all the other stuff, plus the exercise, is what did you in. It isn't the exercise on its own.


You have nailed it pretty well. Proper sleep is the # 1 necessity not only in a training program but life in general. Sleep requirements increase as demand on your body increases. Proper nutrition is second. The only thing I would add is that if you are training intensely 5,6, 7 days per week, you can be getting enough sleep 7-9hrs and you will eventually start to see symptoms of over-training syndrome. Time MUST be taken off periodically or problems WILL occur. It depends on what type of training you are performing but if it is even fairly intense 1 week off every 5 weeks is a GENERAL rule of thumb. Fatigue, depression, loss of strength/stagnation, sugar cravings, higher than normal pulse and poor sleep are all signs of over-training syndrome.

Working out can have so many benefits but it must be done correctly. Best of luck and don't let this scare you, just a learning experience. Get Better and important topic!
 
Originally Posted By: Nyquist
This is on top of being a new dad and various work committments. I still got about 4-6 hours of sleep each night even with the baby.

Only supplements are a multivitamin, fish oil capsuls and whey protein since my wife is a vegetarian (I eat what she makes).


As others have said, your problem isn't too much exercise, your problem is that you take pathetic care of yourself. 4-6 hours of sleep? Supplementing a poor diet by popping pills additives? You need to take a serious look at your lifestyle and make some changes, especially if you're getting something like shingles.

Unless you're over 60 (with a new baby I'll assume not), the other main cause of shingles is a weak immune system. Getting a mere 4-6 hours of sleep will most decidedly weaken your immune system.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: Nyquist
This is on top of being a new dad and various work committments. I still got about 4-6 hours of sleep each night even with the baby.

Only supplements are a multivitamin, fish oil capsuls and whey protein since my wife is a vegetarian (I eat what she makes).


As others have said, your problem isn't too much exercise, your problem is that you take pathetic care of yourself. 4-6 hours of sleep? Supplementing a poor diet by popping pills additives? You need to take a serious look at your lifestyle and make some changes, especially if you're getting something like shingles.

Unless you're over 60 (with a new baby I'll assume not), the other main cause of shingles is a weak immune system. Getting a mere 4-6 hours of sleep will most decidedly weaken your immune system.

Wow... Wasn't expecting to be chastized over this. For those curious about the diet, I take in about 3,000 Calories each day. The whey protein adds about 150 Calories, and the multivitamin is to mainly cover a potential issue with a lack of sunlight as an office worker which could lead to a vitamin D deficiency. The whey was recommended by a doctor who at a physical a few years ago mentioned that not enough protein may be an issue with my wife's choice to be a vegetarian--which I support.

Pop_Rivit, do you have kids or work a full-time job that isn't banker's hours? I work 3rd shift, so sleep is tough to come by.
 
Originally Posted By: Nyquist
Wow... Wasn't expecting to be chastized over this. .. I work 3rd shift, so sleep is tough to come by.


You don't have time to sleep, but you have time to train, and you are surprised by everyone's reaction? I don't think any of us mean to be rude, but you are in need of a reality check. Sometimes unvarnished verbage is the only way to get through.
 
You're all entitled to your opinions. I appreciate the feedback I got from some of you.

I need to be in stellar shape as part of my job hence the reason for the training. It's a double-edge sword I suppose... Cut on sleep a bit, excel at my job and try to be a good dad/supportive husband or sleep my life away to avoid a short-term illness or the occasional bout with fatigue.

For those that haven't had to choose, let me know how it goes when you're presented with this situation and your choice.
 
I will add to this post. I am not slamming you in any way. I was active duty military for 12 years and had two kids while I was in. I understand that many times you can not get a full nights rest. Often on deployment I would go 72-96 hours with out sleep and I would train just has hard as you. Often I would chose to workout for 2-3 hours after pulling a 12 hour mid shift because I could not sleep with berthing cleaning and an inspection by the XO after. To compound this I would hear an 1MC announcement every 10 minutes accompanied buy a nice annoying 30 second boatswains whistle before the announcement that would mean if I could get 2o minutes of sleep without being awakened it was a blessing. My diet suffered because I would only get two meals a day and not to mention all the caffeine I was taking to stay awake during the mid shift. When you do things like this to your body the effects on your physical and mental health often will not become fully understood until years after. I am all for you getting exercise this is something we all need but you need to balance this into your lifestyle. I understand you do not want hear this but cut back on your exercise to 45 minutes to 1 hour a day 3-4 days a week but be as efficient as possible. The problem I see with a lot of people working out they will spend 2-3 hours in the gym but will take 5 to 10 minutes between sets so in the 2-3 hours they are working out they are getting about 1 hour at most of exercise. The more you balance your priorities the more you will be able to enjoy your life in good health with your family and your family will be able to enjoy your time with you. Trust me if you can balance everything else out and get 6-8 hours of sleep a night you will feel a lot better.
 
Originally Posted By: dave1251
When you do things like this to your body the effects on your physical and mental health often will not become fully understood until years after. I am all for you getting exercise this is something we all need but you need to balance this into your lifestyle. ...Trust me if you can balance everything else out and get 6-8 hours of sleep a night you will feel a lot better.


Let me guess. You want to be vegetarian, so you probably eat lots of carbs to compensate. The carbs make you overweight, so you cut sleep so you can excercise. All so you can be a vegetarian. So you have given up two of the most important things your body needs, good food and sleep, in order to be a slave to your wifes ideology. Which, incidentally, only works for some people.

Your life is unsustainable. Your body gives you lots of goodwill. It will tolerate abuse for a while without saying anything, and then it gives you a warning. Unfortunately, people don't realize that the warning is a canary in the coal mine for what is to come later, and they think it is just an aberration, it will pass. Believe me, it is not a one time thing, it is only the beginning of what is to come if you don't change your ways.

You seem to be caught between two things, your diet ideology and your job requirements. One or both of them have to give. If not, your health and family WILL give. You now have a chance to decide which is most important, otherwise life will decide for you and you may not like the consequences.

Sorry to be so blunt, but been there, done that - had to take the very expensive T-shirt! Hate to see someone else on the same track, and not listening.
 
When I overtrain, my knees let me know it. I used to be able to go out and ride 100+ miles on my bike at the drop of a hat. I still have the cardiovascular ability to do it but my knees are crying for mercy about 50 miles in. Oh well, welcome to my 40s. I crosstrain a lot more now, swimming and running as well.
 
Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels
Originally Posted By: dave1251
When you do things like this to your body the effects on your physical and mental health often will not become fully understood until years after. I am all for you getting exercise this is something we all need but you need to balance this into your lifestyle. ...Trust me if you can balance everything else out and get 6-8 hours of sleep a night you will feel a lot better.


Let me guess. You want to be vegetarian, so you probably eat lots of carbs to compensate. The carbs make you overweight, so you cut sleep so you can excercise. All so you can be a vegetarian. So you have given up two of the most important things your body needs, good food and sleep, in order to be a slave to your wifes ideology. Which, incidentally, only works for some people.

Your life is unsustainable. Your body gives you lots of goodwill. It will tolerate abuse for a while without saying anything, and then it gives you a warning. Unfortunately, people don't realize that the warning is a canary in the coal mine for what is to come later, and they think it is just an aberration, it will pass. Believe me, it is not a one time thing, it is only the beginning of what is to come if you don't change your ways.

You seem to be caught between two things, your diet ideology and your job requirements. One or both of them have to give. If not, your health and family WILL give. You now have a chance to decide which is most important, otherwise life will decide for you and you may not like the consequences.

Sorry to be so blunt, but been there, done that - had to take the very expensive T-shirt! Hate to see someone else on the same track, and not listening.

It's not my idealology. I have real meat at lunch every day along with a decent serving of something like yogurt for breakfast. Most (all) of the vegetarian meals are at dinner and consist of a pasta/potato/rice, salad, some sort of vegetable dish with cheese and a big glass of milk. It's far some carb-loading like you reference.

At this point it's not a matter of me refusing to listen, it's a matter of feeling the need to defend myself from posters who are making assumptions on things they don't know in the situation.

My hope was that this would start a good discussion on things to look out for, tips, tricks, etc. like this forum used to be known for. So much for that...
 
I know you feel like you have been attacked, but people wouldn't be putting time into this subject if they weren't worried about you.

Letting your job situation remain as a given, lets look at this from a calorie and time perspective. Go add up the calories you are taking in from carbs and cheese. Now go research how long you have to excercise to burn that off. (This is the tip you are looking for. Hint, it takes a LOT of time excercising to burn a few carbs. This is the heart of the issue on why your life is unsustainable!) Figure how much time is left for sleep.

Now, go research how much time the body needs for sleep. Research the long term effects of sleep deprivation. Figure out how many carbs you have time to excercise off given a reasonable amount of sleep. Eat accordingly.

There are no magic tips that will make what you are trying to do work. The laws of physiology are what they are. We aren't trying to make assumptions about your life, but on the other hand we can't help it if the structure of your life as you have presented it doesn't add up. Please don't shoot the messenger...
 
You can still achieve your goals by cutting back on the amount of time you workout and modifying your diet. Moderate workouts combined with a much lower caloric intake will allow you more time and less stress to enjoy life. In my opinion some folks spend far too much time in the gym or running/cycling and become almost addicted to it. Generally, in time, they over train and suffer injuries (I did). I'm almost 50 and suffer from many injuries and ailments caused from decades of over training/exercising. I have a worn out left shoulder, torn muscles in my upper back, three herniated discs, injured and painful bicep tendon, weak and painful left knee pain, achilles tendon is almost shot, and the arches in my feet ache daily. All of it is from being obsessive about working out and being highly active. I'm paying the price now. I really wish I'd listened to folks that advised moderation and to use diet more instead of increased physical activity to maintain my physique. I can no longer run, cycle, or really enjoy any type of workout other than occasional swimming and low pace walking. It really stinks.
Take good care of yourself as when you reach middle age and over, all the stuff you did to your body will come back to haunt you. Everything wears out....including living tissue.
 
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