Burnt Out

runrn7

Active Member
It was suggested to me I post this here...sorry for the CAPS...not meaning to look like I am "yelling" as one poster told me...

A

CATHE~

I AM COMING OFF AN INTENSE ENDURANCE TRAINING SUMMER/FALL, AND TAKING A BREAK FROM A RECOVERY MONTH OR TWO.

I WANT TO START UP AGAIN RENEWED...MY QUESTIONS ARE...

HOW MANY DAYS/WEEK OF LIFTING AND HOW MANY DAYS OF CARDIO ARE NEEDED TO LEAN OUT WITHOUT GETTING BURNT OUT? I WAS DOING CARDIO 6 DAYS/WEEK, SOMETIMES ONE DOUBLE DAY (I WAS TRAINING FOR A TRIATHLON AND A MARATHON, BUT THAT IS OVER NOW), AND I WAS TRYING TO LIFT TWO-THREE TIMES/WEEK.

I WAS BURNT OUT, AND FEELING LIKE WORKING OUT WAS A JOB NOT FOR FUN OR ENJOYMENT.

I ENJOY CARDIO, AND I LOVE THE WAY I LOOK WHEN I LIFT. BUT, THE LOWER HALF OF MY BODY IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM AREA...IT IS THE HARDEST TO LEAN OUT/TIGHTEN UP/SEE RESULTS. SO...ONE DAY/WEEK LEGS ONLY AND TWO DAYS/WEEK UPPER BODY, OR IS IT BETTER TO DO THREE DAYS/WEEK TOTAL BODY?

AND HOW MANY DAYS FOR CARDIO? SHOULD THEY VERY IN INTENSTIY/DURATION?

I RUN, BIKE, ELLIPTICAL, AND SWIM. NEED TO GET MY CATHE TAPES OUT AND START DOING ONE OF THEM ONCE/WEEK AS WELL...THANKS SO MUCH!

PAMELA

Any advice appreciated!
 
Hi Pamela;

I'm not cyber-savvy, so I didn't know the "all caps" thing until I read someone's nice correction as well.

I'm sure you'll get great advice here on your workouts.

I wanted to make a suggestion. It took me years to finally "let" myself do this, but after experiencing how much it helps, I'm sorry I didn't try it earlier: Every three weeks or so, I do a recovery week with just yoga and cardio (I vary the cardio with steady state, running, and interval). I also try to time it with my worst week of the month, hormone-wise. I feel so much better, and I get so much more out of my other workouts. It really helps to reduce the burn-out of intense training (although I've never trained like you--what an inspiration)! I also notice that I stay healthier. But if I do get sick--like this week with that nasty stomach virus that's going around--then I make it a "yoga" week without cardio or with whatever cardio I can handle. I don't have to feel "guilty" about not exercising, and I can recover faster and get back into my workouts much easier.

If you're not into yoga, you could just to stretching like Stretch Max or Pilates or something else you enjoy. But yoga really is wonderful--the perfect compliment to Cathe workouts. I always thought I'd hate it and was really prejudiced against it. I got into yoga a couple of years ago after having surgery, and I loved how it made my body feel. Now I can't workout without doing at least a short practice to stretch and re-align.

Okay, I'm climbing off the soap box now. Good luck!

Carol F
 

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