Overtraining Question

[milagrosepul]

Cathe, or anyone else that may have some good advice for me...
I'm worried that I may possibly be overtraining my legs. I train on legs twice a week with GS Legs (four days apart) but the carido really takes a toll on my legs. For example running or riding a bike or jumping rope, all use legs.

am I overtraining my legs?

thanks in advance

 

[vaage_diana]

Hi Millie,

I'm not Cathe, but that's a great question. I feel the same way. My quads get so tired I don't even want to walk up and down the stairs in my house the rest of the day. I'v often wodered if I was overtraining. I'll be glad to hear what other people have to say



Di

 

[tvan_horn]

Are you experiencing any injuries or trouble completing your workouts? Have you had to decrease your weights in order to finish a workout?

If you aren't having some kind of problem, I would be inclined to think that your current program is okay.

The only time I have had to cut back on strength training was when I was training for a half marathon and my legs were just too fatigued from the long distance runs.

Everybody is different, so listen to your body. It can take a long time to find what REALLY works for you. There are some folks here who do some form of leg work everyday.

Tina

 

[Aquajock]

IMHO, if you are asking the question the answer is probably "yes", especially when you note that the cardio "really takes a toll on my legs". Actually, the combination of heavy-duty leg strengthening twice a week can have as much of a toll on the legs as the land cardio.

I'd suggest cutting back to GS legs only once per week, and substituting a more moderate, and shorter, leg workout mid-week. Also keep a good mix of varied impact forces in your cardio. You noted running, riding a bike and jumping rope; also consider some of Cathe's non-interval step routines including Low Max, which is entirely low-impact and no jumping.

HTH -

A-Jock

 

[Shaz]

I have trouble doing a step workout the day after training legs because my quads get too tired. But other forms of cardio (with less emphasis on the quads) are okay. Just something to consider.

 

[princesscks]

I'm not sure if this may apply to you, but make sure you are fueling your body correctly immediately after exercise. Even when I'm really fatigued, a well-balanced meal or shake, especially after lower-body weights or cardio, makes a big difference for me. I've learned the hard way (I couldn't even get out of bed!) that frequent meals are a necessity for constant energy.

Chiquita

 

[sparrow]

I've always wondered about this myself. I have muscular, strong legs (even when I was heavy I did) so I don;t want to do to much and make them bigger. I do one heavy leg workout a week and one light, but am concerned that the bike riding, running and kickboxing are tiring them out.

Sparrow
www.scifichics.com

 

[milagrosepul]

Thank you for all of the advice guys. I don't have any injuries or anything of that sort, it's just mainly fatigue. For example, I worked legs on Tuesday with no cardio, on Wednesday when I went to ride the exercise bike at the gym I couldn't do it. My legs gave out within 10 minutes.
I just increased my weight on leg workouts so that could be the cause. I really don't have the option of doing any aerobic work in my apartment because I live over someone.
Thanks again!