Okay, I’ve got a problem. Actually it’s more of an annoyance then an actual problem. And as annoyed as I am with this particular topic I’m going to try my absolute best to turn this week’s blog into an informative discussion rather then an ongoing, mind numbing, pointless rant. So without further ado, I bring to you my opinions with regards to the topic of cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting and why doing too much of it can actually hinder your results with your physique and performance in the gym.

Wait…..What?!?!? Did I just say what you thought I said? Too much exercise is a bad thing? Well, yes and no. It’s not as black and white or as simple as you might think. We all know that too much of anything is not good for us. Everything in moderation, blah, blah blah. But when it comes to exercise surely your body can’t get enough, right? WRONG! And at the risk of losing a few extra sessions with my own clients each week let me explain to you why doing too much exercise is in fact actually a bad thing.

By now, most of us know about or have at least heard about overtraining. If you are unclear as to what overtraining is exactly the best description I can use to describe it would be when a person exercises too much and too often and becomes burned out both mentally and/or physically. Someone who is overtrained is also at high risk for injuries and illnesses as the body enters a constant state of stress which lowers our immune systems and makes us more vulnerable to tears, pulls, or muscle strains and even airborne viruses such as the flu.

Now for most people overtraining is not an issue. In fact, in my experience with working with the general population most people should be exercising much more then they currently are doing. However that’s a discussion for another blog. There are a few of us out there though (myself included) who our self proclaimed “exercise junkies” or “gym rats”. We are the type of people who are addicted to exercise. We live it, we breathe it and we can’t go more then a few days without it. Whether it’s pumping weights in the gym or going for a run outside on the seawall, without exercise, for most of us, our lives would almost seem meaningless. We are the people who usually overtrain. We are the people who don’t believe there is such a thing as overtraining but only undertraining. In other words, we are exercise addicts.

Over the years I have made PLENTY of mistakes in the gym and with my own workouts. For the most part, I like to think that I’ve learned from my mistakes. However there have been mistakes that I’ve made that I’ve made over and over again and will probably continue to make until the day I retire from competing (I promise I will retire one of these days…). I am however also a person who likes to know and understand fully as to why I am doing something. Therefore when it comes to exercise I need to know the science and the facts behind the exercise that I’m doing. I need to know the benefits, the risks and the potential results that I can achieve from doing each specific exercise. I don’t just simply do an exercise because some guy at the gym claimed it worked wonders for him or because I read about it in a muscle and fitness magazine. The exercise has to serve purpose for the results I wish to obtain with my own physique. If the exercise does not fulfill this purpose then it’s not for me. Simple.

Ofcourse, just as I tell all of our own clients there is no way of knowing if the exercise in question is right for you unless you try it a few times. It’s important to get a “feel” for the movement. Does it feel good, bad, are you able to establish the mind to muscle connection with what you are doing. This is why I do not  believe in designing cookie cutter training programs or following online training plans designed to reach the masses. There is no one-size-fits-all program when it comes to exercise and working out and there is no correct answer to what’s right and what’s wrong. What works for one person might not work for the other and so on.

With that said I do like to follow a simple approach when it comes to my own training and workouts in the gym. The approach I use is the “Work Smarter and Not Harder” approach. In fact, I try and use this very same approach to everything that I apply myself to in life. Why would anyone want to work 10x harder or longer then they have to do, to achieve the same or even better results with less effort and less time? Sounds crazy right? So then why on earth do I see so many of these crazy people in the gym everyday? What I find to be most puzzling is that these crazy people of who I speak of are actually quite intelligent and intuitive when it comes to their careers and other aspects of their own lives. But for some reason as soon as they enter the gym, it’s almost as if they have lost all sense of reason.

When it comes to exercising in the gym I’ve narrowed these crazy people (myself included) into two separate categories. Both categories are different but in reality they are actually the same.

Cardio Queens – First we have the Cardio Queens (or Kings). I cannot tell you how many people I have seen at the same gyms over the years doing hours upon hours of cardio everyday. Don’t get me wrong cardiovascular exercise is excellent for the heart. In fact, in my opinion cardiovascular exercise should be performed on a regular basis to maintain a strong working heart and immune system. However unless you are training for a marathon or perhaps are a few weeks out from competing in a fitness show I see absolutely no reason to be performing more then 30-40 minutes of cardio each day. In fact, doing this much cardiovascular work can be counterproductive if your goal is to reduce body fat while maintaining muscle. If your body starts to become too reliant on your daily marathon sessions of cardio to burn fat, guess what’s going to happen? You’re going to retain fat! Yes, you read that correctly. Doing too much cardio can and will eventually slow down your metabolism therefore allowing your body to hold and store more body fat. Remember, your body does not care how you look in a bikini or that new dress you just purchased. Your body only cares about your survival and health. If you continue to stress it out with daily doses of cardio it will learn to adapt to what you are asking it to do and simply hold onto your body fat (for survival) in other ways. I go much more into detailed discussion with this with all of my online training programs that you can purchase from our website directly.

Gym Monkeys – Hi, my name is Nick Cosgrove and I am a certified Gym Monkey. Gym Monkeys are obsessed with the iron game. Our people get more excited for a lifting session then a dinner with friends or special family occasion. We actually get upset if a gym closes early and opens late on the weekends and look for gyms that are open on every holiday occasion so as not to throw off our “training split”. As much as a monkey I might be, I do however know when enough is enough. Over the years, I’ve learned to listen to my body. The days of two to three hours workouts are long gone for me. I do however sometimes like to sneak in two workouts a day on the odd occasion however this happens seldom and when it does my second workout is always a short one. Actually all of my workouts are short. I can’t remember the last time one of my workouts lasted longer then 60 minutes. Remember, your muscles grow OUTSIDE of the gym, not inside while you are training them. Your body need sleep, rest, nutrients and more rest to grow. If you are constantly working out then just like the cardio queens, your body too will be in a constant state of stress and will simply “turn off” and stop responding. In fact, training too much and too often will actually throw your body into a catabolic state rather then an anabolic state which means your muscles will essentially eat themselves. Who wants that? Perhaps more crazy people……

To conclude with a final thought I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes it’s important to step back and reexamine what you are actually doing with your time spent in the gym. Have you been following the same routine week after week, year after year? Are you constantly performing the same type of cardiovascular exercise for the same amount of duration (or perhaps longer) that you were following last year?  Do you like the results that you have achieved with your physique so far? Have you stopped seeing results with your physique? Are you excited to go the gym and workout or has it become more of a chore or task that you do not really want to do? Are you fully of energy (without the use of stimulants and caffeine) or are you on the verge of burn out?

Ask yourself the above questions before your next workout. Your answers might redefine the way you look at exercise and perhaps even reconstruct the way you go about designing your next exercise routine.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove