{"id":610975,"date":"2026-09-25T03:22:56","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T03:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/610975\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T03:22:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T03:22:56","slug":"when-is-too-much-exercise-a-bad-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/610975\/","title":{"rendered":"When is too much exercise a bad thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

But how much is too much exercise? Except for top athletes\u2014who are trained and must perform at an optimum level\u2014others should follow simple rules to make sure that the exercise is appropriate and helpful rather than debilitating and even harmful.<\/p>\n

For people beginning a fitness program, one of the biggest questions is often a simple one: How much exercise is enough\u2014and when does it become too much?<\/p>\n

The key factors are the person\u2019s fitness level, exercise intensity, the types of exercises being performed and the amount of recovery time between workouts, experts say. Consulting with a person\u2019s physician is usually recommended.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Arlette
\nArlette Perry<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people take too long to recover, they may have overdone it,\u201d she said. \u201cBruising, pain, fatigue and swelling postexercise are indicators that you may have overdone it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another indicator to cut back is an elevated resting heart rate, said Perry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For beginners, fitness experts generally recommend starting gradually rather than jumping into long-distance or intense workouts.<\/p>\n

Unlike resistance training, cardiovascular exercise can be performed every day, depending on its intensity and an individual\u2019s fitness level.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeginners should start with light-to-moderate intensity cardio for about 20 to 30 minutes, three to five days a week,\u201d said Porshia Pryor, assistant director, fitness and personal training at the University\u2019s Patti and Allan Herbert Wellness Center. \u201cAfter establishing a baseline for two to three weeks, they can gradually increase the duration or introduce interval training.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Porshia
\nPorshia Pryor<\/p>\n

Over time, the goal can be to work up to 30 to 45 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, she said.<\/p>\n

Moderate intensity means exercising hard enough to raise the heart rate and breathing while still being able to carry on a conversation.<\/p>\n

Pryor said beginners also can incorporate resistance training two to three days a week. A basic program should target the body\u2019s major muscle groups, including the chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps, hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes.<\/p>\n

A typical resistance training session can last 45 to 60 minutes, beginning with a five- to 10-minute warmup.<\/p>\n

She said one approach is to organize exercises into circuits:<\/p>\n

Circuit 1<\/p>\n

Chest press machine
\nRow machine<\/p>\n

Circuit 2<\/p>\n

Hamstring curls
\nLeg extensions<\/p>\n

Circuit 3<\/p>\n

Shoulder press machine
\nBiceps curls (a resistance exercise that targets the biceps brachii and supporting arm muscles by flexing the elbow to lift a weight toward the shoulder)<\/p>\n

\u00a0Circuit 4<\/p>\n

Triceps extensions (exercises that work the muscles on the back of the upper arms)
\nHip abduction machine (a machine that strengthens the hip muscles by pushing the legs toward the adjustable weight)<\/p>\n

Beginners can aim for three sets of 12 repetitions of each exercise, with larger muscle groups generally targeted before smaller ones, said Pryor.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost common mistakes are overdoing the exercise program, particularly early on when the individual is unaccustomed to training,\u201d said Perry. \u201cThat\u2019s why we see delayed onset muscle soreness, more often in beginners just starting their exercise program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recovery can help reduce the risk of injury and overuse while allowing the muscles to adapt and become stronger.<\/p>\n

If combining aerobic and resistance training, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Workouts should finish with a five- to 10-minute cooldown period performed at low intensity, ending with stretching, said Perry.<\/p>\n

Some overachievers may go for two hours in an exercise session.<\/p>\n

Perry said this is not necessarily a bad thing if they have worked up to that level.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 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\u2014or that exercising for more than 90 minutes is automatically excessive,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

But Perry warned that moderation and patience is the key.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember, 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,\u201d said Perry. \u201cOne must be patient about seeing results when starting any exercise program for the first time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Exercise is good for you. Doctors tell us that it will improve our health, help maintain a healthy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":610976,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-610975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=610975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/610975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/610976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=610975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=610975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=610975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}