Over training for weight loss and to get lean is very common especially among women. It seems logical that exercising longer and harder will help you get in shape faster or lose the weight faster but in reality it´s counterproductive to your goals because it leads to:
· Fatigue
· Irritability
· Depression
· Headaches
· Decreased performance
· Burn-out
· Injuries
· Loss of appetite
· Weakened immune system
· Indeterminate plateaus

The key to exercising for weight loss or for a better looking physique is quality, not quantity and these simple guidelines will make your workouts more productive, efficient, and still help you achieve your best body ever without overtraining and plateaus.

Cardio Intensity
If you’re doing 45-60 minutes of cardio 5-6 times a week or doing cardio twice a day and you’re still having trouble losing weight then it’s time for a reality check. Whether it’s walking, cardio machines, step class or videos, the trick is to workout out at an intensity that is constantly challenging your body. Too many people jump on a treadmill for 45 minutes and walk at a leisurely pace while reading a magazine, thinking that longer low intensity cardio burns more fat and calories. Not only is this one of the biggest fitness myths around, but it’s a big waste of your time. You can burn just as many calories and fat in 30 minutes by working out at a much higher intensity. This means working out at 70%- 85% of your target heart rate all the time.

Once your body becomes accustomed to an activity that you are doing, which can happen in as little as a month, you can increase intensity by incorporating hills into your walk, increasing the incline on your treadmill, increasing the resistance on the cross trainer, adding another level to your step, or trying more advanced versions of your favorite videos. Another great strategy is to try a new activity and to alternate between different activities. Maintaining a high intensity level ensures that you will continue to lose weight and become more fit.

Weight Training Limits
Working on 4 or more exercises per body part and having to do 5 sets of 20 with a light weight just to feel the burn is not only dangerous but incredibly time consuming. If you’re spending more than 45 minutes working out several body parts or training body parts twice a week, and you’re not seeing results then you could definitely be making better use of your time. Check to make sure you're using proper form, increase to a weight that is challenging enough, and set limits to make your workouts more productive. For example, if you’re doing a split routine, work each body part once a week by doing 3 different exercises for each body part and not more than 4 sets per exercise with moderate reps (10-15). Use your first set as a warm-up with a light weight and then move up to a weight that becomes a challenge to lift from rep 10-15 for the last 3 sets.

If you’re doing circuits then it’s o.k. to work body parts twice a week but make sure that you’re doing not more than 2 sets per exercise and that you’re lifting heavy enough to feel challenged from rep 8-15. Also keep in mind that a circuit is a continous workout with no rest in between exercises. This allows you to burn a lot more calories and also compliments your cardio conditioning. If you’re training upper body and lower body it’s also o.k. to do each workout twice a week but make sure to limit yourself to 2 exercises per body part and not more than 4 sets per exercise. Strength training should be challenging from the minute you begin to the minute you end and it doesn’t need to be lengthy in order to build fat burning muscle. If you do your research you’ll find that even 20 minutes of quality lifting can be more beneficial than an hour of endless reps with light weight. If you’re not sure exactly how to go about it check out the Shape-up workout for ideas or hire a trainer.

Backing Off
Everyone takes a vacation from their job at some time or another so why not take one from your workout. You don’t have to experience all the symptoms of overtraining in order to back off. Sometimes you go through phases when you feel completely unmotivated or added stress in your life is making it difficult to find the energy to keep up. Taking a break from your workouts for about a week or cutting back to a more moderate amount of exercise for one month is not going to invalidate all your hard work. It will help you recover and resume your regular routine refreshed and primed to give 110%. Backing off is a great preventative measure that can lead to amazing progress. Just be sure to set a start date so you don’t make your workout vacation a permanent one.

Get great results with Escape Your Shape: How to Work Out Smarter, Not Harder (2 Fitness Favorites from Exercise Guru)

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