Are rest days important?

Mr Robot

The past 2 months or so I've been intensively working out on my exercise bike - I'd do 2 x 1 hour sessions every evening Monday to Friday after work and maybe 3 x 1 hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday.

Should I be resting at all?

Is this overkill?

I have no particular goal - maybe to ditch a very small beer gut but I dont actually need to lose weight (6'2, 13st 1)

I eat healthy and drink only once a week (cut down from 3 nights a week)

Dtp1979

Mr Robot wrote: »

The past 2 months or so I've been intensively working out on my exercise bike - I'd do 2 x 1 hour sessions every evening Monday to Friday after work and maybe 3 x 1 hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday.

Should I be resting at all?

Is this overkill?

I have no particular goal - maybe to ditch a very small beer gut but I dont actually need to lose weight (6'2, 13st 1)

I eat healthy and drink only once a week (cut down from 3 nights a week)

Yes rest is very important. Why do so much of one excersise if you've no goal?

Mellor

It's all relative to ability and intensity tbh.

2 sessions a day sounds like a lot and people will no doubt tell you that you are doing too much without rest. But they probably wouldn't bat an eye at somebody who cycles to and from work everyday - because one in labeled as exercise it's perceived differently to the "daily activity".

When people label activity as exercise, they suddenly feel they need to load up on fuel, allow recovery time, and look at the little details. Maybe some do - the people working hard, most probably don't, because they aren't.
Whether or not you are doing too much is dependent on the intensity, not the time in the saddle.


That said, I'd really question why you'd do this.

DoYouEvenLift

Forget everything you've ever been told or thought about cardio and losing weight. Seriously. Forget jogging and all that other sh!t, unless you actually enjoy jogging of course which lots of people do.


Buy a skipping rope (shouldn't cost more than ten or twenty quid), a decent one, and learn about HIIT. Unless you're already decent at skipping, it'll take you a small while to get decent at the basic coordination needed to skip well. But when you're decent at it and able to not make any mistakes, start doing a HIIT routine with skipping instead of other exercises (or, if you'd like, you could pick skipping and 1 or 2 other exercises to use in each session which will be even better). It should take you 15-20 minutes a day and, if done correctly, you will be doing some of the most effective cardio possible and with minimum time and effort. It's actually very enjoyable getting better at skipping and learning to do different jumps and styles all while experiencing the physical benefits of it. You'll actually look forward to cardio days.


Swimming once or twice a week if it's available to you is also brilliant.

Mr Robot

It gives me some self worth and personal satisfaction I guess. I could sit on the couch and watch a 2 hour movie or I could stick the movie on, do 2 hours on the bike, enjoy the movie just as much and exercise at the same time.

I plan on investing in some weights today (payday kerching ) as I want bigger arms though

Teflon Ron

Mr Robot wrote: »

It gives me some self worth and personal satisfaction I guess. I could sit on the couch and watch a 2 hour movie or I could stick the movie on, do 2 hours on the bike, enjoy the movie just as much and exercise at the same time.

I plan on investing in some weights today (payday kerching ) as I want bigger arms though

Don't just concentrate on your arms. What's the use in disproportionately big arms? Focus on compound exercises and work your entire body.

Mr Robot

Teflon Ron wrote: »

Don't just concentrate on your arms. What's the use in disproportionately big arms? Focus on compound exercises and work your entire body.

What are compound exercises?

Teflon Ron

Mr Robot wrote: »

What are compound exercises?

Exercises that work an entire muscle group or multiple groups. Like a barbell squat for example...

Mr Robot

Teflon Ron wrote: »

Exercises that work an entire muscle group or multiple groups. Like a barbell squat for example...

Ahhh ok, duly noted

Transform

Mr Robot wrote: »

Ahhh ok, duly noted

push ups, pull ups, swing a kettlebell etc.

make sure diet is o n track also as burning fat or burning up calories in a session is NOT the same as creating an actual deficit or fat loss

Zillah

Your body will usually tell you when you're not giving it a rest. Do you feel tired? Excessively sore? Do your legs not work very well?

If no to all of the above then you're probably not overdoing it. That said, yes, I'd spend a lot more of that time lifting weights rather than exercise biking.

Vomit

Mr Robot wrote: »

The past 2 months or so I've been intensively working out on my exercise bike - I'd do 2 x 1 hour sessions every evening Monday to Friday after work and maybe 3 x 1 hour sessions on both Saturday and Sunday.

Should I be resting at all?

Is this overkill?

I have no particular goal - maybe to ditch a very small beer gut but I dont actually need to lose weight (6'2, 13st 1)

I eat healthy and drink only once a week (cut down from 3 nights a week)

Based on your goal I'd say it's mostly diet. If you can't lose a small gut with that much exercise than you should probably re-examine what you're eating. BTW guts have more than one cause and you should consider that you might be bloating up from something you're eating.