Am I Working Out Too Much? The Truth About 8-15 Hours Weekly (Science-Backed)

Working out 8-15 hours a week has people asking if I’m overdoing it. Here’s what the science actually says about exercise frequency and when it’s too much.

Listen to the episode here…

People Keep Asking If I’m Overdoing It

People have been asking me lately if I’m working out too much. They see me posting about my workouts throughout the week and they wonder if I’m overdoing it.

So I decided to dig into the science and find out what’s actually recommended.

What the Guidelines Say

Adults need a minimum of 2.5 hours (150 minutes) per week of moderate intensity aerobic activity. That breaks down to about 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

Alternatively, you can do 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity like running instead of brisk walking.

On top of that, you also need muscle strengthening activities two or more days a week. These need to work all your major muscle groups. And these sessions aren’t supposed to count toward your 150 minutes of aerobic activity.

How Much Am I Actually Working Out?

I’ve been working out a lot more than the minimum. I’ve been working out as little as eight hours a week and as much as 15 hours a week.

Yeah, that’s way more than 30 minutes a day.

But is that bad for me?

What the Research Shows

Research shows that doubling up to 300 minutes per week (about five hours of moderate intensity activity) provides additional health benefits. This is where you start seeing substantial improvements in cardiovascular health, weight management, and disease prevention.

And I’m doing even more than five hours.

There’s No Universal “Too Much”

The big thing I kept finding is that there’s no universal “too much” as long as you’re making sure you’re getting plenty of nutrients and recovery time.

I’m not going to deny that I sometimes have a little bit of fatigue. I get tired. So I’ll use smaller weights sometimes.

But there’s nothing I found that says I’m working out too much. There’s no hard science saying this is harmful.

Athletes work out 10 to 20 hours a week and they’re fine.

Listening to My Body

As long as I’m not hurting myself, as long as I’m not feeling too fatigued, is there anything wrong with working out as much as I am?

I personally don’t think so.

It wouldn’t surprise me if I continue getting questions about whether I’m working out too much. Maybe I am. I’m not really sure.

This Season of Life

But right now in my current season of life, I am loving how much I’m working out.

Yes, I’m hurting sometimes. Yes, I’m feeling the pain sometimes.

But after so many years of a sedentary lifestyle, after so many years of not moving my body, I’m going to just ride this wave as long as I can stand it.

The Alternative Was Worse

Yes, there may come a point where I feel like I need to lower the amount of exercise I’m doing in a week. There may come a point where I feel like I am moving too much.

But right now, I’m going to keep riding this wave and enjoying as many workouts as I can get in.

I sat still for nearly two decades. I was barely active. I was packing on the weight and not doing anything about it.

When you do that and then you have your light bulb moment where you’re like “it’s time to make a change,” yeah, you might go a little extreme.

Finding What Works for Me

For me, it just feels like the right thing to do right now. I want to keep enjoying it.

Yes, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I don’t get injured. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I’m recovering properly and taking care of myself.

But I would rather do what I’m doing right now and continue doing it the way that I am because it’s so much better than the alternative.