5 February 2010
vvvvalentina asked: Is there such thing as strength training too many times in a week? I do group fitness classes, including kickboxing, cardio circuits and pilates, but I end up doing about 3-4 strength training classes a week. Also, is it a bad idea to do more than one class in a day, even if they're different kinds of workouts (e.g. pilates and kickboxing, or strength and ballet)?
I’m not any kind of certified personal trainer, but I have been told by many of them that it’s a no-no to work the same muscle without giving it 24 hours to rebuild and recover. I would also listen to your body. If a certain muscle group feels sore, try to avoid working it for a day or so. I don’t know how intensive your kickboxing, pilates, etc. classes are in terms of really fatiguing your muscles, so that’s something you’ll have to use your judgment on (or ask a trainer).
In terms of taking two different kinds of classes a day, I say as long as you’re fueling yourself properly and nothing is painful, you’re good to go! I sometimes do cardio and strength in one session, and then another strength session focusing on different muscles later that day.
