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Too Much Weight Training Not Good for You?

A year ago I was diagnosed with early stage Breast Cancer...this was a significant catalyst for change. I became a vegetarian, practiced meditation and began working with a trainer to get myself into shape. Since then, I have lost 30lbs and have built a body that I can honestly say I am proud of - I feel strong and healthy for the first time in many years. The other day I had to go to the doctor for a checkup. He's a very good dr. (mix of western med. and alternative therapies, as well as being a vegan) and he always takes an interest in what I am doing for my health. When he learned how much weight training that I am doing though, he became concerned. (I train 6 days a week, 50 min. sessions) He said that too much intense exercise causes the body to become too acidic - an environment that cancer thrives in. So he recommended that I reduce how much I am doing to more 'moderate' levels. I have searched the net but can not find very much information about this. Has anyone heard of this? Should I be concerned?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on February 11, 2011 at 2:30pm

I can't speak from the cancer perspective but 50min 6 times a week falls right in line with the current recommendations for exercise in the general population. It hardly seems "excessive". I have a number of friends living with cancer and in remission from cancer who train hard with weights, run marathons, and do Ironman triathlons, for whatever that's worth, and they wouldn't give it up for a minute. If you're eating a good alkaline diet, resting and recovering well, it seems to be working for you. And, the Thrive style diet certainly supports keeping acidity as low as you can. Continue to do your research, do what works for you and see if you can find an oncologist for another opinion - preferably one with a good athletic background. I always look for that in my doctors. Best Wishes!

Permalink Reply by Richard St-Onge on February 11, 2011 at 3:07pm

Hey Cindy, I hope you are or will go in full remission with the positive changes!

If anything I would consider as an acidic overload in the body it would stem from nutrition (caffeine, man made sugars, certain fruits,...). The only time I've experienced high levels of acid in my body during training was in my road cycling training/competing days, especially during TT or uphills. If you lift weights at a high rep combined with speed, such as in circuit training, then I can see it being a mild factor, but still I'm not convinced.

Working out 6 times a week IMO is lots. I've gotten results with 3 days a week at under 50 minutes a session. guess genetics and proper nutrition, as well as the type of training can be a factor. I'm more of the HIT approach to weight lifting. Doing 3 sets of one exercise and then moving on to a similar one for another 3 sets and so on doesn't make much sense in my books. As stipulated by Mike Mentzer/Dave Draper/ Johnston/etc, after a short yet affective warm-up, 1 set to maximum effort (till full or near full exertion) is more than enough to activate muscle cells, cause the necessary damage and create growth during the rest period.

Of course, I'm guessing that in your case, building mass might not be what you're after (correct me if I'm wrong), therefore lifting 3-4 times a week, alternating days with a cardio exercise or sport will more than suffice to give you quality results. The ultimate factor in this will be the nutrition, but with your loss results, I take it you got that one pat down ;)

Again, this is MY opinion reflective of MY results. It may vary for others.

Permalink Reply by Cindy on February 11, 2011 at 6:01pm

Thanks for your opinions! Cheryl - I failed to mention that I also do 30 - 60 minutes of some form of cardio everyday. So many days, I am doing almost two hours of hard exercise.

Richard -I am in remission. Sadly with breast cancer, no oncologist will ever tell you that you are cured.

I am trying to see just what my body is capable of. I like to push myself hard - I feel strong and alive and capable of kicking cancer! I am actually trying to build mass and because of good genetics I am pretty pleased with the results. When I originally began working out, I was only doing 3 -4 days of weight training and I was building muscle. However, my trainer and I just recently decided to push things a little over the top and hence the 6 days in the gym. But in light of what my dr. says about acidity, I'm a little worried about this decision. I have done the HIT approach to weight training - several years ago though. Perhaps, I need to examine that again?!