Episode 30Jan 19, 2026· 7:50

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

▸ Show notes from the creator

No show notes.

About this episode

Ashley Grant addresses follower questions about whether her 8–15 hours of weekly exercise is too much, referencing CDC-style guidelines (150 minutes moderate aerobic activity minimum, 300 minutes for additional benefits, plus muscle strengthening) and concluding there is no hard scientific upper limit as long as recovery is managed. She frames her high exercise volume as a personal response to nearly two decades of…

Listener reactions

💡0

🤝0

🔥0

😄0

0 reactions

Share your reaction

Pick how this episode landed — then leave a public review or a private note to the host.

You

Your name will appear with your review

0/300 Visible to everyone

Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You've spent years barely moving, watching your energy and motivation drain away, and you're wondering if it's too late or too extreme to suddenly go all in on exercise.

You've had your 'light bulb moment' about your health and you're throwing yourself into movement hard — and people around you are questioning whether you're overdoing it.

You used to need a nap just to get through the day and you couldn't focus on anything — and you're starting to wonder if moving your body might actually be the thing that pulls you out of it.

You're dealing with depression or a low mood and you're skeptical that something as simple as moving your body could actually make a difference.

You're in the middle of a hard season of life — still working through real stuff — but you're trying to figure out how to take care of yourself while everything else feels unresolved.

Questions this episode wrestles with

Is there such a thing as too much exercise if you feel okay?

answered

Ashley found that the science doesn't set a hard ceiling — her research kept turning up that 'there's no universal too much, as long as you're making sure that you're getting plenty of nutrients and recovery time and all that jazz.'

"is that there's no universal too much, as long as you're making sure that you're getting plenty of nutrients and recovery time and all that jazz."

When does a lot of working out cross into too much?

open question

Ashley sits with this without landing on a threshold — she acknowledges fatigue and soreness but can't find hard science that she's crossed a line, and lands on 'if I do need to take a break, then I'll take a break' as her working answer.

"and they're fine. So I guess it does come to a point where you're like, OK, well, if I do need to take a break, then I'll take a break. But as long as I'm not hurting myself, as long as I'm not feeling too fatigued. is there anything wrong with the fact that I'm working out as much as I am? I personally don't think so. It wouldn't"

Is throwing yourself into exercise after years of doing nothing a healthy response or overcorrection?

open question

Ashley names the tension directly — she admits 'I did go a little bit extreme' after nearly two decades of being sedentary, but doesn't resolve whether that extreme is healthy or compensatory, only that 'it just feels like it's the right thing to do right now.'

"go a little bit extreme. I understand that. But for me, it just feels like it's the right thing"

Setting expectations: Despite the title referencing 'science-backed' guidelines, this episode is not a deep dive into exercise science or a structured analysis of overtraining. It's Ashley talking through her own situation — working out 8 to 15 hours a week after nearly two decades of being sedentary — and concluding, based on some web research and how she personally feels, that she's probably fine.

Tensions inside this episode

Moments where Famous Ashley Grant names something — and contradicts it inside the same episode. Both quotes are verbatim from the transcript.

Working out this much is fine for her

Ashley concludes there's no hard science saying she's overdoing it, while in the same breath admitting fatigue, pain, and that she may be going 'a little bit extreme.'

Claim

"But There's nothing that I have found that says I'm working out too much. There's no hard science."

but

Contradiction

"go a little bit extreme. I understand that. But"

Tone & style

Ashley starts from nearly two decades of sedentary life and a 'light bulb moment' that sent her to 8–15 hours of weekly exercise. She researches guidelines to check herself, acknowledges fatigue and soreness, but lands on continuing to ride the wave — contrasting her current energy and mood with a past where she couldn't get through half a day without a nap. The episode ends as a declaration, not a resolution: she's still working through things, but from a stronger place.

Personal experience and casual web research. Ashley explicitly flags uncertainty throughout — 'maybe I am, I'm not really sure' — and her conclusions are grounded in how she feels, not medical expertise.

toneCandid & enthusiastic

focusAshley investigates whether her 8–15 hours of weekly exercise is too much, using casual web research and her own felt experience as evidence, while reflecting on how dramatically movement has changed her energy and mood over the past six months.

stylesolo_monologue

energymedium_high

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureenthusiastic, self-questioning, openly uncertain, relieved

Notable quotes

"so much better. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that over the last six months, I've completely cured my life. I haven't. There's still some stuff I'm working through. There's still a lot of stuff I'm working through, but"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"lot more than that. I've been working out as little as like eight hours a week and as much as like 15 hours a week. So, yeah, kind of kind"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"the pain sometimes. But after so many years of a sedentary lifestyle and so many years of not moving my body, I'm going to just ride this wave as long as I can stand it. And yes, there may"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"could not get through an entire day without taking a nap. I could not get through, hell, half a day without feeling like, oh my goodness, I can't"

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 5 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:061. The Question: Are You Working Out Too Much?Ashley introduces the episode topic, explaining that followers have been asking whether she's working out too much after seeing her frequent exercise posts.0:412. What the Science Says About Weekly Exercise MinimumsAshley shares what she found researching exercise guidelines: 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week as a minimum, with additional muscle strengthening, and 300 minutes for extra health benefits — all of which she far exceeds at 8–15 hours a week.2:153. Her Personal Take: No Hard Limit, Riding the WaveAshley reflects on her own experience — acknowledging fatigue and soreness but concluding there's no hard science saying she's overdoing it, and framing her high volume as a reaction to nearly two decades of a sedentary lifestyle.4:054. Six Months of Movement: More Energy, Less DepressionAshley describes how the past six months have given her more energy than the previous six years, contrasting it with a past where she couldn't get through half a day without needing a nap and was struggling with depression and focus.7:005. Why She Shares This and What She Wants for ListenersAshley explains her motivation for the podcast — wanting others to feel what she's feeling — and directly encourages anyone feeling sluggish, down, or depressed to move their body.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personFamous Ashley Grant

The host of More Movement Please, sharing her personal experience working out 8–15 hours a week and responding to follower questions about whether she's overdoing it.

Key themes

Am I working out too much?

Ashley is getting DMs from followers asking if she's overdoing it after seeing her frequent exercise posts, which is the direct prompt for the whole episode.

What the science actually says

Ashley goes and looks up exercise guidelines herself, finding the 150-minute minimum and 300-minute 'additional benefits' thresholds — both of which she blows past at 8–15 hours a week.

No universal 'too much'

Ashley's research conclusion is that there's no hard science defining a ceiling, as long as you're getting nutrients and recovery — and she uses athletes doing 10–20 hours a week as a reference point.

Nearly two decades of sitting still

Ashley frames her current high-volume exercise as a direct reaction to almost 20 years of being barely active and packing on weight, calling her current intensity a 'light bulb moment' response.

Riding the wave while it lasts

Ashley acknowledges she might be going extreme but says she's going to keep going as long as she's not hurting herself, framing it as something specific to her 'current season of life.'

More energy in six months than the last six years

Ashley contrasts her current state — more energy, strength, and zest for life — against a recent past where she couldn't get through half a day without needing a nap.

Movement and depression

Ashley mentions she was 'getting pretty damn depressed' before and says she feels so much better now, while being careful not to claim her life is completely fixed.

Taking care of yourself first

Ashley invokes the oxygen mask analogy to argue that getting stronger and moving your body is what lets you handle everything else life throws at you.

Why she's sharing this at all

Ashley explains her motivation for the podcast is wanting other people to feel what she's feeling — specifically calling out anyone who is sluggish, down, or depressed.

Connected episodes

Shared experience

Long inactivity fueling current intensity

#3I Wasted 18 Months Half-Assing Fitness | Why Going All-In Is the Only Way to See Results

Shared experience

Long sedentary past as fitness motivation

#51Stop Waiting to Feel Motivated: Why Action Comes First

Contrast

Forced effort vs. inspired intensity

#45Your Past Failures Are Actually Your Fitness Roadmap (Especially After 40)

Contrast

Extreme volume vs. sustainable approach

#61Drop It, Keep It, Add It: A Trainer's No-Guilt Approach to Eating Better