Q I’ve been following your advice on designing a strength-training program but am still confused about how much exercise is appropriate and how much is too much. I really want to lose weight as quickly as possible so I have been training every day. Any suggestions?

A A healthy body is one that gets appropriate amounts of exercise but at the same time gets enough rest. The amount of rest between workouts is directly related to the amount of progress you will make as you train.

Individual differences and variations in the intensity used while weight training make it impossible to determine with complete accuracy how much time should elapse between workouts for each person. Allow too much rest and you could potentially lose progress; with too little you risk overtraining. A good rule of thumb is to allow a minimum of 36 to 48 hours of rest before working the same muscle group again. The greater the intensity, the more time you should allow. If you find that you are still sore from your previous workout, give yourself extra time. Remember that it is during the rest phase of your training, not while you are lifting, that your body actually grows stronger.

Most people become aware gradually over time that they may be overtraining. Signs can include poor overall exercise performance, decrease in strength, feeling burned out, fatigued, chronic soreness, difficulty sleeping and mood swings. Other things to consider:

• Allow 4-6 weeks of conditioning if you are just starting out, paying attention to form and technique over the amount of weight you are lifting. You can start by doing one exercise of 8-12 reps for each major muscle group (abs, legs, back, chest, shoulders, biceps and triceps). After this time, you should be ready for two to three sets of each exercise and one to two exercises per major muscle, and begin working different muscle groups on different days.

• Try doing more sets for the larger muscle groups (legs, chest and back) than smaller ones. The smaller muscles of the shoulders, biceps and triceps are strengthened indirectly as they assist the larger muscles being worked. Doing too many sets can leave them too weak to fully assist larger muscle groups during your next workout. The exact number of repetitions that you do varies depending on what you are trying to accomplish.

Low repetition sets (one to five) with very heavy weights (85 to 100 percent of one “rep max” — the maximum weight that you can lift one time) helps to develop great strength. However, this type of lifting is inappropriate and dangerous unless you have many months of consistent weight-lifting experience under your belt. Eight to 12 repetitions per set will give most people excellent strength gains, while higher reps give greater muscular endurance. I highly recommend using both repetition ranges.

Note: The ability to identify and distinguish between normal and abnormal responses to exercise is literally the difference between life and death for thousands of individuals each year. Sudden shortness of breath or weakness, extreme fatigue, unusually rapid or weak heartbeat, pain, dizziness, speech or sight disturbances and/or nausea experienced during physical activity are warning signals.

If any of these symptoms occur, stop exercising and tell someone what you are experiencing. If your symptoms don’t go away quickly, immediate medical attention should be obtained. If they go away but then return, this should be reported to your doctor.

Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services. Write to her in care of the Dayton Daily News, call her at (937) 878-9018 or send an e-mail to marjie@ohtrainer.com. Her Web site is www.ohtrainer.com.