Major Fatigue After Lifting
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How much are you eating? No one can lift on too high of a deficit.....
I eat roughly 1650 calories on average, per day. I'm 5'3" and 143lbs. I don't think that is too little of a deficit for weight lifting. Or am I wrong? Should I be eating more? My goal is to lose weight, but I'm doing it very slowly. At 1650 calories....I'm teetering on maintenance.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »JessaLee0324 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »JessaLee0324 wrote: »Oh...and right now I am only doing SL5x5. Just 3x a week. The plan was to walk or do the elliptical Tues & Thurs but I haven't incorporated that just yet. So I am getting plenty of rest between workouts.
SL 5x5 and other "heavy" programs are very hard on your CNS...that is probably what you are feeling. You are literally beating the *kitten* out of your CNS 3x per week. Nutrition, including calories are very important to recovery.
I do my Oly-lifts and "heavy" lifts on Saturdays and I usually leave the gym feeling like I just road a century. That kind of stuff is just really hard on the CNS...it's one of the big reasons I had to ultimately abandon a dedicated "strength" and/or power lifting routine...I was just too wiped to do anything else. It's an awesome program for building strength fast though.
I think you are right. It's my CNS.
BUT....it sounds like what you are saying is that I am kicking my own rear-end, each time I do a SL5x5 workout? Because I don't feel that beat up immediatly after the workout itself. Its a couple hours later. And I'm not doing killer amounts of weight either. For instance, I STILL have a hard time doing all 5 sets of 5 reps on OH Press....using ONLY the bar! My shoulders are weak and I struggle soooo much with this one. And I'd have to say, it's the only one I feel like I'm going to die while doing! It really takes a lot out of me. But everything else....not so much.
Is weight lifting 3x a week really that bad? It's the only thing I'm doing
I really don't want to have to cut back. It would ruin the program.
You need to understand that "heavy" is relative. If you struggle to get in 5x5 of OHP, then that is "heavy" for you and will tax your CNS big time. It's also normal to have that fatigue set in later.
Also, like I said...nutrition and calories are important. I make sure I get in some recovery nutrition very shortly after a good Oly session...carbs and protein.
Also, these programs can most certainly be done while dieting, but they really aren't designed with the "dieter" in mind...being in an energy deficit makes these kind of programs even more taxing. Personally, I'm partial to Starting Strength's 3x5 format when dieting...SL is basically the same program but in a 5x5 format vs a 3x5 format. The 3x5 I believe is more suited to beginners and you don't peter out so quickly from a lack of calories and being on a diet...but that's just my personal experience talking.
Is there really that big of a caloric burn after a heavy lifting session? My workouts are about 30 minutes long but I have a minute and a half or more of rest between each set. So I'm actually sitting for most of those 30 minutes.
I just feel like I'm not doing "enough" as it is....and to think that I am exerting myself too much makes me mad! I used to be a runner....and that seemed a bit more work than what I'm doing now. And I didn't feel this exhausted either It's confusing.
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Yeah, it sounds like it must be something else then...Three times a week should not be that bad, and you are not eating too little.... I take it you get enough quality calories and protein, and hopefully enough sleep.....I do Body Beast 5 x per week, with added hiit cardio, and eat about the same, although I am older and much taller...
.I don't experience that kind of fatique, although after getting only about 5 hours of interrupted sleep last night, I might skip the workout tonight and do doubles tomorrow, in order to avoid dropping a weight on my own head!0 -
JessaLee0324 wrote: »How much are you eating? No one can lift on too high of a deficit.....
I eat roughly 1650 calories on average, per day. I'm 5'3" and 143lbs. I don't think that is too little of a deficit for weight lifting. Or am I wrong? Should I be eating more? My goal is to lose weight, but I'm doing it very slowly. At 1650 calories....I'm teetering on maintenance.
1650 for you is roughly a 10% calorie deficit, which isn't that drastic. Are you doing any exercise other than SL5x5? If so, what and how much? Active job? How much sleep do you average per night? What time of day do you train and what do you consume prior to training?
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Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »JessaLee0324 wrote: »How much are you eating? No one can lift on too high of a deficit.....
I eat roughly 1650 calories on average, per day. I'm 5'3" and 143lbs. I don't think that is too little of a deficit for weight lifting. Or am I wrong? Should I be eating more? My goal is to lose weight, but I'm doing it very slowly. At 1650 calories....I'm teetering on maintenance.
1650 for you is roughly a 10% calorie deficit, which isn't that drastic. Are you doing any exercise other than SL5x5? If so, what and how much? Active job? How much sleep do you average per night? What time of day do you train and what do you consume prior to training?
I'm currently not doing anything other than SL5x5. I have a desk job, and sit all day. I get roughly 8 hours of sleep each night. Though I am always on the go when I get home. I do my weightlifting at 12:30pm M,W,Th and I don't have anything specific prior. I usually eat something about 30 minutes after my workout.0 -
JessaLee0324 wrote: »I do my weightlifting at 12:30pm M,W,Th and I don't have anything specific prior. I usually eat something about 30 minutes after my workout.
Okay, well sometimes the solution is the simplest one. Try eating a good serving of Oatmeal or something like that 2 to 3 hours before training. Or you can have something like Gatorade (a serving with ~30 carbs) about 30-min's prior to training. Try that for a few sessions and see how you feel.
As for the Press, see if your gym has a mini-olympic bar or some of those pre-made bars with the weight on them that are lighter than 45lbs. Worst case scenario, use dumbbells until you can manage the 45-lb Oly bar.
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I'd interpret fatigue as insufficient carbs in your overall diet -- you've got insufficient glycogen in the muscles before the workout, they're getting overly drained during the workout, and not being replenished before the next workout. Not sure what your macros are right now, but it wouldn't surprise me if you've cut carbs in order to make room for enough protein.
To test this theory, dial back your protein for a week or so, and "carb load" for a few days (since you were a runner, you know what I mean). See if that eases the symptoms.
Just a guess, and worth everything you paid for it
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JessaLee0324 wrote: »I really don't want to have to cut back. It would ruin the program.
I did Stronglifts 5x5 earlier this year and eventually got to a point where I was too sore on my non-lifting days to do much else. I took the summer off from heavy lifting (trained for my first triathlon instead) and have recently restarted Stronglifts. This time I'm only lifting twice per week, and it feels much more manageable for me and allows me to continue running without feeling like my legs are dying. The program will NOT be ruined if you cut back to 2 days/week, and you'll likely be able to stick with it longer.
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Are you getting enough protein and are you resting enough? If you don't rest well the fatigue begins to compound. If you need to take some time off to recover do it.
One way to test your central nervous system is to squeeze your fist as tight as possible and see how it feels. If you're grip strength is tanked then it is likely your CNS needs a break.0 -
Having a newbie trade SL for SS is pretty stupid, unless they have a trainer to make sure their cleans are bomber.
There are no cleans in the initial Starting Strength program, at least as laid out by Rippetoe. But you're right, having a newbie do a program specifically designed for newbies is pretty stupid.
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I need to look it over again, I thought SS programming specified cleans.0
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The symptoms you describe could be a blood sugar crash. Are you exercising first thing in the morning before you eat? Or are you on a low carb diet? Some people can't handle strength training in a fasted state. You could try eating/drinking some simple carbs a half hour before you workout and see if that makes a difference.
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Huh, looking at this, I see workout B is power cleans.
I then see that A and B alternate every three workouts. So 16.7% of the workouts include power cleans. That seems pretty damn challenging for a stone cold newbie without someone to take them through the movements.
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beginner_Programs
I'm probably just reading it wrong.0 -
Stronglifts is a bulking program, though usually a novice can adapt to 5x5 even in deficit and make gains for quite a long time. Avoid grinding any of the lifts, especially the deadlift. That can be difficult to recover from.
If after 12 weeks you are still getting buried, try switching to 3x5, or following a program that provides specific recommendations for cutting like the ICF Novice program.0 -
JessaLee0324 wrote: »And I'm not doing killer amounts of weight either. For instance, I STILL have a hard time doing all 5 sets of 5 reps on OH Press....using ONLY the bar! My shoulders are weak and I struggle soooo much with this one. And I'd have to say, it's the only one I feel like I'm going to die while doing! It really takes a lot out of me. But everything else....not so much.
Is weight lifting 3x a week really that bad? It's the only thing I'm doing I really don't want to have to cut back. It would ruin the program.
You're doing fine. Throw in a recovery drink immediately after you are done lifting. I like to drink about half of it before I shower, and half after I'm dressed up. If I shower at home, I'll just drink all of it before leaving the gym.
Also, if OHP with just the bar feels too hard, switch to dumbbells. Throw in some face pulls and rotator cuff exercise as warmup for those as well, your shoulders will thank you for that.
Face pulls:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rssJOyXR2Yg
RC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lebhdCzf2XI 0 -
So, what I've gathered.
Try eating something before working out, then again after working out.
Make sure you are eating enough in general.
Make sure you get PLENTY of rest.
Drink PLENTY of water.
Not everyone feels exhausted right after the workout. You may still be feeling that "high". Soreness from working out is strongest later on.
If you make sure the above is all correct, go to a doctor, get some blood tests and a standard physical, you never know.0 -
Huh, looking at this, I see workout B is power cleans.
In Rip's books Starting Strength and Practical Programming the program starts with Squats, alternating OH Press and Bench, Deadlifts, and alternating chins/pull ups.
But you are correct in that he includes Power Cleans later in the novice program, after a few of the lifts have stalled and been restarted via deload. But for most novices this would probably be a few months into the program.0 -
alan_huynh2000 wrote: »So, what I've gathered.
Try eating something before working out, then again after working out.
Make sure you are eating enough in general.
Make sure you get PLENTY of rest.
Drink PLENTY of water.
Not everyone feels exhausted right after the workout. You may still be feeling that "high". Soreness from working out is strongest later on.
If you make sure the above is all correct, go to a doctor, get some blood tests and a standard physical, you never know.
I always feel exhausted after a work out, but this is more my muscles feel drained of energy!!! I have some simple carbs straight away, and then this makes me feel "normal" again within 30 mins.
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Maybe you could do a 10 minute jog after to heat your body up? As long as you're not too wobbly. But maybe that's a bad idea. I just started too - had a coffee right before and went for a short run after and felt energized (though I was exhausted during the day and hadn't gotten to my calorie goal yet).0
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How much are you eating? No one can lift on too high of a deficit.....
well. you can.
But... it's just going to suck monkey balls. #fastedworkoutssuck
That being said- I would agree with the sounds of nutrition/rest.
Make sure you're eating the RIGHT amount- you can definitely still lift in a deficit- but you have to fuel yourself adequately.0
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