How often do you feel beat up by your workouts?

DX2JX2

A thread about 'energy boosts' from exercise got me thinking the other day.

I actually feel pretty beat up by my exercise routine on a daily basis. I've been running about 20-25 miles per week on average for the past 8 months or so and am currently running about 30 miles per week as training for a half marathon in a few weeks. My training schedule is classic 80/20, with the 20 comprised of speed work and the 80 comprised of easy distances.

I can honestly say that my legs and body feel pretty fatigued 4 out of 7 days per week...each tempo/speed day, the day of and after my long run, and the day before my mid-week rest day.

Don't get me wrong, I know that the exercise is good for me and I definitely don't feel that I'm overdoing it, I just find it ironic that my exercise leads to me feeling constantly beat up!

How about you? How many days out of the week do you spend beat up, sore, or tired due to your exercise schedule?

quiksylver296

Powerlifting training. Heavy lifting 5 days a week. I probably feel beat up, sore, and/or tired 3-4 days per week. When it gets really bad, then I know it's time for a deload.

janejellyroll

From my personal experience: I feel "beat up" a good portion of the time when I'm actually training for a race. I take this as a good sign, an indication that I picked a training program that is actually challenging me. I make sure to balance this with a good portion of the year when I'm still running daily, but at a reduced intensity.

I would be worried if I had a major race approaching and I hadn't felt fatigued from training for it! What you describe, feeling tired or beat up at least 4 days a week, sounds pretty normal to me.

peleroja

janejellyroll wrote: »

From my personal experience: I feel "beat up" a good portion of the time when I'm actually training for a race. I take this as a good sign, an indication that I picked a training program that is actually challenging me. I make sure to balance this with a good portion of the year when I'm still running daily, but at a reduced intensity.

I would be worried if I had a major race approaching and I hadn't felt fatigued from training for it! What you describe, feeling tired or beat up at least 4 days a week, sounds pretty normal to me.

This!

When I'm just running a comfortable-for-me number of miles and not doing any speedwork or anything, I never feel sore or tired really, but as soon as I ramp it up for race training I'm wiped half the time at least. I don't run many races though, so mostly I just plod along doing my easy miles and don't push it too hard on a normal week.

mutantspicy

I mostly lift weights, which post workout I'm really weak and sick feeling. By the time I finish up with my recovery shake, and shower chill session about hour after I'm fine. Other routines, like cardio I'm usually exhausted during the routine but not after. I know marathons are your thing and I don't want to discourage you. But for me personally especially now that I'm over 40 running has been nothing but a negative experience. It made me feel like I was destroying my body with every step. Rough Terrain hiking is wonderful calorie burner and fun, when I can get a chance. But for the most part my steady state cardio is now walking my dog 3 to 5 miles a day. I feel much better, and actually think the walking is working like active recovery. Not trying to discourage, I know the feeling of accomplishment must be amazing to run the half marathon, so keep it up and I wish you the best. Perhaps, you need just consider doing a recovery shake with banana and carbs and some protein to help your body deal with it. What you are describing makes me wonder if you are getting enough carbs in your diet.

Also, try looking into dynamic stretching or low impact calisthenics or walk additional mile or two for a cool down, all that high impact on your legs and spine needs to slowly be loosened back up. Just my thoughts. I believe fully in active recovery after high impact workouts, and running even slowly is just that

janejellyroll

mutantspicy wrote: »

I mostly lift weights, which post workout I'm really weak and sick feeling. By the time I finish up with my recovery shake, and shower chill session about hour after I'm fine. Other routines, like cardio I'm usually exhausted during the routine but not after. I know marathons are your thing and I don't want to discourage you. But for me personally especially now that I'm over 40 running has been nothing but a negative experience. It made me feel like I was destroying my body with every step. Rough Terrain hiking is wonderful calorie burner and fun, when I can get a chance. But for the most part my steady state cardio is now walking my dog 3 to 5 miles a day. I feel much better, and actually think the walking is working like active recovery. Not trying to discourage, I know the feeling of accomplishment must be amazing to run the half marathon, so keep it up and I wish you the best. Perhaps, you need just consider doing a recovery shake with banana and carbs and some protein to help your body deal with it. Also, try looking into dynamic stretching or low impact calisthenics or walk additional mile or two for a cool down, all that high impact on your legs and spine needs to slowly be loosened back up. Just my thoughts. I believe fully in active recovery after high impact workouts, and running even slowly is just that

I think it's important to distinguish between fatigue or feeling "beat up" (which I would consider normal and okay for anyone who is going through heavy training) and feeling as if your body is being destroyed. If someone is actually feeling destroyed or damaged by their training , that's a sign to dial it back and I wouldn't consider that normal.

Fatigued = good
Damaged = bad

lporter229

janejellyroll wrote: »

From my personal experience: I feel "beat up" a good portion of the time when I'm actually training for a race. I take this as a good sign, an indication that I picked a training program that is actually challenging me. I make sure to balance this with a good portion of the year when I'm still running daily, but at a reduced intensity.

I would be worried if I had a major race approaching and I hadn't felt fatigued from training for it! What you describe, feeling tired or beat up at least 4 days a week, sounds pretty normal to me.

Same. I am in peak marathon training right now, which means 50+ miles per week. At this point in training, I am tired even after my easy runs. I always build an extra week of taper into my plan because I feel that you can not understate the level of fitness you can gain by pushing your limits then allowing for adequate recovery. I think all sports have their own definition of how this works. For endurance sports like marathon running, a long, drawn out period of fatigue followed by a long recovery is what prepares you for a long race. When I am not training for anything specific, I do maintenance running and focus more on strength training, which is a different kind of fatigue and recovery process. as @quiksylver296 said above, it's a lot about listening to your body and knowing when it's time to take a rest.

flippy1234

I use to feel beat up a lot. I would work out in the morning then nap all afternoon because I was so tired. Then I would not see the results I wanted, get frustrated and quit for a while. I have changed all of that. I have stopped beating myself up, am doing less exercise but ironically look better and have lost weight. I have done other modifications in my eating too but I feel better and not beat up and I look better. Go figure.

Chieflrg

I ache, it's part of powerlifting, my age, and also my health.

Fatigue and soreness can be two different things. One can drain you of progress if it builds into overtraining. The other is usually just a sign that you are sensitive to a newer variation or stress of training.

cwolfman13

If I'm well into a training program for a cycling event/race I can feel pretty beat up much of the time which is why I dial it back once I've completed the event.

Regular old fitness rides and lifting? Rarely do I feel beat up or fatigued.

TR0berts

Rarely. I get fatigued, and a little sore, but rarely "beat up."

If you're constantly feeling "beat up," that indicates to me that you're not recovering well. In which case, dialing it back some would probably do you well.

sardelsa

I get tired and some sessions cause me more burn out than others... but not every one. If I am noticing I am feeling more beat up vs not, not hitting PRs and progressing, especially since I am bulking, that is a bad sign. Time to reevaluate.. I could be overtraining or getting sick or something.

MegaMooseEsq

I'm not training for anything in particular, just trying for some nice, well-rounded fitness. My lifting sessions (about 45 minutes three days a week) are starting to lead to a few aches and pains now that I'm lifting heavy-for-me, but I'd still say I feel more energized than beat up. For cardio I usually do low to medium intensity calisthenic videos for about a half hour 3-4 times a week, or else run outdoors about 2 miles at a zippy 11 minutes/mile (not that I've been able to run for a couple of weeks now, THANKS MINNESNOWTA). I do enjoy a good nap after a run if I can get it, not because I feel beat up but because I love naps.

DX2JX2

cwolfman13 wrote: »

If I'm well into a training program for a cycling event/race I can feel pretty beat up much of the time which is why I dial it back once I've completed the event.

Regular old fitness rides and lifting? Rarely do I feel beat up or fatigued.

Amen. I'm so looking forward to my taper next week and after the race I'm planning to drop my mileage back significantly. Basically, no runs over an hour for a good while and I'll probably add an extra rest day to my schedule.

stingrayinfl

I do two hrs of cardio 5 days a week and 8-10 hrs on the weekend and lift and do abs, pullups, pushups every day and I get tired..my body is use to it and just does it...some days, the results are different, but the effort is the same

MostlyWater

After spin class, yes. Not so much after intervals.

Cbean08

It depends on what else is going on in my life. I'll feel pretty wiped out after an especially heavy lifting session. I'll feel "beat up" after that same session if I don't feed myself well and rest enough.

Karen_can_do_this

I feel constantly tired and sore. But I’m pushing myself with my weights. However the soreness extent is a lot lessened if I stretch and foam roll after each session.
Beat up? Not so much. But there are certain times when I’m feeling really tired and beat up, that’s usually my indicator that I’m working too hard

spiriteagle99

I'm two weeks out from my goal marathon, after following a plan that was more challenging than the ones I've done before. I was frequently tired from my training, but rarely felt really beat up except at the end of my long runs. A couple of hours after my workouts I was always fine. The next day, my legs were sometimes tired, but I was still able to go for a long walk with the dog and do my run if the plan called for one. Overall, by the time I started taper, I was ready to be done, but that was mental as much as physical. I think the fact that this is my 4th marathon helps. My body is used to training hard for months at a time. I generally listen to my body, so on days that are listed as "cross training or rest", I'll rest when I need to.

JaydedMiss

iv yet to feel anything-after the workout- even though im lifting /squatting between 90-260 pounds depending on the mchine. During it its doable but i do struggle so thats a good sign. I thought i was not working hard enough but the numbers seemed high enough since im only 120 pounds. figured im not doing anything wrong from not hurting myself lol. who knows

JaxxieKat

Soreness is normal. Feeling beat up once your body gets used to the stress you're putting on it can be a sign of overdoing it. Are you wearing proper running shoes? Are you cooling down properly, stretching, and foam rolling after a workout or run? I didn't start doing that until I started running, but I've had three injuries that have sidelined my strength training over the past two years due to me not listening to my body and thinking, "no pain, no gain." A pulled ab muscle is no joke.

Pastaprincess1978

I try to swim 5-6 days a week and always feel tired and hungry afterwards but I kind of like that. I also really like being sore after a weights class.

DX2JX2

JaxxieKat wrote: »

Soreness is normal. Feeling beat up once your body gets used to the stress you're putting on it can be a sign of overdoing it. Are you wearing proper running shoes? Are you cooling down properly, stretching, and foam rolling after a workout or run? I didn't start doing that until I started running, but I've had three injuries that have sidelined my strength training over the past two years due to me not listening to my body and thinking, "no pain, no gain." A pulled ab muscle is no joke.

I'm good. I do pay attention to my gear and treating myself right during training. I have no doubt that what I'm experiencing is nothing related to injury...it's really just the normal fatigue and tiredness that comes with relatively heavy training. Oddly enough, I kind of like it at the same time that I hate it.

saragd012

I used to ache a lot more after a workout, but not so much anymore. I do a good deal of weight training and HIIT; Some workouts leave me lying on the mat trying to cool down enough to breathe normally, completely drenched in sweat, but I don't really hurt the following days like I used to. It's actually been bothering me lately, so I'm really glad to see some of these responses from people I've secretly considered my inspiration don't have to feel destroyed after a workout and still have reached the level that they have.

gamesandgains

Right after my power-leg training days in combination with my current cut, destroys me.

MeanderingMammal

DX2JX2 wrote: »

How about you? How many days out of the week do you spend beat up, sore, or tired due to your exercise schedule?

I don't do a great deal of speedwork, as my focus is distance. As a result I don't feel beaten up after individual sessions, although races do leave me feeling very fatigued afterwards. What can cause me more of a problem is not managing my nutrition effectively. That's not really something to worry about for a half, but for long distances it's easy to get it wrong.

At the end of the season it can all mount up, so performance suffers as I know I'm not getting enough recovery between events.

fwiw given that you're on fairly low cumulative mileage I don't think it's the training that's doing it to you.

Okiludy

Another lifter here. I feel muscle soreness and some achy joints nearly every day. Not painful just low-level annoyance most of the time. I also tend to sleep more on days when the soreness level is higher.

While I agree people need to be safe and overtraining is a real thing, I just don't see it in the gym I go to. Most of the people are not really pushing themselves. Now endurance athletes I think are more prone to overtraining training than us meatheads so it might be different.

GiddyupTim

Actually, once upon a time, in the deep and distant past, I remember feeling sore often after a good workout. But not beat up.
I think we tend to forget that as we get older and we need to remember it.
Beat up means our body needs some repair and recovery. Most of us chronic exercisers need to honor that more than we do.
Listen to your body.

mutantspicy

Okiludy wrote: »

Another lifter here. I feel muscle soreness and some achy joints nearly every day. Not painful just low-level annoyance most of the time. I also tend to sleep more on days when the soreness level is higher.

While I agree people need to be safe and overtraining is a real thing, I just don't see it in the gym I go to. Most of the people are not really pushing themselves. Now endurance athletes I think are more prone to overtraining training than us meatheads so it might be different.

yeah thats why I invested in my own free weight collection. I always felt like "that guy" red faced and grunting sweating all over the place. At gyms a lot of people are just going thru the motions. I felt out of place.

I'm usually only sore the first 2 weeks, after switching routines. I try to switch up every 4 to 6 weeks. But my old joints are always crunchy achy, especially my shoulders.

Willbenchforcupcakes

Another lifter here. I rarely ever get sore - usually only the first week back after recovery week from a major competition.

As for beat up, it’s a fact of life as I start peaking up towards major competitions. The more I work with my coach (and I have been with him for 3 1/2 years now), the more perfectly we can time it. I can handle a few weeks of feeling beat up and worn down a year to have the best platform performances possible.

Okiludy

mutantspicy wrote: »

Okiludy wrote: »

Another lifter here. I feel muscle soreness and some achy joints nearly every day. Not painful just low-level annoyance most of the time. I also tend to sleep more on days when the soreness level is higher.

While I agree people need to be safe and overtraining is a real thing, I just don't see it in the gym I go to. Most of the people are not really pushing themselves. Now endurance athletes I think are more prone to overtraining training than us meatheads so it might be different.

yeah thats why I invested in my own free weight collection. I always felt like "that guy" red faced and grunting sweating all over the place. At gyms a lot of people are just going thru the motions. I felt out of place.

I'm usually only sore the first 2 weeks, after switching routines. I try to switch up every 4 to 6 weeks. But my old joints are always crunchy achy, especially my shoulders.

People just let me grunt and maybe swear a time or 2. Hell I got complimented by someone when I scared them during rack pulls once. I did have 6 plates on bar so maybe it paid for some forgiveness. I also don’t lift at a health club but a black iron gym so no damn lunk alarm.