Does THIS happen to anyone else?...

As much as I love the days when I have a great workout and I know I put in 100%, it causes a next day side effect that almost feel like a hangover....

I expect to wake up with soreness, but I also have an all-day headache, I’m STARVING, and so exhausted that caffeine does absolutely nothing.
I’m drinking plenty of water every day, and I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it with the workout, so I’m wondering.... do I need extra sleep on those nights?? And does this happen to anyone else??

Replies

AnnPT77

No, not exactly, but maybe somewhat similar.

Is this a new type of workout for you, and you've had this effect as long as you've been doing it? Reason for asking: There are some workouts that can give me a headache via muscle tension/posture effects, and it usually isn't right away, but after things start to tighten up afterward.

Also, though I'm sure you've thought about this: How big is your deficit? Are you eating back the workout calories? How's your overall nutrition? Are you low carbing?

leviathan55

tpacheco311 wrote: »

As much as I love the days when I have a great workout and I know I put in 100%, it causes a next day side effect that almost feel like a hangover....

I expect to wake up with soreness, but I also have an all-day headache, I’m STARVING, and so exhausted that caffeine does absolutely nothing.
I’m drinking plenty of water every day, and I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it with the workout, so I’m wondering.... do I need extra sleep on those nights?? And does this happen to anyone else??

Water and sleep. LOTS of water.

Ara_the_halfelven

tpacheco311 wrote: »

As much as I love the days when I have a great workout and I know I put in 100%, it causes a next day side effect that almost feel like a hangover....

I expect to wake up with soreness, but I also have an all-day headache, I’m STARVING, and so exhausted that caffeine does absolutely nothing.
I’m drinking plenty of water every day, and I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it with the workout, so I’m wondering.... do I need extra sleep on those nights?? And does this happen to anyone else??

Having an all-day headache sounds like you're sodium deficient following the workout. This can easily happen if you sweat a lot and don't replace the electrolytes & its much more likely when you give it your all - I tend to do that too. Drinking water will not replace the fluid you lose during a workout, and if you drink a lot all at once because you're very thirsty, it can cause your kidneys to start flushing and you'll lose even more water. Try taking an electrolyte solution, during and after the workout, something like NUUN, the calorie count isn't too high.
As for being exhausted the next day, that does sound like you're not getting enough rest, it takes your body a while to re-build after a strenuous workout. Also take note of AnnPT77's comments, make sure your calorie deficit isn't too great, and you're getting enough protein.

ExistingFish

I was also going to suggest an electrolyte imbalance. Plenty of water is fine, but if you are sweating you are also losing sodium.

I like this electrolyte drink:
https://www.curehydration.com/

I get it at Walmart, not from their website.

tluisa311

@AnnPT77 @Ara_the_halfelven @ExistingFish I'm so glad I asked this question! Seeing your responses and looking back on my food diaries, I think my protein intake is too low and I'm definitely not monitoring my electrolyte intake. Normally, I go over my sodium intake a bit bc it doesn't adjust for exercise like everything else does, so I wasn't assuming that my sodium was low.
I will try getting an extra hour of sleep, adding electrolytes after my workout and increasing my protein intake and see if that does the trick. Thank you all for your input!

steveko89

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

tluisa311

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

steveko89

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

In the interest of directly answering your question, I wouldn't expect to burn more than ~150 calories for 30 minutes of lifting.

However, I believe people should pursue exercise completely independent of calorie burn.

I spent way too long doing exercising in ways I didn't really like and struggling to accurately measure that elusive "burn" because I felt like it was what I was supposed to do or had to do to manage my weight. I then got some great advice from a trainer I met here on the forums who suggested to focus on managing diet for managing weight and exercise solely for enjoyment, health, and physique/performance goals. That does take a pretty significant mindset shift but it's been a hugely beneficial for me and my psychological relationship with both food and exercise. Not saying this necessarily applies to you but exercising in ways you don't enjoy for the sake of "earning" food you do is no way to live life. I once elected to run 3 miles to Chipotle to meet my wife for dinner to "earn" my guac that evening and I knew something had to change in my approach.

Lifting weights for calorie burn feels like such a misappropriation of the activity and overlooks the myriad of other benefits, both physical and mental. Eschew worrying about that calorie burn and focus on the quality of the movements, the capability of the body, mastering technique, and exploring one's own bodily limitations.

tluisa311

steveko89 wrote: »

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

In the interest of directly answering your question, I wouldn't expect to burn more than ~150 calories for 30 minutes of lifting.

However, I believe people should pursue exercise completely independent of calorie burn.

I spent way too long doing exercising in ways I didn't really like and struggling to accurately measure that elusive "burn" because I felt like it was what I was supposed to do or had to do to manage my weight. I then got some great advice from a trainer I met here on the forums who suggested to focus on managing diet for managing weight and exercise solely for enjoyment, health, and physique/performance goals. That does take a pretty significant mindset shift but it's been a hugely beneficial for me and my psychological relationship with both food and exercise. Not saying this necessarily applies to you but exercising in ways you don't enjoy for the sake of "earning" food you do is no way to live life. I once elected to run 3 miles to Chipotle to meet my wife for dinner to "earn" my guac that evening and I knew something had to change in my approach.

Lifting weights for calorie burn feels like such a misappropriation of the activity and overlooks the myriad of other benefits, both physical and mental. Eschew worrying about that calorie burn and focus on the quality of the movements, the capability of the body, mastering technique, and exploring one's own bodily limitations.

That was very helpful! I do love guac, so I can see the drive to run there lol...........
To an extent, I see the calorie burn as "earning food" since my calorie goal is only 1,200 right now, but mostly, I think I view the calories burned as a measurement of whether or not my workout was too much or not effective enough. I guess it's almost like a measurement of whether or not I'm being "lazy" in my workouts. But I do take the time to focus on form quite a bit, bc my biggest fear is injury.
I will definitely try to incorporate more activities that I enjoy as opposed to "chore" workouts.

natasor1

You may try very good thing for muscle soreness L-GLUTAMINE 2000-4000 mg the day you exercise and next day. This one of amino acids reliesed by our own body, but may not enouph for the good amount of exercise

sijomial

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

Unless you are lifting in a metabolic chamber you are unlikely to get accurate numbers.
If you are using a standard HRM - don't!

Lifting isn't an aerobic exercise and there's very little relationship between HR and calories. There are some algorithms that try to estimate calories better but they would require you to be telling your device what you are doing rather than work backwards from your pulse.

Chasing high HR is a way to ruin a good strength workout. Hitting your desired reps and weights to progress is the goal and that needs appropriate recovery between sets.

AnnPT77

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

In the interest of directly answering your question, I wouldn't expect to burn more than ~150 calories for 30 minutes of lifting.

However, I believe people should pursue exercise completely independent of calorie burn.

I spent way too long doing exercising in ways I didn't really like and struggling to accurately measure that elusive "burn" because I felt like it was what I was supposed to do or had to do to manage my weight. I then got some great advice from a trainer I met here on the forums who suggested to focus on managing diet for managing weight and exercise solely for enjoyment, health, and physique/performance goals. That does take a pretty significant mindset shift but it's been a hugely beneficial for me and my psychological relationship with both food and exercise. Not saying this necessarily applies to you but exercising in ways you don't enjoy for the sake of "earning" food you do is no way to live life. I once elected to run 3 miles to Chipotle to meet my wife for dinner to "earn" my guac that evening and I knew something had to change in my approach.

Lifting weights for calorie burn feels like such a misappropriation of the activity and overlooks the myriad of other benefits, both physical and mental. Eschew worrying about that calorie burn and focus on the quality of the movements, the capability of the body, mastering technique, and exploring one's own bodily limitations.

That was very helpful! I do love guac, so I can see the drive to run there lol...........
To an extent, I see the calorie burn as "earning food" since my calorie goal is only 1,200 right now, but mostly, I think I view the calories burned as a measurement of whether or not my workout was too much or not effective enough. I guess it's almost like a measurement of whether or not I'm being "lazy" in my workouts. But I do take the time to focus on form quite a bit, bc my biggest fear is injury.
I will definitely try to incorporate more activities that I enjoy as opposed to "chore" workouts.

Think about that a bit: If calories are the metric of workout value, then you shouldn't lift at all. You should do cardio, because cardio burns more calories. That sounds wrong, doesn't it? Like maybe something important is being overlooked, maybe? 😉 (P.S. The rhetoric about calorie burn from EPOC and the higher metabolic activity of muscle at rest: Not false, but overhyped, big time.)

Though it can be a slippery slope for some, I think it's OK to recognize that extra calories are a bonus for working out. But if they start being *the* point, something important is being overlooked.

If you have body composition or strength goals, you want to be lifting, and I'd argue you want to be lifting in ways that maximize return on your effort, in terms of body comp or strength results. Using calories as the metric short-changes the exercise effectiveness.

On the overall exercise for fitness front, think about this: Elite athletes don't just go hard for all their training time (using their definition of "hard", since their "easy" is our "hard"). They work at a variety of intensities and durations, in a program that's designed to deliver the capabilities they need for their athletic performance. In sports with a cardio component, that includes large amounts of low intensity work, and smaller amounts of very high intensity work, carefully dosed. (And they burn ridiculously high numbers of calories while they do it, but that's beside the point, really.)

Why would the rest of us do something different from that general sort of approach (maybe not quite as structured, but still utilizing mixed intensities intelligently)? It will still burn calories, and it will deliver better fitness results.

jjpptt2

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

IMO, be careful judging the quality of your workout based on calories burned unless weight management is your ONLY goal.

You're going to have good days and you're going to have bad days... That doesn't mean your workout for that day was good or bad. Learn how to gauge your effort/exertion relative to your conditioning and your capacity that day. Allow yourself some leniency on off days, and take advantage of the good days.

A good workout is relative to your time, strength and energy THAT day, and can change day to day based on recovery, nutrition, sleep, stress, etc.

IMO.
Take it for what it's worth.

steveko89

Ann and Sijomial with great points (as always) and better articulated what I was trying to say in my post with regard to the intent of lifting and it not being for calorie burn.

tpacheco311 wrote: »

That was very helpful! I do love guac, so I can see the drive to run there lol...........
To an extent, I see the calorie burn as "earning food" since my calorie goal is only 1,200 right now

Is forcing yourself to "earn" food you like how you want to function? It wasn't for me so I changed my approach. Are you sure that 1200 cal/day is the appropriate goal? Of course everyone wants to lose fat as quickly as possible but in reality a moderate goal/pace which can be sustained will likely result in better adherence, consistency, and therefore, results.

Speakeasy76

steveko89 wrote: »

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

I don't have any issues like you described as far as a day-to-day variation but I have gone through spurts where I was overtraining/under-recovering from my workouts. Pushing one's limits is fine from time to time but it's often counterproductive to try and do that consistently if the post-workout effects are so troubling. I predominantly see this type of mindset in the lifting community; the whole "if you can walk the next day did you really train legs" attitude. The goal should be to stimulate muscles not annihilate them every time you exercise.

I do struggle with this mentality a little bit. I find it difficult to find that happy medium between not doing enough and doing too much. There's so many different opinions on how hard you should push yourself so it makes it difficult for me to consistently put in the same level of effort for every work out.

Is there a "calorie burned" range goal for every 30 minutes of lifting that I should aim for?

In the interest of directly answering your question, I wouldn't expect to burn more than ~150 calories for 30 minutes of lifting.

However, I believe people should pursue exercise completely independent of calorie burn.

I spent way too long doing exercising in ways I didn't really like and struggling to accurately measure that elusive "burn" because I felt like it was what I was supposed to do or had to do to manage my weight. I then got some great advice from a trainer I met here on the forums who suggested to focus on managing diet for managing weight and exercise solely for enjoyment, health, and physique/performance goals. That does take a pretty significant mindset shift but it's been a hugely beneficial for me and my psychological relationship with both food and exercise. Not saying this necessarily applies to you but exercising in ways you don't enjoy for the sake of "earning" food you do is no way to live life. I once elected to run 3 miles to Chipotle to meet my wife for dinner to "earn" my guac that evening and I knew something had to change in my approach.

Lifting weights for calorie burn feels like such a misappropriation of the activity and overlooks the myriad of other benefits, both physical and mental. Eschew worrying about that calorie burn and focus on the quality of the movements, the capability of the body, mastering technique, and exploring one's own bodily limitations.

^^^So much this! Several years ago, I was all about how many calories I could burn, "earning" food and doing workouts I didn't really like because the magazine (or whoever) said if I did it I could get "a tight butt, flat abs, and toned arms" (just paraphrasing. I lot of those workouts I didn't really like because they did seem more focused on calorie burning and going through moves quickly...which for me, seemed to compromise form and not get the most out of it in terms of strength. Now, I take lots of long walks (something I would sneer at as it "doesn't burn enough calories") and strength train with controlled resp, and focus on increasing the weight or reps with good form. They're both good for not only my physical health, but mental health as well. That's not to say I don't challenge myself, because I certainly do, but I know if I feel "spent" the next day (if I wasn't trying for PR's in my session), I either overdid it, didn't sleep well, or perhaps added too many new moves/too much weight.

For a long time, I ignored my body's signals, which got me in trouble in the form of overuse injuries and chronic aches and pains. Still paying for some of that today, even though I'm much more aware of it. I also realized that I was putting too much focus on the exercise part, and really needed to pay more attention to the nutrition part of the weight-loss equation.

tluisa311

steveko89 wrote: »

Ann and Sijomial with great points (as always) and better articulated what I was trying to say in my post with regard to the intent of lifting and it not being for calorie burn.

tpacheco311 wrote: »

That was very helpful! I do love guac, so I can see the drive to run there lol...........
To an extent, I see the calorie burn as "earning food" since my calorie goal is only 1,200 right now

Is forcing yourself to "earn" food you like how you want to function? It wasn't for me so I changed my approach. Are you sure that 1200 cal/day is the appropriate goal? Of course everyone wants to lose fat as quickly as possible but in reality a moderate goal/pace which can be sustained will likely result in better adherence, consistency, and therefore, results.

Long-term, I definitely don't want to function. Once I'm in a position to maintain, I absolutely want to exercise for the enjoyment and having a higher caloric intake will certainly help to minimize that feeling of "earning food".

AnnPT77

tpacheco311 wrote: »

steveko89 wrote: »

Ann and Sijomial with great points (as always) and better articulated what I was trying to say in my post with regard to the intent of lifting and it not being for calorie burn.

tpacheco311 wrote: »

That was very helpful! I do love guac, so I can see the drive to run there lol...........
To an extent, I see the calorie burn as "earning food" since my calorie goal is only 1,200 right now

Is forcing yourself to "earn" food you like how you want to function? It wasn't for me so I changed my approach. Are you sure that 1200 cal/day is the appropriate goal? Of course everyone wants to lose fat as quickly as possible but in reality a moderate goal/pace which can be sustained will likely result in better adherence, consistency, and therefore, results.

Long-term, I definitely don't want to function. Once I'm in a position to maintain, I absolutely want to exercise for the enjoyment and having a higher caloric intake will certainly help to minimize that feeling of "earning food".

Advice from your grumpy but honest internet granny over here: Learn and practice the habits you'll need in maintenance, while you're still losing, with just that small cushion of a calorie deficit the main/only difference between loss vs. maintenance. Before weight loss is "over", find that enjoyable, sustainable exercise and eating routine, and the psychological state that will make it work for you.

Too many people treat the whole weight loss phase as a quick project with an end date. Very often, they'll find the need for repeat projects down the road.

Weight management and fitness are both long term - ideally permanent - activities. There is no "after".