Dizzy after a workout?

Renonvme

I've been trying to lift heavy three days a week along with 30 minutes of cardio. It's hard for me to get to the gym, so I try to do my cardio and then 30 minutes of either arms or legs. Yesterday I did 30 minutes on the treadmill at a 3.7 pace with a mountain setting at a level 13. After that, I did 25 minutes of leg weights and then 5 minute of stretching. When I got home, I was talking to my husband and almost fell over while just standing there. I got really dizzy for about 15 minutes. Do you think maybe I didn't eat enough protein before my workout? Lifting heavy is fairly new to me, but I do want to build some muscle. Any advice would be appreciated! My diary is open.

significance

I don't think it has anything to do with protein. Strength work that you're not used to can do this. Doing a "cool down" (i.e. don't stop exercising all at once) after heavy exercise helps, as does building up the muscle work gradually.

Ittybitty22

eat a little more and start off slowly with weights

SierraElegance

I do strength first and then cardio-- save your energy for the lifting and then finish up with cardio. If you need to go slower on such a steep incline, then do it! Just don't hold on, get a full body workout. And eat about an hour or so before your workout, whatever feels right in your tummy!

AmberFaith90

I do strength first and then cardio-- save your energy for the lifting and then finish up with cardio. If you need to go slower on such a steep incline, then do it! Just don't hold on, get a full body workout. And eat about an hour or so before your workout, whatever feels right in your tummy!

^^ This!

significance

One more thing: make sure you drink plenty of water before and after your workout (and during, if it's a long workout).

Renonvme

Thank you! I do try to drink at least six cups of water before and three during a workout. I have been lifting weights for about two months, but just added the heavy lifting in the last few weeks.

I wish I didn't have to hold on to the treadmill, but it's a 13% incline and I would fall off! lol I have had three knee surgeries and have been instructed "never to do high impact anything", so I do the incline to burn more calories in my short time.

If I do weights before cardio, do I need to do some kind of warm up before I start? That's really the reason I haven't done that. I really only have about an hour to fit everything in, so it seeems like I have more workout time if I do cardio first. If a warm up is suggested, what do you do for a warm up?

Thanks again!

Renonvme

Oh, and I just changed my weight loss goal to 1/2lb per week from 1lb per week just to see what happens if I increase my calories.

LilRedRooster

Dizziness can be from a few things, but after workout, it seems like the most common is lower blood sugar, which can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure. When you're working out, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in, which turn down your usual functions, like digestion, in favor of the immediate needs of muscles. Which means that once you stop working out, at some point, your body will revert back to digestion, and if there isn't any immediate fuel, it can have a lapse where blood pressure drops before it adjusts.

That's just a guess, of course. It won't matter to your muscles which workout you do first, strength or cardio, though doing cardio second will mean that you can go a bit longer without eating afterwards, since cardio helps suppress your immediate digestion mode for longer. I would suggest maybe bringing a snack with some quick fuel for after your workout, like fruit or a protein shake, so you're getting something immediate to hold your body over and keep your blood sugar levels even.

dlwyatt82

I've been given advice before not to mix your strength and cardio workouts, particularly if they're at high intensity. You could still do them on the same day, but not all in the same session like that.

It could also just be related to what you're eating (and how much of it). I used to get very dizzy during exercise when I was trying a low-carb approach. Try eating a piece of fruit or something else with a decent amount of carbs about 30 minutes before you start your workout, and see if that helps; it worked great for me in that situation.

bizco

If I do weights before cardio, do I need to do some kind of warm up before I start? That's really the reason I haven't done that. I really only have about an hour to fit everything in, so it seeems like I have more workout time if I do cardio first. If a warm up is suggested, what do you do for a warm up?

Thanks again!

Yes, warm-up first! You should first do a general warm-up to raise your body temperature. On a hot summer day that could mean just walking through the parking lot to the gym. Otherwise, do a quick warm-up (3-5 minutes) of jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, forward and backward lunges, windmills and torso rotation (fast twisting while standing). Then you MUST do specific exercise warm-ups. How many warm-up sets you do depends on whether the workout calls for light, medium, or heavy weights:

Light (more than 12 reps per set):
Do one warm-up set of 8 reps with about two-thirds of the weight you'll be using in your first "working" set. Since you're lifting lighter weights, you could simply warm-up using your body weight when doing squats, and perhaps an empty barbell for deadlifts. The key is to practice the exercise through the full range of motion before doing the "work" sets.

Medium (8-12 reps per set):
Do two warm-ups:
5-8 reps with about 50% of the weight you'll use in the first work set.
4-6 reps with about 75% of the first work set.

Heavy (fewer than 8 reps per set):
Do three warm-ups:
5-6 reps with about 50% of the weight you'll use in the first work set.
3-4 reps with about 75% of the first work set.
2-3 reps with about 90% of the first work set.

This is for the first exercise in each workout. In my own workouts, I'll do warm-up sets for any exercise calling for heavy weights with muscles I haven't already used in the workout. So if the first exercise is squats or deadlifts (lower body) and the next exercise is bench presses or rows (upper body), and the weights are heavy (fewer than 8 reps), I recommend doing a warm-up set or two for the subsequent exercise.

JustJennie1

You might not be eating enough pre-workout and you're blood sugar is getting low. This used to happen to me all the time when I was exercising in the afternoon didn't have a sufficient meal pre-workout. It ruined my workout because I would have to stop, sit down and drink some juice which made me feel better. After the millionth time of this happening I changed my workouts so that they happened about half hour to an hour after lunch and I had no problems. When I go to the gym in the mornings I have a homemade protein granola bar pre-workout and that seems to be sufficient. Try having a little something before you workout -- banana with PB or a granola bar -- and see if that works.

lizard053

I get dizzy after a particularly heavy lifting set. It usually goes away within a minute. I drink some water and try to drop my head lower down. I'm good to go in no time. Usually it's a sign of a significant change in blood pressure, due to the exertion or more accurately the release of the exertion. If you stay really well hydrated, it won't be as much of an issue. I only get it if I haven't had as much water as I usually do.