Getting sick when lifting weights

eriemer

No, I didn't say I'm getting sick of lifting weights. Actually, I'm feeling ill when I'm at the gym and lifting. I circuit train and go from machine to machine. I do 30-40 reps, arms usually 30 lbs, Legs 40 reps 60-130 lbs depending on machine, and back-abs 40 reps 40-70 lbs. I take breaks at 15-20 reps. I go from legs, to arms, to abs, to legs, abs, arms etc. My circuits usually last 20-35 minutes but toward the end of my workouts I'm feeling nauseated, sometimes get cold chills. That's usually when I stop and within 5-10 minutes feel fine. I eat before I workout and bring pleanty of water. I don't feel like I'm pushing myself too hard or going to fast.

I have no problem with Cardio for 30-60 minutes after lifting. What gives? Why am I feeling sick? This has been happening on and off since I started working out.

Jugie12

try out both regular and low-cal gatorade instead of water. That helps me a lot. You may just need the extra bit of sugar or electrolytes.

eriemer

I'm sure some extra eletrolytes wouldn't hurt. I'm not a sports drink fan but maybe I could work something in. Thanks.

fraser112

No, I didn't say I'm getting sick of lifting weights. Actually, I'm feeling ill when I'm at the gym and lifting. I circuit train and go from machine to machine. I do 30-40 reps, arms usually 30 lbs, Legs 40 reps 60-130 lbs depending on machine, and back-abs 40 reps 40-70 lbs. I take breaks at 15-20 reps. I go from legs, to arms, to abs, to legs, abs, arms etc. My circuits usually last 20-35 minutes but toward the end of my workouts I'm feeling nauseated, sometimes get cold chills. That's usually when I stop and within 5-10 minutes feel fine. I eat before I workout and bring pleanty of water. I don't feel like I'm pushing myself too hard or going to fast.

I have no problem with Cardio for 30-60 minutes after lifting. What gives? Why am I feeling sick? This has been happening on and off since I started working out.

that weird
Are you doing this for cardio?
Why not try lifting heavy, you will get alot better gains,
Also try lifting in a semi fasted state, Dont eat a few hours before. It could be all the blood in your gut digesting your food causing problems. Atleast thats how i understand it working

spaingirl2011

Are you breathing correctly as you lift weights? If you find yourself holding your breath, you could be causing your blood pressure to rise ... which might be causing you to feel ill.

wellbert

Your weight lifting sounds more like cardio than it does strength training.

I wonder if you would get sick doing a strength training / progressive lifting routine? Have you tried it before? Check out starting strength / stronglifts / new rules to see what I mean.

stfuriada

Personally, I get nauseous when I lift when I'm full or when I overhydrate -t oo much water sloshing around, UGH. Or when I ingest bad tasting intras.

rosieflo

My automatic response to pain is nausea...makes for interesting workouts for myself. I usually am ready to throw up by the end of any workout, but if there is leg pain involved its way worse. But, that's just the way my body deals with pain...

erickirb

Do you do that many reps in a row or total? I would suggest aiming for 6-10 reps/set and you should lift heavy enough so that the last rep or 2 in each set is difficult to complete with good form.

2143661

Have you ever tried just focusing on one body part each day?

ironanimal

If I've eaten too recently or drunk too much water, it happens to me too and I've been lifting over a year and a half. You can make your own isotonic drink at home if you think you need it - just a bottle of water, a pinch of salt and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. Tastes like sin, but got me through many hard swim sessions when I was competitive.

eriemer

Your weight lifting sounds more like cardio than it does strength training.

I wonder if you would get sick doing a strength training / progressive lifting routine? Have you tried it before? Check out starting strength / stronglifts / new rules to see what I mean.

I do do my lifting more like a cardio routine. I don't know if I could do the really heavy lifting thing...yet. I also make sure to breath correctly, straighten my core, and use the machines correctly.

After my circuit days usually every other day, I do 30-60 min on the Arc Trainer (kindof like an eliptical stair stepper) and feel sweaty but great. I'll look into some new routines, maybe this one just isn't working with my body.

2143661

Have you ever tried just focusing on one body part each day?

Also if you have no problem doing 30-60 minutes of cardio after working your legs, then you aren't working them hard enough imo.

militarydreams

The reps are too high. If you're interested in strength-endurance then try circuit training and calisthenics.

morkiemama

My guess would be improper breathing technique as well. However, it is just a guess.

kitkatkmt

How soon before working out are you eating? I find I have to give it at LEAST 45 minutes before I work out; however, if there's too much time between, your empty stomach is telling you to fill it!

TrainingWithTonya

How long before your workout are you eating? It could be that you aren't giving yourself enough time and are feeling nauseous from the food sitting on your stomach.

What are you eating? It could also be that you don't have enough carbs to fuel the weight workouts. Since you are fine for the cardio (which is mostly fat burning), but not for the higher intensity weights (which need mostly carbs for fuel), then I'm betting it is a lack of enough carbohydrate in your diet to fuel your activity.

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16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

JBuck1914

Try switching up your routine and see if that makes a difference. The pace and the amount of reps make your circuit seem like a cardio workout but, I understand your logic. The gatorade may help too if you are concerned about calories then, try a zero-calorie sports drink like Powerade and I believe Gatorade has a low cal version too. Sometimes, too much water can make you feel sick too especially if you are moving around a lot.

Also, start by deleting a few exercising to see if the feeling is still there and slowly add them back in to identify possible problems as well. Good luck.

underw64

Do you do that many reps in a row or total? I would suggest aiming for 6-10 reps/set and you should lift heavy enough so that the last rep or 2 in each set is difficult to complete with good form.

^^ this.

I get sick too, even when I'm doing 10-12 reps, 3-4 sets. I have never been able to figure it out. I should start tracking each day that I feel ill and the days that I don't... and see what is different

10acity

Interesting responses... thanks for posting. I sometimes get nauseated by upper-body work... usually anything with a bicep curl motion, no matter what/if I've eaten before. It never sticks around for more than a minute, but I've always found it very weird.