Weight lifting and pushing too hard?

firstsip

So this is less about my own anecdotal experience (recent) and more about everyone else:

What do you do if you've pushed too hard at weight lifting? And I mean... you end up too sore, nauseous, etc.? The obvious thing would be to do less reps/less weight until that becomes easier, right?

What if the weights and reps are fine? I've been told to start splitting lower body/upper body days. Would that help reduce the headaches/nausea/etc. that sometimes come after heavy lifting?

And FOR my anecdotal experience: I was hydrated (though not too much before) and had a protein shake prior to working out, and maybe only 3-400 calories of food after (hummus, grapefruit juice, salmon, multigrain wheathins). A few hours later I felt the headache/nausea that my fiance insists was from "pushing" too hard at doing too many exercises at weight lifting.

Thoughts?

Yogi_Carl

I think your body is trying to tell you it would like to try some Yoga instead - :flowerforyou:

ilovedeadlifts

traing hard = feeling like crap afterwards.

it happens. youll be fine.

McBully4

traing hard = feeling like crap afterwards.

it happens. youll be fine.

No pain no gain

wellbert

If I start to feel crappy, I get irritated that that the nausea is impeding my workout. At that point, my workout is pretty much fueled by stubbornness/hatred and I tend to push it a little harder. Usually when I do that, I won't feel crappy again for a long time.

Deadlifts do it to me like crazy; sometimes I have to kneel down between reps to get all of my vision back.

But you know, be safe. Don't throw a barbell over your head if you feel like a staggering drunkard. That's just asking for injury.

It's important to analyze though.
Personally, I find that the higher the reps the more likely I'll start to feel off.
Better breathing seems to help too. Sometimes I'm dumb and I hold my valsalva for a full 5 reps, which results in a greyout.

Yanicka1

It only happened once? Then I would not worry about it. So many things can explain it.

If it happen all the time you lift, I would try upping your calories a bit, or more carbs.

You'll be fine.

embercakez

traing hard = feeling like crap afterwards.

it happens. youll be fine.

No pain no gain

I agree with these two.

I split my workouts up. I can't imagine training my lower half and then having to do upper body after or vice versa.

firstsip

Thanks guys. Yeah, it had never happened before, and happened a few hours LATER, so not even immediately after. I'm kind of attributing it to probably not eating enough right after?

And wtf at the yoga comment.

ilovedeadlifts

Thanks guys. Yeah, it had never happened before, and happened a few hours LATER, so not even immediately after. I'm kind of attributing it to probably not eating enough right after?

And wtf at the yoga comment.

I usually feel close to death after hard workouts. I eat and shower, then spend a few minutes on the couch, and I usually feel fine by that point..

Chief_Rocka

Thanks guys. Yeah, it had never happened before, and happened a few hours LATER, so not even immediately after. I'm kind of attributing it to probably not eating enough right after?

And wtf at the yoga comment.

Could be anything, just keep an eye on it.

If you find that you need to back off, don't lift less weight, just lift fewer times per week.

wellbert

Thanks guys. Yeah, it had never happened before, and happened a few hours LATER, so not even immediately after. I'm kind of attributing it to probably not eating enough right after?

And wtf at the yoga comment.

I was under the impression that it happened DURING your workout, sorry.
Later, hmm, dunno. I used to get some kind of 'aftershock' like that on days where I did a ton of cardio AND lifting. But stopped getting them after I started eating a higher fat diet. Not a suggestion to go out and eat sticks of butter, just a thought to evaluate diet more.

firstsip

Thanks guys. Yeah, it had never happened before, and happened a few hours LATER, so not even immediately after. I'm kind of attributing it to probably not eating enough right after?

And wtf at the yoga comment.

I was under the impression that it happened DURING your workout, sorry.
Later, hmm, dunno. I used to get some kind of 'aftershock' like that on days where I did a ton of cardio AND lifting. But stopped getting them after I started eating a higher fat diet. Not a suggestion to go out and eat sticks of butter, just a thought to evaluate diet more.

That's even more interesting to me, because I posted something last night on MFP thinking that I may have caused the nausea from eating some cotswold (very rich) cheese. (This was before my fiance insisted it was my lifting). I really think it could be diet related, too, because I just didn't have much food on hand and ate what I could... I'm bummed, too, because I thought I had a pretty good mix of carbs and protein after, but definitely not much fat.

sjohnny

...
And wtf at the yoga comment.

That guy thinks it's useless to lift weights and that all strength training should be body weight only because that's all you'll ever need in the real world.

Nothing to see here, just move it along.

Yogi_Carl

And wtf at the yoga comment.

Never tried - nothing gained eh? :flowerforyou:

sjohnny

... thinking that I may have caused the nausea from eating some cotswold (very rich) cheese. ...

Don't EVER blame cheese for anything. EVER. Cheese is wonderful and has never done anything bad to anyone. Ever.

thektturner

Thanks guys. Yeah, it had never happened before, and happened a few hours LATER, so not even immediately after. I'm kind of attributing it to probably not eating enough right after?

And wtf at the yoga comment.

I usually feel close to death after hard workouts. I eat and shower, then spend a few minutes on the couch, and I usually feel fine by that point..

Indeed.

Chief_Rocka

And wtf at the yoga comment.

Never tried - nothing gained eh? :flowerforyou:

Nothing against yoga, it's just odd to suggest it as an alternative to lifting, especially when the OP didn't ask for an alternative. Apples and oranges.

Yogi_Carl

...
And wtf at the yoga comment.

That guy thinks it's useless to lift weights and that all strength training should be body weight only because that's all you'll ever need in the real world.

Nothing to see here, just move it along.

To correct you - I don't think it is useless to lift weights - I just think there is so much said in praise of using weights and lifting heavy that body weight exercise and other disciplines such as Yoga are overlooked.

For what its worth I am presently using weights to do Bent Over Rowing and Shoulder Press in between Pressups and Pullups because I know if I went into Pullups from cold I would be risking a muscle tear. BO Rowing helps to warm and warn the pulling muscles for the work to come.

Anyway - as you say - nothing to see here; moving on ...
Sincere best regards to the OP

VelociMama

I definitely recommend splitting your workouts (leg day, back day, chest day, etc.) to give your larger muscle groups time to recover. Yanicka's suggestions were also good. If this happens every time, I'd suggest upping your calories a bit. If not, suck it up buttercup I puked after my first real weight-training session with compound lifts. It got better in time.

yo_andi

And wtf at the yoga comment.

Never tried - nothing gained eh? :flowerforyou:

Don't knock it til you try it...

firstsip

... thinking that I may have caused the nausea from eating some cotswold (very rich) cheese. ...

Don't EVER blame cheese for anything. EVER. Cheese is wonderful and has never done anything bad to anyone. Ever.

I know it was so good :[

And in response to the more based Yoga comments: I have nothing against yoga, and I've tried it in the past. I've felt and looked the best I ever have with weight lifting. I plan on doing it for the rest of my life, that's how obsessed with it I am.

And that's why I'm looking to reduce the nasty after-effects I had yesterday, because I want nothing to stop me from doing it :P