Strength draining away

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Tazzmaverick
Tazzmaverick Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I've been using this site for a while now to count calories and provide a bit of routine...
I've been using the gym for about 2 months now, 5 days per week first thing in the morning. I get up, sink two glasses of water, eat a bowl of porridge made with skimmed milk, and gym it up! I've been dieting as well, so trying to keep below 1500 calories per day.
I don't do cardio, I am an amputee and can't use a bike or row. I figured lifting would do me the power of good anyway! Its working so far, I've stopped sweating so much, I've been dropping weight at a steady rate and I'm happy with the results. However the past week its like my strength has drained away. I can't complete sets, my form is awful and I just can't get enough energy to complete any abs excercises after my usual routine...
Its really winding me up. I/m already gutted that I am using weights the other guys use to warm up with (I assumed this would get better as I progressed!)!
If it was just that I wasn't eating enough I would understand, but why so sudden, and why now?
Any clues?

Replies

  • SomeoneSomeplace
    SomeoneSomeplace Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Well I mean this might seem obvious once I say it but is there any chance you're getting sick? It's that time of year you could be coming down with a virus especially because it's only been happening for a week.

    I also don't know how tall you are or what you weigh but it's possible 1500 isn't enough to sustain the amount of exercise you're doing. I eat around 1500 and I am 5'3 and 113 and I pretty much maintain at that. I'd assume you can add a few calories especially on work out days and continue to lose. More protein maybe?

    Maybe your body just needs a rest. You could just take a couple of days let yourself recover/do some light work outs if you really want to. But you body may just be telling you it needs you to slow down for a couple of days.
  • daisy8888
    daisy8888 Posts: 1
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    I think you should ease down on your strength exercise do it simultaneously with a different work out...Because i think your workout is straining your muscles, ligament and cartilage...give it a time to rest, heal and repair...Try Swimming? it will increase your flexibility gradually helping your muscle loosen up and strengthening it as well. In your condition I think it's the best cardio workout because its low impact to your muscle.It's the Best exercise to burn LOTS of calories..I mean A LOT...Why do you think those swimmers eat gagillion calories...XD..Hope that helps...Best of luck....
  • timmymon
    timmymon Posts: 304 Member
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    Have you thought about upping your calories? 1500 a day and exercising seems pretty low to me! Strength training requires a lot of eating :glasses:
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
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    Has it been a stressful week? Been sleeping ok? Because I sometimes get weeks like that: I go to the gym and feel weak as a kitten for no obvious reason. But the next week it's usually ok again.

    Just take some rest, relax and enjoy the progress you've achieved so far!
  • bradphil87
    bradphil87 Posts: 617 Member
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    Have you thought about upping your calories? 1500 a day and exercising seems pretty low to me! Strength training requires a lot of eating :glasses:
    This is very true. I was able to go a few months on 1800 cals. And I felt the same way after a few months. I upped to 2100 and the weight isn't coming off as quickly but my strength is back and I'm lifting heavier than ever and dropping bf% faster. I'm even considering moving to maintain sooner than expected. Because I have learned 1 big thing over the course of the last year. And that is that no one but you and your doctor sees the scale. And I want to look good, not just get down to some number that I've changed 4 times or more anyway :)
  • tonkabella
    tonkabella Posts: 24 Member
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    Take a break..... it sounds like you have over done it a bit and your body is saying it needs a rest. Sometimes I think we loose track of exactly how much we put our bodies thru and this is their way of telling us. 4 years ago the same happened to me and I took 2 weeks off ( hard thing to do I know, I pretended I was on holiday and set a return date) ) I went back did the first week easy and after that I was back on to what I had been doing before. It worked a treat and even tho I put on 6lbs in the 2 weeks off it was worth it to feel in control again. The 6lb came off in the first week and after that it was back to steady loss.

    Good luck and hope your back in full swing and feeling better soon... you've done great up to now
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    it's your calories. i stall often since i'm eating below maintenance. what seems to work for me is to take a week off from heavy lifting (i might still do lighter weights) and eat at maintenance for a week.

    keep in mind than in strength training it's not just your muscles that need to heal but also your joint and connective tissue. when i find that i can't lift what i did the workout before and i have an ache in my joints, then that means i need to take a week off


    good luck
  • Tazzmaverick
    Tazzmaverick Posts: 8
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    Thank you all for your responses (I loved this: And that is that no one but you and your doctor sees the scale!), maybe I am overdoing it a bit with the diet too - I'll ease off. I was just so excited to see the numbers tumble I've lost sight of my real goal, which is to be stronger and look better... I definitely couldn't say that after I finished this morning, I looked and felt a proper mess!
  • johnnybutt76
    johnnybutt76 Posts: 16
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    You have used your glycogen stores. You are probably eating a lower carb diet if I were to guess and you have used up what sugar your body stores in your muscles and liver. Once that happens you are going to fatigue fast. Your body's number one source of energy is sugar. Take a couple days off and eat some carb rich foods, i.e. whole grains, fruits, and veggies. You should be good to go. In my younger days I was pretty actively into bodybuilding and I would rotate from a low carb to a higher carb diet from week to week. It shocks your body and after a couple of really heavy days in the gym your body will be starved of sugar. You won't be as strong and you will lose weight from both fat stores and water weight. The sugar also holds water in your body. Bring the carbs back and you will get that strength again. Have fun and good luck.
  • michellersalo
    michellersalo Posts: 60 Member
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    A few questions first... 1. Have you been doing the same workout for a while? 2. How many calories do you burn during your workouts (heart rate monitored or not?)? 3.

    Obviously we aren't sure what all is happening with your workouts, your diet or your health status but you may be overtraining or you might not be consuming enough calories (carbs pre workout and protein post workout for repair). I have attached a link to an article that very simply lays out overtraining effects. If you haven't changed your program, that's the first place to start (train your muscles using different angles and new exercises). If it's a caloric intake thing, analyze that and make the needed changes.

    http://www.tryingfitness.com/the-effects-of-overtraining/

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