New to weight training + Fatigue

wargrrl
wargrrl Posts: 76 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
hey guys

im 20 years old and joined the gym about 3 weeks ago. i never worked out before and im completely new to weight training. i started working with a personal trainer when i joined, and my current goal is to build glute muscles (bigger butt) and strengthen + tone up everywhere else... increase my metabolism.

i have been going 4-5 times a week, and most of my workouts are composed of squats and lunges with dumbells, and other dumbell exercises for arms. just a few days ago, i moved up to barbell squats. despite that ive strengthened up quite quickly in the past 2-3 weeks, for the past week, i've been feeling more tired than ever. i sleep a lot and even right now i wanna nap lol

im vegetarian, i get enough protein, i try to eat every 3 hours... i take a multivitamin everyday + iron supplement. i try to drink as much water as i can...

is there something i should do, or something im doing wrong? or is my body still adjusting with going from a sedentary lifestyle to being significantly mor active?

Replies

  • steve_mfp
    steve_mfp Posts: 170 Member
    If you've never really done sports or exercised then your energy levels will be low for a bit. It will climb again. If you stay consistent, after a few months you'll be bouncing off walls and trying to dead lift cars...ok, slight exaggeration but you'll have plenty of energy.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    BOOM!:drinker:
  • WhataBroad
    WhataBroad Posts: 1,091 Member
    Awesome!! I remember feeling like that the first few weeks too... I think it weeds out the people not ready to make the change. Make sure you eat enough, listen to your body and stick with it!!

    ETA: I think it is true... the more you do, the more energy you will get.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    Sounds normal.

    The basis of all training in reality is to introduce stress / stimulus above that to which it is accustomed to handling. Then in the recovery period after training it over compensates and builds itself up to a level higher than it was before the training. This requires energy and fatigue is customary.

    That said, to get the most out of your training you should factor in adequate recovery so don't train the same body parts on consecutive days if you can avoid it.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,521 Member
    I didn't get seriously sore or fatigued until about 3-4 weeks in. I think it was at this point that I started lifting heavy enough weights. I'm just fatigued from the weather and lack of sunlight right now.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    How many calories are you eating?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
    Are you getting enough of the right kinds of protein? Vegetarians need to mix it up a bit to get all 11 essential amino acids.

    It's probably normal though - make sure you get enough sleep :)
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    How many calories are you eating?

    ^this

    More active, more calories...

    ...and our bodies have a wonderful mechanism for dealing with the disparity when we don't eat enough.
  • wargrrl
    wargrrl Posts: 76 Member
    How many calories are you eating?

    tbh i havent been counting. i weigh 95 pounds, stand at 5'0". i think im supposed to eat around 2000 cals but it seems really hard to do so. dont have the time or money to prepare something clean and calorie dense every 3 hrs.... nor do i have such an appetite :s

    how can i fix this?
  • wargrrl
    wargrrl Posts: 76 Member
    Are you getting enough of the right kinds of protein? Vegetarians need to mix it up a bit to get all 11 essential amino acids.

    It's probably normal though - make sure you get enough sleep :)

    i definitely get enough sleep, but i still experience fatigue and sometimes nausea the day after i workout
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    How many calories are you eating?

    tbh i havent been counting. i weigh 95 pounds, stand at 5'0". i think im supposed to eat around 2000 cals but it seems really hard to do so. dont have the time or money to prepare something clean and calorie dense every 3 hrs.... nor do i have such an appetite :s

    how can i fix this?

    I would bet this is your main issue. Start logging what you eat and see how many calories and what your macros actually look like. Weightlifting can drain you during the workout but almost everyone I know feels more energized after a few weeks of starting not less.
  • bwaynick29
    bwaynick29 Posts: 2 Member
    Start counting calories. It wouldn't hurt you to go above 2000 calories if you're looking to gain size and are active. You can workout as hard as you want to breakdown the muscle but your nutrition and recovery period between workouts are what will make you grow. As far as recovery days go, make sure you are leaving at least 48 hours between body parts, more if you are still sore. As a personal trainer and having an exercise science degree I will rarely start people off on more than 4 days a week and doing more than 2-3 sets per exercise, you can overstress your body as well- affecting cortisol levels which affect energy and metabolism.
    Train smarter, not harder
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    im 15 an lift weights almost everyday. eat enough so you hav energy to work out. make sur you take a break every couple of days so you don't over do it an get sick

    sparkteens.com
  • wargrrl
    wargrrl Posts: 76 Member
    Start counting calories. It wouldn't hurt you to go above 2000 calories if you're looking to gain size and are active. You can workout as hard as you want to breakdown the muscle but your nutrition and recovery period between workouts are what will make you grow. As far as recovery days go, make sure you are leaving at least 48 hours between body parts, more if you are still sore. As a personal trainer and having an exercise science degree I will rarely start people off on more than 4 days a week and doing more than 2-3 sets per exercise, you can overstress your body as well- affecting cortisol levels which affect energy and metabolism.
    Train smarter, not harder

    ive asked my PT about how i should do rest days since im mostly focusing on legs/bigger glutes, and he never gave me a definite answer... more like "workout as much as you can unless if you're super sore". i do my back and arms sometimes but i probably work my legs and glutes all the time. when i started i did 4-5 days straight. this week, ive been doing every other day cus ive been too exhausted//nauseous
  • CarlKRobbo
    CarlKRobbo Posts: 390 Member
    Start counting calories. It wouldn't hurt you to go above 2000 calories if you're looking to gain size and are active. You can workout as hard as you want to breakdown the muscle but your nutrition and recovery period between workouts are what will make you grow. As far as recovery days go, make sure you are leaving at least 48 hours between body parts, more if you are still sore. As a personal trainer and having an exercise science degree I will rarely start people off on more than 4 days a week and doing more than 2-3 sets per exercise, you can overstress your body as well- affecting cortisol levels which affect energy and metabolism.
    Train smarter, not harder

    ive asked my PT about how i should do rest days since im mostly focusing on legs/bigger glutes, and he never gave me a definite answer... more like "workout as much as you can unless if you're super sore". i do my back and arms sometimes but i probably work my legs and glutes all the time. when i started i did 4-5 days straight. this week, ive been doing every other day cus ive been too exhausted//nauseous

    If your PT really said that, then this piece of advice is the best you'll get:

    "Sack that PT, and find one that knows what their on about!"

    might sound harsh, but is true.

    As a comparison, I've been weight training for 3 years now, Powerlifting for 2, and consume 4200 calories. Even with THAT lot, there is no way I'd be able to train legs\glutes 4-5 days on the run. I'd certainly not recommend what your PT has for you.

    I your too exhausted\nauseous, then count the calories to make sure you ARE hitting the right amount, and maybe consider only training legs\glutes twice a week to start - Training them more frequently will not get you to your goal any quicker, Especially if your new to this - It takes time to adapt, and your not allowing for adequate rest, which is why your sore

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