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Aerobic exercise okay but strength training is no go

dakkonzerth
dakkonzerth Posts: 2 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
This question must be really simple but endless hours of googling brought up nothing but descriptions of fad diseases.

I'm male, 45, perfectly healthy. Spend most of sunny weekends hiking, can walk hillside trails for 6 hours straight and not get tired a bit. Used to do daily running back when I had time for it. Now, the problem: I can't do strength exercises at all. Tried lots of clever programs, tried working slowly into it, tried supplements. Regardless of anything, overtraining gets me in 2-3 weeks tops. Fatigue, brain fog, oversleeping - the classic symptoms everyone knows. So, any ideas what could be wrong? Tried talking to doctors too; of course, they are all like "just don't do it."

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I'm not sure I understand? Use a programme that is 3x a week, use realistic weights to start with not ego numbers, cut back on your cardio, ensure you're fueling properly... ie don't over train....
  • alyssagb1
    alyssagb1 Posts: 353 Member
    Agree with the above poster. Usually, overtraining is just that: training too much, and/or with too much weight. Give yourself breaks inbetween training days, ensure you're eating enough, getting adequate protein and carbs, enough sleep etc.
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
    Typically on lifting days I was eating at maintenance or slightly over. It's usually day after for me now since I do my lifting late at night before bed.

    Odds are you weren't getting adequate calories when you were lifting. I find I'm more hungry now that I lift then I ever was doing cardio.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    . . . maybe you have one of those fad diseases?

    idk; it's probably frustrating to get told to try what you've already tried. but i think in your position i'd start triangulating a bit. try varying only one of the factors at a time, and see if it affects your results. the main ones i see are significantly lighter weights and significantly more recovery time between workouts, but perhaps there are others as well. you could also mix up your aerobics style and see how your body deals with that, just to confirm/challenge whether your dichotomy really is between 'strength' and 'aerobic'.

    i'd also maybe get someone who can give you a comprehensive assessment of where your physical condition is now. it's not like i know a thing about the fine technical points, but as a tester i know if you don't know your starting conditions for any test, any results you get from that test are pretty much meaningless.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    dakkonzerth wrote: »
    This question must be really simple but endless hours of googling brought up nothing but descriptions of fad diseases.

    I'm male, 45, perfectly healthy. Spend most of sunny weekends hiking, can walk hillside trails for 6 hours straight and not get tired a bit. Used to do daily running back when I had time for it. Now, the problem: I can't do strength exercises at all. Tried lots of clever programs, tried working slowly into it, tried supplements. Regardless of anything, overtraining gets me in 2-3 weeks tops. Fatigue, brain fog, oversleeping - the classic symptoms everyone knows. So, any ideas what could be wrong? Tried talking to doctors too; of course, they are all like "just don't do it."

    Overtraining means you are doing physical activity at a level or duration from which you cannot recover on a regular basis. If it is happening to you, it's because you are not truly easing into it or training intelligently. Considering that your doctor has pretty much brushed you off about it, it sounds like you have no actual physical malady preventing you from doing physical activity.

    If you don't want to strength train, don't. If you do, pick an established routine and follow it to a T. You don't sound like a person who can put together and follow a sensible beginner's program on his own.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    dakkonzerth wrote: »
    This question must be really simple but endless hours of googling brought up nothing but descriptions of fad diseases.

    I'm male, 45, perfectly healthy. Spend most of sunny weekends hiking, can walk hillside trails for 6 hours straight and not get tired a bit. Used to do daily running back when I had time for it. Now, the problem: I can't do strength exercises at all. Tried lots of clever programs, tried working slowly into it, tried supplements. Regardless of anything, overtraining gets me in 2-3 weeks tops. Fatigue, brain fog, oversleeping - the classic symptoms everyone knows. So, any ideas what could be wrong? Tried talking to doctors too; of course, they are all like "just don't do it."

    Overtraining means you are doing physical activity at a level or duration from which you cannot recover on a regular basis. If it is happening to you, it's because you are not truly easing into it or training intelligently. Considering that your doctor has pretty much brushed you off about it, it sounds like you have no actual physical malady preventing you from doing physical activity.

    If you don't want to strength train, don't. If you do, pick an established routine and follow it to a T. You don't sound like a person who can put together and follow a sensible beginner's program on his own.

    Bingo.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    there's also the fact that afaik everyone runs into overtraining eventually. so hitting it doesn't mean anything much in itself. it's more about what happens AFTER you give yourself a week or so to recover from it and then take a deload and go back. to the same program. at the same place you were at before the rest phase, or a percentage of it.

    you didn't mention whether or not you've tried that. if not, then what it sounds like you're doing is just constantly trying out new variations of Square One. i was doing that kind of thing with 5x5 and 5x3, or close to it - and always finding the same wall at the same weight with the same lifts, every time. a while ago my trainer talked me over to taking a 50% deload and going wendler, and now i'm seeing tiny but definite progression in the 'top' weights per cycle.

    it's like pushing a loaded boxcar over a line, but it is happening.
  • dakkonzerth
    dakkonzerth Posts: 2 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    idk; it's probably frustrating to get told to try what you've already tried. but i think in your position i'd start triangulating a bit. try varying only one of the factors at a time, and see if it affects your results. the main ones i see are significantly lighter weights and significantly more recovery time between workouts, but perhaps there are others as well. you could also mix up your aerobics style and see how your body deals with that, just to confirm/challenge whether your dichotomy really is between 'strength' and 'aerobic'.
    Not frustrating nor even disappointing. Had to give it a shot anyway, just to be sure that I'm not missing something obvious here.

    My last take on strength (ha-ha) training were push ups, 1 set of 10 reps 3 days a week. Sounds like something a 10 yo kid would do, right? Of course, in 3 weeks I realized I can keep either this or my job. The funny part is that push ups themselves were no issue. Not running out of breath, no muscle pain afterwards, nothing. The next day I feel like a zombie. Even worse, the 10 reps I had started with began to drop! Took a week off, then trimmed it down to 5 reps - plain nonsense for an adult male. Same story. I can't imagine what else to vary here.
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