Why are my workouts suddenly harder?

fit_knitter
fit_knitter Posts: 16 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've been going to the gym fairly consistently (at least 3x a week but now increasing to 4) since last May. I usually do cardio on an incline elliptical (35 minutes set on a high resistance) and then I do a circuit of strength training on the weight machines, alternating arms and legs days. This has basically been my routine since I started going and would usually increase in weight or reps every so often (maybe once a month).

I wasn't on a diet during this, I was just going to be more active. Last week I did start to eat healthier and I started logging my food and staying in 1400-1800 calories a day. Now my strength training workouts feel hard. Like hard enough that I've backed off on the amount of weight I was doing by quite a bit. (In November I could do 3 sets of 125lb leg presses easily but this week I had to back it down to 90lbs in order to get my 3 sets in). Is it the change in diet causing my workout to feel harder? Or some other weird fluke.

I usually work out after breakfast so I'm not doing it on an empty stomach and it is usually eggs so fairly protein rich.

Replies

  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    You could just be burnt out. 1400-1800 calories is a pretty wide range, try sticking to a more consistent number on days you are lifting heavy. That extra 400 cals can make a huge difference.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Just a few things to think about, please dont think you actually have to respond to all of these....
    Are you getting enough sleep?
    Could you be fighting off a bug?
    Do you monitor your resting heart rate - is it higher than usual?
    At a rough guess, how many fewer calories do you think you're eating than previously? If it's half the amount vs just 10% less then that could be more of an indication of the likely cause.
    Are you having enough carbs to recover properly from prior workouts?
    Are you hydrated enough?
    Are you stressed over something?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited January 2017
    I am going to say it is likely due to eating less. Eating more of a level amount of food may help. If you eat 1400 calories on off days and 1800 on training days you may need to move more to off days so you aren't underfueled going into the workout.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    You weren't dieting before...now you are...you're consuming less energy (calories)...performance is bound to suffer.
  • rking35209
    rking35209 Posts: 3 Member
    I used to struggle with this issue as well. I'm in my 50's and struck it up to age. I stumbled on an article from a man that has a blog and he went in the science of working out and specifically what is happening when you feel more fatigued when working out. It cleared things up for me and helped me understand and more importantly listen to what my body is telling me. The name of the blog is "old man running". Hope this helps.
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
    If you're not getting stronger then it's pretty much always one of these things:

    Not eating enough
    Not recovering/sleeping enough
    Not working out with enough intensity and focus.

    Figure out which one it is and correct it.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    Eating less calories will give you less energy and decrease strength. I feel your pain. After months of eating at a deficit I am feeling like the Queen of the Deload.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited January 2017
    Now my strength training workouts feel hard. Like hard enough that I've backed off on the amount of weight I was doing by quite a bit. (In November I could do 3 sets of 125lb leg presses easily but this week I had to back it down to 90lbs in order to get my 3 sets in).
    When you are struggling to keep to your routine in a deficit it's generally better to try to keep the intensity (weight) up and reduce the volume.
    I usually work out after breakfast so I'm not doing it on an empty stomach and it is usually eggs so fairly protein rich.
    Get some carbs in if you feeling like you are lacking energy.

    Apart from dropping calories what other changes did you do to your diet? A week is very quick to be having the problems that you are describing.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,750 Member
    If you are eating more protein and less carbs, that will make a difference in your energy, at least until you get used to it. Try increasing your carb intake - maybe have a piece of fruit or glass of juice just before your workout.

    Sometimes it's just a random thing. The next time you workout you may be fine. I know, as a runner, there are days I have no energy to run, and it is more of a struggle than usual to finish and sometimes there is no obvious reason.

    If your lack of energy persists, get some bloodwork to check your thyroid and ferritin levels. I was having serious energy issues and found out that my ferritin was low. Iron pills helped a lot.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    You increased the number of workouts and reduced your calories, so you're more tired.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    Don't forget about fats. Depending upon your workouts they can be just as important as carbs for energy.
  • fit_knitter
    fit_knitter Posts: 16 Member
    sarabushby wrote: »
    Just a few things to think about, please dont think you actually have to respond to all of these....
    Are you getting enough sleep?
    Could you be fighting off a bug?
    Do you monitor your resting heart rate - is it higher than usual?
    At a rough guess, how many fewer calories do you think you're eating than previously? If it's half the amount vs just 10% less then that could be more of an indication of the likely cause.
    Are you having enough carbs to recover properly from prior workouts?
    Are you hydrated enough?
    Are you stressed over something?

    Sleep has been slightly better as my 1.5 year old has started sleeping all night (finally!). I have been feel stressed lately but for no particular reason. I wasn't tracking food before but I'd say I'm probably consuming quite a bit fewer calories and significantly fewer carbs (looking at way older entries on here I was usually over 250 a day for carbs). That may be some of the issue? I did notice the days I felt like I struggled the most at the gym were right after a low calorie day so I'll try to be more consistent with how much I eat. I never realized eating less would have such a dramatic effect on my ability to workout. It isn't noticeable during cardio, just when I do the weights.
  • fit_knitter
    fit_knitter Posts: 16 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Now my strength training workouts feel hard. Like hard enough that I've backed off on the amount of weight I was doing by quite a bit. (In November I could do 3 sets of 125lb leg presses easily but this week I had to back it down to 90lbs in order to get my 3 sets in).
    When you are struggling to keep to your routine in a deficit it's generally better to try to keep the intensity (weight) up and reduce the volume.
    I usually work out after breakfast so I'm not doing it on an empty stomach and it is usually eggs so fairly protein rich.
    Get some carbs in if you feeling like you are lacking energy.

    Apart from dropping calories what other changes did you do to your diet? A week is very quick to be having the problems that you are describing.

    My "diet" is pretty much just reducing the amount of processed carbs I had been eating. I'm not sweating carbs in veggies or fruit but I cut back on bread, pasta, rice and sweets. And I'm not even doing keto so it hasn't been a dramatic change.
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