Started lifting dumb bells and feel so tired

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joowelz
joowelz Posts: 170 Member
edited June 2022 in Fitness and Exercise
After losing 14 lbs through cardio and calorie monitoring, I have added weight lifting to my routine for a better looking body.

I do cardio 4 x a week and just started training my upper body last week. I am sooooo tired. All I want to do in the evenings is lie on the coach and sleep. My body is fatigued. But I feel no DOMS. I'm doing 2 sets of 12 reps with dumb bells ranging from 5 lbs to 10 lbs.

Is the fatigue temporary?

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  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
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    How did you determine the weight, sets and reps?

    Do you have no MAJOR soreness or no soreness whatsoever?

    Have you changed your eating, sleep or cardio habits since starting?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,166 Member
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    If the fatigue is from the weight training, it should be temporary. If you're doing the strength training every day, consider doing it every other day. Also maybe experiment with a small carb-y snack right before the weight training (I like fruit or applesauce) and/or a small protein-y snack soon after (like string cheese or a hard-boiled egg) to see if that helps.

    Lots of things can trigger fatigue, though . . . including a too-big calorie deficit for current body size. If you're currently losing faster than 0.5% of body weight weekly on average (half a pound for each 100 pounds of current body weight), consider eating a little more, at least until your body acclimates to the new training.

    Personally, I found it vital to eat back the exercise calories from strength training - even though they're not major big calories - because strength training made me ravenous during weight loss. (I usually spent the calories on the carb-y snack before and protein snack after - it helped me . . . but this stuff is really individual. Experiment!)

    Also, with strength training added, make sure you're getting enough total protein through the day. Hitting the MFP default is a minimum, and that quite probably won't be enough if you're losing weight at an aggressive rate. Think in terms of 0.6-0.8g protein daily per pound of healthy goal weight, as a minimum - rough rule of thumb. More isn't bad, as long as you don't have any contraindicating health conditions (such as kidney function issues).
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,525 Member
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    How many calories are you consuming?

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  • azuki84
    azuki84 Posts: 212 Member
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    calories???
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Are you eating back your exercise calories for your "cardio" and the new addition to your routine?
  • joowelz
    joowelz Posts: 170 Member
    edited June 2022
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    Answers

    - I am following the advice of a book on weight training for women.

    - no soreness whatsoever, weird huh?

    - I am just putting more peanut butter in my Greek yogurt at night. If I am ravished in the day, I may eat an extra egg or an extra piece of toast at lunch. My workouts are at 11:45 am.

    - Total calories are at 1900 now, I think. Haven't been tracking since reaching goal weight. To lose, I was targeting 1750. I am 5'6 and big boned.

    - Only weight training 2-3 times a week.

    - Otherwise healthy.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    joowelz wrote: »
    Answers

    - I am following the advice of a book on weight training for women.

    - no soreness whatsoever, weird huh?

    - I am just putting more peanut butter in my Greek yogurt at night. If I am ravished in the day, I may eat an extra egg or an extra piece of toast at lunch. My workouts are at 11:45 am.

    - Total calories are at 1900 now, I think. Haven't been tracking since reaching goal weight. To lose, I was targeting 1750. I am 5'6 and big boned.

    - Only weight training 2-3 times a week.

    - Otherwise healthy.

    Not everyone gets sore, it's not a great indictaion of appropriate training stress, (BTW your undefined cardio is also part of your cumulative training stress.)

    From the nutrition/fatigue aspect your carbs and protein (toast and egg) soon after working out are probably more useful than your fat (PB) many hours later.

    From the training/fatigue aspect you could experiment with reducing volume and building up steadily over time (reduced volume can either be same workout less frequently or same frequency but modify the workout).

    BTW - really hope you aen't being "ravished".
  • joowelz
    joowelz Posts: 170 Member
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    Lol I should have said famished, not ravished. :)
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,461 Member
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    I’m going to guess undereating a bit, and maybe using too high of a weight to start out with.

    I can tell I’ve undereaten if I have that drowning kind of tiredness. Like you’re being sucked into the sofa. That’s the only way I can describe it. If that’s what you’re feeling, you’ll know it.

    If you’re just starting out, there’s no shame whatsoever in cranking down the dumbbell weight til you’re comfortable with it and increasing gradually. Why risk an injury or fatigue yourself so much it becomes a chore and no longer a pleasure?

    If you’re doing cardio 4x and weights 2-3x, 1900 might be low. I’m 5’7” and was losing consistently at 2100/day on a similar schedule.

    A piece of toast or an egg isn’t enough to cover that amount of exercise. Consider adding a couple hundred calories a day for a couple weeks or month and see if it helps. You can always cycle back down again.

  • joowelz
    joowelz Posts: 170 Member
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    Awesome, thank you!
  • metaphysicalstudio
    metaphysicalstudio Posts: 293 Member
    edited June 2022
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    My husband, who is sedentary and just started weight training and walking, feels exhausted after lifting. He lifts what I think are too heavy for him but he does use proper form -- I make sure of it. He is kind of an all-or-nothing guy and mistakenly believes that he's got to go hard or go home every time. Fitness and wellness is a lifestyle that you can ease into, especially if you want it to last. Few people are going to want to keep working out if they feel badly. On the other hand, most bodies need time to adapt to change. People might feel sick, tired, or anxious after starting a program. Always hear what your body is saying. Tiredness means the body feels tired, sluggish, or just overburdened. It doesn't mean anything is wrong, necessarily. Let your body know that you hear it and you're listening. Let it know it's ok, this change. Talk to your body -- I actually do that sometimes. Work with it, not against it.

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