Why am I shaking after weight lifting?

curvykim78
curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been lifting weights (circuit training) on my home gym for a month now. I do it 3-4 days a week, usually 3 with walking or jogging in between days. i usually eat breakfast before I do my exercises. My question is, even when I do the lifting/circuit training for 30 minutes, when I'm done and head to the shower, my legs feel like jello for a few minutes as well as my hands/arms are kind of shakey. I don't know what's going on, I was hoping someone could help me out...Anyone else experienced this and how did you fix it?

Replies

  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    Oh, I don't know if it matters but MFP has me at 1200 calories a day.
  • AaronG91
    AaronG91 Posts: 20
    What is your calorie intake on the days you train? And when was the last time you ate before you trained? I have experienced something similar, for me it was dodgy blood sugar levels as I was too hungry, perhaps try having something like a small flapjack around half an hour before your exercise, it worked/works for me.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Happens to me, too, from the muscle strain. Happens after lifting and after especially hard (i.e. hilly) bike rides. The shaking usually goes away after a few minutes, the jello-y feeling can linger.
  • rcheesley
    rcheesley Posts: 6 Member
    From a geeky physiological basis, it's probably due to waste products accumulating in your muscles which affects how the muscle fibres contract - meaning that rather than holding and sustaining a contraction they hold/release/hold/release very quickly, hence shaking. It could also be that if you're doing this in the morning, and you've only just had your breakfast, you don't have any energy circulating for your muscles to use to make energy - so perhaps leave it a little while after breakfast?

    You often get this wobbly effect if you're working your muscles very hard, or if you've been doing very long workouts where you've worked really hard.

    Have you tried doing a warm-down afterwards at all? I find if I don't warm down after a workout I have complete jelly legs and can barely make it back to the car!

    Ruth
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    I always eat before I exercise, and I get 1200 calories everday. I eat back my exercise calories as well. My diary is open if you'd like to take a peek.
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    What is your calorie intake on the days you train? And when was the last time you ate before you trained? I have experienced something similar, for me it was dodgy blood sugar levels as I was too hungry, perhaps try having something like a small flapjack around half an hour before your exercise, it worked/works for me.

    I'll 1200 a day and I eat before I exercise.
  • AaronG91
    AaronG91 Posts: 20
    Had a quick look at your diary for the past few days, looks like you spread your food out and have a good split of food types, if it is indeed a build of waste products such as lactic acid etc. one way to help this is when you shower alternate between hot and cold for say 30 seconds hot 30 seconds cold five times. This should hopefully flush your muscles and reduce soreness.

    However, I wouldn't necessarily consider the shaking to be a bad thing, for me when I shake it is usually an indication that I have been training intensely; from things like freestyle sprints after a weights session, as opposed to an indication that there is something wrong.

    Out of curiosity, how many reps/sets do you do, and how many different exercises per weights session?
  • kcragg
    kcragg Posts: 239 Member
    I shake too after lifting weights for a few minutes - though i don't worry about it!

    Your protein intake is a bit low, you may consider increasing the amount as it feeds your muscles. Try a protein shake after exercising.

    :smile:
  • Ejwelton
    Ejwelton Posts: 331 Member
    After a tough arm session I sometimes struggle to lift a drink to my mouth!! I have to use two hands.

    I think it's just muscle tiredness,
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    Had a quick look at your diary for the past few days, looks like you spread your food out and have a good split of food types, if it is indeed a build of waste products such as lactic acid etc. one way to help this is when you shower alternate between hot and cold for say 30 seconds hot 30 seconds cold five times. This should hopefully flush your muscles and reduce soreness.

    However, I wouldn't necessarily consider the shaking to be a bad thing, for me when I shake it is usually an indication that I have been training intensely; from things like freestyle sprints after a weights session, as opposed to an indication that there is something wrong.

    Out of curiosity, how many reps/sets do you do, and how many different exercises per weights session?

    I don't have anything 'set' for a workout. I will do 8-10 reps off each thing and them move on to a different position...and then start all over. I repeat it all for a total of 30-35 minutes at a time.
  • _LilPowerHouse
    _LilPowerHouse Posts: 365 Member
    Check this Video out at 1 minute and 47 seconds.. it happens to even the best of body builders..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI-2scOeXU0&feature=related

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