Question for the exercise gurus...particularly weight lifters

[vi edit]

The last couple weeks I've *really* started working out hard. I split my lifting over 4 days. Most of my workouts are in the mornings.

Monday is chest & tri's. Tuesday is back & biceps. Thursday is shoulders & abs. Friday is all lower body.

I typically warm up with a 15 minute higher speed walk on the treadmill, then hit the weights. Some days I'll walk for another 45 minutes or bike 5 miles after I work out. Other days I'll go for a walk with my wife in the evenings for a couple miles.

The problem I'm running into is that I am completely exhausted in the mornings when I wake up. It's not a "I'm lazy and don't want to get up" kind of tired, it's a "my body is destroyed is an can't move" exhaustion.

I eat pretty well, get a decent amount of sleep, and supplement with a milk & whey protein shake after every workout.

I've exercised a lot in the past but can't ever recall feeling this depleated in the morning. But I don't think I've ever focused this much on weight lifting.

Could it be a caloric problem? Am I not eating enough? I'm 6' and around 185'ish. I'm consuming around 2200 calories a day with about 1/3 coming from complex carbs(whole wheats, oatmeal, ect), about 1/3 coming from protien, and the rest coming from fats, fruit/fruitjucies and bad carbs.

 

[m2kewl]

i was like that when i started working out. after a month, i got used to it.

work out, eat right, supplements, sleep :thumbsup:

 

[junkerman123]

Sometimes, doing a lift and cardio in the same day can really drain your body. I would cut down on the biking after lifting (walking a bit is fine). Also, you might want to increase your protein intake a bit, maybe eat an energy bar or 2 every once in a while (i know they taste like crap). If someone tells you to take creatine, don't do it. That stuff is garbage.

 

[Amused]

It takes a while to get used to it.

When starting out, go slower. Skip the cardio when you start feeling drained. If you're not making strength/muscle size gains or are losing too much weight too fast, up your calories.

2200 calories a day for your activity level is quite low. I lift 4 days a week and do cardio 3 days a week and my calorie intake is 4-5000 when bulking, and 2500-3000 when cutting.

 

[Jeraden]

Make sure you are eating something before you go to bed. I know some people say not to eat within 3 hours of bed, but thats crap for anyone who is working out. Your body still needs nutrients to rebuild your muscles and body during the night. When you don't eat anything for that long your body is starved for food and energy. You could wake up completely depleted, because you are.

Cottage cheese + peanut butter is a popular before bed snack - takes a long time to fully digest the casein in cottage cheese and the healthy fat in the peanut butter will slow digestion even further.

 

[noob in a box]

me too. i need to eat better. make sure you get a bunch of complex carbs in addition to that protein right after exercise, especially long aerobic. If your muscles get a carb rush after being used alot it helps refresh your energy sooner and better

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: junkerman123
Sometimes, doing a lift and cardio in the same day can really drain your body. I would cut down on the biking after lifting (walking a bit is fine). Also, you might want to increase your protein intake a bit, maybe eat an energy bar or 2 every once in a while (i know they taste like crap). If someone tells you to take creatine, don't do it. That stuff is garbage.

Creatine is very effective and quite safe.

But it is not for beginners. It's for experienced weight lifters who need a little help to break a plateau.

 

[purbeast0]

i would agree witth amused. you definitely need to increase your calorie intake, especially you being 6 feet tall. That stuff you see on nutrition lables that say "percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet" make people think that 2000 calories is enough. Well it probably is, if you aren't lifting weights or doing cardio, but you are doing both of those and thus need your calorie intake to be higher than that.

but being sore on the days after you lift is common, get used to it . its a great feeling IMO.

 

[imported_silentlamb]

I would recommend trying to make sure you're at least taking 1gram of protein/pound a day. Make sure that you are getting enough sleep, even maybe a little extra when you are starting off. When I started working out I asked one of the trainers at the place I go to recommended that I workout the complementary muscle groups. So chest and back on one day and tris and bis on the other. The reason for this is that when you work them out you simultaneously stretch the other muscle group of the day.

 

[edro]

Water and Sleep.

Drink a gallon of water and get at LEAST 8 hours of sleep. People truely under estimate the importance of both of these ingredients. Sleep not only rests your brain, but it is crucial to allow your muscles to recover fully.

Originally posted by: Jeraden
Make sure you are eating something before you go to bed. I know some people say not to eat within 3 hours of bed, but thats crap for anyone who is working out. Your body still needs nutrients to rebuild your muscles and body during the night. When you don't eat anything for that long your body is starved for food and energy. You could wake up completely depleted, because you are.

Cottage cheese + peanut butter is a popular before bed snack - takes a long time to fully digest the casein in cottage cheese and the healthy fat in the peanut butter will slow digestion even further.

And what he said!

 

[Blieb]

Eat more ... eat clean ... sleep more ... you get used to the routine if you stick with it ...

 

[halik]

i feel great the next day after i work out... two days afterwards is when the sore hits me. But still doesnt affect my sleep at all and i get around 6 hours every night.

Make sure you eat right - i eat the whole day, before bed, after bed, in between... you know you get the idea.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
i would agree witth amused. you definitely need to increase your calorie intake, especially you being 6 feet tall. That stuff you see on nutrition lables that say "percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet" make people think that 2000 calories is enough. Well it probably is, if you aren't lifting weights or doing cardio, but you are doing both of those and thus need your calorie intake to be higher than that.

but being sore on the days after you lift is common, get used to it . its a great feeling IMO.

Soreness isn't really an issue. I only really get sore if I introduce a new exercise that adds more range of motion or isolates a mucle(or group) that I haven't done previously. Other than that, I can tell I've worked out hard the previous day, but not to the point of discomfort.

I'm just waking up almost unable to roll my butt out of bed. :frown:

Maybe I'll make up a peanut butter & honey sammich and wash it down with a second whey protein shake an hour or two before I go to bed. See if that helps.

I am trying to burn some fat, or at the least maintain. Hence the reason I keep my caloric intake a bit low.

 

[brikis98]

well, your body does a lot of rebuilding while you sleep, and after weight lifting, it usually takes a couple nights before your muscles are good to go again. this means that for a couple days, you'll feel beat up because... well, you are

it's good that you've split your workout up, and you do almost the exact same routine as me - except i do it in 3 days since i play hockey 3 days a week too. i just ad abs to my chest/tris day and moved lower body w/ shoulders.

2200 calories for someone your size sounds like a regular diet. try upping that to 2500 or more (especially if you're lifting to gain muscle mass, not just toning). and definitely add more protein to your diet - i personally prefer natural protein (ie, eating meat, nuts, milk, cheese, etc), but protein supplements should help too. its recommended you take about 1 gram per pound of body weight and even more if you really want to bulk up. i never use any synthetic drugs, whether legal (creatine) or not (steroids) - i just don't think it's a good idea for the long term.

finally, try to get more sleep. the single most important thing when lifting is getting at LEAST 8 hours a night, if you can. once you get used to it, you'll wake up feeling better. in fact, you'll sleep better after lifting and wake up refreshed.

good luck

 

[vi edit]

I've been lifting pretty steady (3x or more week) for almost a full month.

This is a new phenomenon that just started popping up the last 10 days or so.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: brikis98
i never use any synthetic drugs, whether legal (creatine) or not (steroids) - i just don't think it's a good idea for the long term.

Creatine is not a drug. Creatine is an amino acid.

Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine.

 

[DougK62]

I had that same feeling when I started working out - it turned out that I wasn't eating enough. I eat like a fat man now and feel great in the mornings.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brikis98
i never use any synthetic drugs, whether legal (creatine) or not (steroids) - i just don't think it's a good idea for the long term.

Creatine is not a drug. Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine.

I won't be taking creatine at any time. High levels of it put added stress on the kidneys. I've only got one, and it's not at 100% functioning as it is, so I don't want to overtax it if I don't have to.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brikis98
i never use any synthetic drugs, whether legal (creatine) or not (steroids) - i just don't think it's a good idea for the long term.

Creatine is not a drug. Creatine is an amino acid.

Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine.

i stand corrected - i simply meant i try to avoid anything that i don't get directly from food and hence "synthetic" and a drug in the sense that it's in pill or powder form.

 

[Sentinel]

perhaps you need a little more sleep then you actually think.

 

[junkerman123]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: junkerman123
Sometimes, doing a lift and cardio in the same day can really drain your body. I would cut down on the biking after lifting (walking a bit is fine). Also, you might want to increase your protein intake a bit, maybe eat an energy bar or 2 every once in a while (i know they taste like crap). If someone tells you to take creatine, don't do it. That stuff is garbage.

Creatine is very effective and quite safe.

But it is not for beginners. It's for experienced weight lifters who need a little help to break a plateau.

You're absolutely right. However, I see people just starting out taking creatine all the time. That's just stupid.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brikis98
i never use any synthetic drugs, whether legal (creatine) or not (steroids) - i just don't think it's a good idea for the long term.

Creatine is not a drug. Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine.

I won't be taking creatine at any time. High levels of it put added stress on the kidneys. I've only got one, and it's not at 100% functioning as it is, so I don't want to overtax it if I don't have to.

That's your choice and I understand your caution given your situation.

Just know that no valid study shows any harm to the kidneys.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: junkerman123

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: junkerman123
Sometimes, doing a lift and cardio in the same day can really drain your body. I would cut down on the biking after lifting (walking a bit is fine). Also, you might want to increase your protein intake a bit, maybe eat an energy bar or 2 every once in a while (i know they taste like crap). If someone tells you to take creatine, don't do it. That stuff is garbage.

Creatine is very effective and quite safe.

But it is not for beginners. It's for experienced weight lifters who need a little help to break a plateau.

You're absolutely right. However, I see people just starting out taking creatine all the time. That's just stupid.

I would agree with that. Seems silly when beginners have the most rewarding gains virtually no matter what they do.

 

[shortspanishguy]

saying creatine is garbage is an all around ignorant statement.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: brikis98
i never use any synthetic drugs, whether legal (creatine) or not (steroids) - i just don't think it's a good idea for the long term.

Creatine is not a drug. Creatine is an amino acid.

Unlike steroids or drugs, creatine is 100% natural and occurs naturally in many foods; therefore, it can never be banned from any sports or international competitions (unless they banned eating meat). Many foods especially herring, salmon, tuna, and beef contain some creatine.

i stand corrected - i simply meant i try to avoid anything that i don't get directly from food and hence "synthetic" and a drug in the sense that it's in pill or powder form.

OK. My position is, if you're going to take protien supplimets, there is no reason you should be opposed to taking Creatine IF you've hit a wall and need a little help.