Saturday, April 10, 2010

Feeling Tired and Weak in the Gym


Exercise suppose to energize our body and is a good tool to combat fatigue. However it does happen sometimes, even to myself, we feel weaker than usual while we are in the gym. This can be quite frustrating especially when we have planned to complete certain exercise routine in that particular day.

The good news is, you don't have to be too hard on yourself! In achieving your fitness goals, you might have been focusing too much on the training but tend to neglect the importance of recovery. I had pulled out an excellent article to touch on this topics. Have a good read on this.

Cheers!!!

Revogym

Reasons Why Working Out Feels Challenging:
Assessing why a workout seems harder than usual

Hitting the gym for a great sweat session is usually the cure for nasty things such as fatigue and sluggishness. Most people will even promote and advocate the idea that the way to energize the body is simply to get it in motion and “get the blood pumping,” so to speak. But when ten-pound weights that are usually lifted easily are today feeling like overpowering boulders, or when a five-mile run is feeling more like a 15-mile run, it may be time to assess why this workout session in particular is more difficult than usual. There are actually a number of surprising reasons why today’s workout in particular is feeling much harder than usual.

More Recovery is Necessary between Workouts

Unfortunately, if the body has undergone an extremely hard work out the day before, there is the unfortunate by-product of a weaker workout today. There may need to be a decrease of intensity and an increase of rest time in the session following a very challenging workout. A good rule of thumb to follow with resistance training (working out with weights) is to let each muscle group have at least a day of rest in between each workout routine.

For example, if someone is performing a full-body weight training circuit, this individual should rest a day before performing the same routine again. This is also why individuals may choose to train different muscle groups on different days, so that muscles do not run the risk of being over trained.

Lack of Sleep to Charge a Work Out

At least seven to eight hours of sleep is required to give the body enough energy to make the most of a good gym session. Even more may be necessary following a tougher-than-usual workout. Stimulants in the morning, such as a strong black coffee, simply will not provide the body with the energy that a good night’s sleep will provide.

Skipping Meals before Working Out

Many people workout after the workday is complete, and in the process may have skipped lunch. Food is not the enemy – even when someone is using the gym to lose weight. The right type of foods that are packed with nutrients will provide the energy to survive a grueling workout and facilitate the building of muscle. The more muscle the body has, the higher its metabolism will be. Individuals should be sure to pack food such as nuts and fruit to eat at least an hour before working out. This is in order to make sure that the body is not running on empty on the gym floor.

Stress and High Levels of Anxiety during a Work Out

Stressful issues such as family problems or an upcoming presentation will cause a lack of concentration and focus during a gym session. This will in turn make the work out seem tougher than it usually does. Energy that will usually be used to power the body and muscles in a physical plane is now being used to fuel worry and stress in the brain. There is an upside to this because exercise is an amazing stress reliever.

Instead of committing to a hard and complex workout (which will probably cause frustration), simpler activities such as using the step mill or treadmill will provide stress-relief without too much concentration. Individuals may also choose to try a yoga class for a more relaxing change from their usual workout routine.

All of these reasons are some ways to assess why today in particular a work out is feeling exceptionally difficult. It is usually due to a lack of recovery, fuel, and rest. It is important to know about these reasons why the work out feels hard because they are things that can easily be remedied. In fact, they should be fixed immediately so that a workout does not go from being beneficial to being something that is potentially harmful.

By Rachel Walton from http://fitness.suite101.com/article.cfm/reasons-why-working-out-feels-challenging

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