Should I go to the gym if I'm knackered

tk123

I was just wondering if you guys work out even when your're really tired? I have a thyroid problem so I try to get to the gym 2-3 times a week to keep the weight down - it can go up with t-roid prob...Anyhoo sometimes i'm absolutley knackered so I don't know if i'm doing more harm than good if I still go even thou i'm tired...?

rs

Tough question.

I go no matter how I feel. (unless I'm seriuosly injured, etc)

If I'm knackered I have a crappy workout. I accept this before I go. I doubt I'm doing myself any good on those occasions.

That's not important to me though, what's important is that I went. It's just down to the principle I think. I went even though I didn't feel like it.

Trojan

Depends on the type of tiredness.

If it's the way I feel today cos I went for a 50 mile cycle Mon and upper body weights session yesterday, then like today I'll be spending my gym time watching the girls in bikinis from the comfort of the jacuzzi. Much better than losing the value of good sessions by overtraining afterwards.

If it's the yawning, sleep needed, tiredness then I'll do something, but not something too hectic or brain taxing, say a light 20-40 mins on the treadmill.

I do hold a similar concept to rs: I believe that it's the days that you go when you're not really feeling up to it that make the difference at the end of the day.

tunney

And before people start using "overtraining" as an excuse for skipping the gym, unless you're a hardcore gym freak or endurance nutter, you're not overtraining

Trojan

Originally posted by tunney
And before people start using "overtraining" as an excuse for skipping the gym, unless you're a hardcore gym freak or endurance nutter, you're not overtraining

Hmmm...

Before freaks like tunney, who grossly overtrain , start giving out to the rest of us for our 2 rest days per week, it should be clarified what overtraining is.

tunney

And what could possibly make people think I overtrain I do take 3 rest days (do they count as rest if I only do one session? )

General rule of thumb - if you don't feel like a shag, you're doing too much.

But in all seriousness overtraining is something to avoid. Best bet is to keep a training log. Write in it all the training you do, how you felt before and after each session, what you did, how hard you did it. Log how you feel in the morning - how you slept, your resting heart rate, your weight, your fatigue, your soreness and any injuries and your mood. Total up what you did in a week at the end of a week, do the same for months. Not only will this help your training improve, it will also help you avoid doing too much. If your weight drops too much- back off, resting heart rate too high - back off, a few bad sessions in a row - back off etc etc. I've kept one for two years now and its helped me alot - and it makes you feel good when you can see your progress in black and white.

Just my two cents

rs

Overtraining is hard to judge.

It depends how you feel.

If for 2 weeks in a row you feel exhausted when you enter the gym, and you find your performance is not increasing at all, or even decreasing. Then I think this is the best sign.

It's not about how many days you train, or how long you train for. It's about giving yourself enough time to recover from your training sessions. Everyone recovers at a different rate.

But if you train 2-3 times a week, you should never miss your training, no matter how tired you feel.

Sometimes you have a bad nights sleep because your neighbour just bought a new f-ing puppy that barks all night (damn neighbours) You are still sore from your previous training session and you had a tough day at work.

I think you should still go. Don't expect that you'll get 100% out of yourself. It becomes much more a battle of the mind than the body. The rational part of your brain is saying, "you're shattered, just give it up, go home and watch a movie, have a nice big steak in creamy pepper sauce, you know you want to" but the completly irrational part is saying "come on you wimp, you train until you pass out, vomit or die. stop whingeing and get on with it"


Sometimes, you just have to listen to your irrational side

I get much more satifaction from getting a decent workout when I'm shattered than when I break any personal record on a day that I feel great.

tk123

Thanks everyone!! I went yesterday but didn't over do it - just did a BodyPump class than 30 mins rowing and 30 mins running...I was really tired when I got home but it made me sleep better so I was nice and refreshed today!