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What am I doing wrong? Always fatigued

2

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  • Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    sweet_trip wrote: »

    Background:

    28 male
    68KG
    175cm
    Work sedentry job.

    Wake 6am, home from work 7pm, workout 7pm to 9pm
    Been doing light cardio for years but started upping my game and doing more + weight lifting for 9 months now.


    Cardio:
    Monday - 3.7km run in 20 minutes on track
    Tuesday - 3.7km track run
    Wednesday - 25km cycle
    Thursday - 7km trail run with steep hills.
    Friday - 5.5km backroad run with steep hills
    Saturday - fun day, mountain biking, rock climbing or hiking.
    During winter I substitute cycling with swimming 50 x 25meter.

    Weightlifting: 5 days a week, monday to friday. Immediately post cardio.

    6x6 deadlifts at 80kg
    3x6 deep swimmer press at 30kg (15kg per dumbell)
    5x10 squats at 30kg dumbell.
    5x20 pushups
    5x20 ab rolls
    5x1 30 second planks.


    Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

    Yes.

    WHY WOULD YOU NOT BE TIRED?

    You are doing weights and cardio 5 days a week. Either you need to not do both so many days ..or really reduce the load on both for days you do.

    Also you need to be smarter.

    It looks like you are doing squats and cycling on the same day. Then you want to do a long run the day after squats? THAT IS A DISASTER!

    If you want to do so much weight training along with triathlon training you need to be smarter. If you are training legs ...the next day you need to swim. If you are training arms the next day you need to run.

    You need another day off. And you need maybe two more days where you decide between lifting or cardio. Or do a less taxing session of each.

    Overall you need to do less and train smarter.

    Also if you are not training for an event. Why do so much cardio? I mean maybe you are training for an event i don't know. But muscle gain is going to be hard then so maybe cut back on the lifting?

    If you just want muscle ...just do a quick cardio session (20 mins easy on a treadmill) each day or every other day for cardio health.

    You looks like you are training for a triathlon while trying to bulk!

    You can't lift like a bodybuilder if you are trying to be a runner and vice versa.

    You can't do long run the day after squats (plus a long cycle). Its only going to lead to injury eventually.

    You have to organize things a bit better. And reduce some of your training.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 275 ✭✭sweet_trip


    Yes.

    WHY WOULD YOU NOT BE TIRED?

    You are doing weights and cardio 5 days a week. Either you need to not do both so many days ..or really reduce the load on both for days you do.

    Also you need to be smarter.

    It looks like you are doing squats and cycling on the same day. Then you want to do a long run the day after squats? THAT IS A DISASTER!

    If you want to do so much weight training along with triathlon training you need to be smarter. If you are training legs ...the next day you need to swim. If you are training arms the next day you need to run.

    You need another day off. And you need maybe two more days where you decide between lifting or cardio. Or do a less taxing session of each.

    Overall you need to do less and train smarter.

    Also if you are not training for an event. Why do so much cardio? I mean maybe you are training for an event i don't know. But muscle gain is going to be hard then so maybe cut back on the lifting?

    If you just want muscle ...just do a quick cardio session (20 mins easy on a treadmill) each day or every other day for cardio health.

    You looks like you are training for a triathlon while trying to bulk!

    You can't lift like a bodybuilder if you are trying to be a runner and vice versa.

    You can't do long run the day after squats (plus a long cycle). Its only going to lead to injury eventually.

    You have to organize things a bit better. And reduce some of your training.


    I was doing it all because I just like being fit, I love the outdoors, I love hiking and climbing and running and swimming and i just want to be good at it and able for anything.


    Obviously, I'm pretty clueless. I just presumed more training = good.

    I want to be able to lift and climb things, but i also want to be able to do my cross country hiking with ease, then I want to hop on my bike and do some touring or mountain biking the next week with ease, and then i want to be able to swim the following week etc. you get the picture.


    But yeah, major changes needed. Going to try piece together all the advice here and do something with it.



    Fwiw, I don't ever go to gyms. I hate them. I'm outdoors person only. also I have zero interest in competition or doing events or triathalons etc. I do this all for me.

    I'm a bit stuck for space at home, so I don't have a bench or anything. Just dumbells and a bar. So I need to try make something work for me.



    Starting tomorrow I'm going to ease back into it.


  • Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,007 Mod ✭✭✭✭Black Sheep


    I know I talked about how I thought you would benefit from a basic 3 days a week strength program, but honestly, if you love the outdoors and endurance sports that much, the other way to go is to retain your running and biking and just implement 1-2 whole body strength sessions per week.

    Something like (Workout A) squat / bench / row and (Workout B) deadlift / press / pull-ups. Keep the lower body exercise heavy and low volume. Start conservative but try to add weight every week.

    This is pretty minimalist and you're not going to get hypertrophied or emphasise strength in the long term, but you'd get some benefits and wouldn't be as wrecked. You're basically looking at in-season or off-season strength training for endurance sports if you go this route.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 275 ✭✭sweet_trip


    Thought I'd be able to do some light calisthenics today but nope. If anything I'm feeling worse since stopping. My entire body and skin is tingling and sire to touch. No muscle pain just generally run down.
    Starting to wonder if it is infact over training syndrome or something.


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,370 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Go see your doctor.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 275 ✭✭sweet_trip


    listermint wrote: »
    Go see your doctor.

    An going to yeah. Can't see him until 2 weeks time though.
    Speaking to a dietician tomorrow at least.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 236 ✭✭Irishman80


    sweet_trip wrote: »

    I'm still so new to all of this. I honestly thought my deadlifting was pretty weak at 80kg hence why I was pushing it daily to try improve.
    You think deadlifting once or twice a week is fine even at 80kg? It feels like not much to me.

    After 9 months of training, weighting 67kg, doing 5 sets of 5 reps of 80kg deadlifts is pretty decent.

    A quick formula for you:

    Weight × Reps × 0.033 + Weight = 1RM

    Based on that, you've an approx. 94kg 1RM deadlift. That's about average.

    Now consider, you are doing 5 sets of those, 5 nights per week. With a better program, I've no doubt you've a minimum 100kg 1RM now - which is progressing nicely.

    You also pointed out you were hoping to increase your weight to 75kg. Of course, your target average will increase for a heavier weight.

    But you must feed that increase to 75kg - surplus calorie intake.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,608 ✭✭✭ittakestwo


    sweet_trip wrote: »
    I checked my blood sugars a few times and its always normal.
    Blood pressure fine.

    My heart rate rests at 48 beats per minute or lower which concerns me at times.


    I started supplementing iron a month ago because of this but haven't noticed any major improvements yet.


    No problems with sleep, get 7-8 hours most nights. However at times post meal (lunch/dinner) i get very tired and could nod off in seconds if i let myself).


    I used to be anorexic with binge eating disorder 2 years ago before I started trying to get fit. I eat quite a lot all the same.

    Breakfast: 6am (porridge, milk, honey, tea)
    fruit/coffee: 10am
    big dinner: 12pm (spuds + veg + meat +milk)
    Snack: 5pm (protein bar)
    Protein shake (2 scoops) during workout 8pm.
    post workout meal 9pm: (3 eggs scrambled, 2 cuts brown bread, orange juice)
    Snack:10pm (tea + biscuits)

    Perhaps it is simple as not eating enough. If you're burning more cals than eating you will feel like **** when you train and wont able to push yourself. I remember when I training hard I hit a period when I felt I had no energy. Somebody adviced me to eat more and it worked. Perhaps eat more natural carbs like potatoes.


    Also you eat from 6am to 10pm? That does not seem right. A lot of athletes eat in windows of less than 9 hours. I think Dublin GAA ask their players to eat in a 6 hour window. Apparently this will help increase energy. Maybe skip breakfast and eat from 11am to 8pm. Breakfast first thing in the morning is a kids meal. Adults should have been a wake a few hours before eating. Obviously if you are overall to eat more in a short space of time in the day you need to up the size of meals.

    Also sleep is really important as said already.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,345 ✭✭✭Cill94


    ittakestwo wrote: »
    Perhaps eat more natural carbs like potatoes.


    Also you eat from 6am to 10pm? That does not seem right. A lot of athletes eat in windows of less than 9 hours. I think Dublin GAA ask their players to eat in a 6 hour window. Apparently this will help increase energy. Maybe skip breakfast and eat from 11am to 8pm. Breakfast first thing in the morning is a kids meal. Adults should have been a wake a few hours before eating. Obviously if you are overall to eat more in a short space of time in the day you need to up the size of meals.

    I know people who have worked with Dublin as nutritionists and I'm pretty sure they would disagree with this statement. They may well have advised players to do that but probably for some other reason. Also, 'natural carbs' is not a thing.

    Either way, I think you're overcomplicating things for someone who is already quite confused and just needs to train smarter and eat more.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 275 ✭✭sweet_trip


    Had a good hour long session with my dietician yesterday, spoke about these things in depth and got some really solid advice from her about how my body was dealing with it . Doing up some plans and due to get my bloods done in Monday and have further follow ups with the dietician in 2 week's.

    Definitely hit a wall in terms of over exertion, poorly planned exercising and lack of nutrition. Need some time to recover, don't feel like it's right yet even though I was hoping it would only take a couple days rest. The dietician said there will be a withdrawal period and I'll know myself when its right.
    Doesn't help I'm stressed with work at the moment too.

    Thanks for all the info and advise so far. If I make any breakthrough I'll post again.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,109 ✭✭✭Minime2.5


    Op you were asked earlier in the thread if you've had your bloods checked and you dodged the question . YOU NEED TO HAVE A FULL BLOOD PROFILE DONE BY YOUR GP ASAP

    Replace the running with walking or no cardio at all. 68kg is quite light for your height

    Id try and get some more protein in your first 2 meals


  • Registered Users Posts: 31,802 ✭✭✭✭Mars Bar


    Minime2.5 wrote: »
    Op you were asked earlier in the thread if you've had your bloods checked and you dodged the question . YOU NEED TO HAVE A FULL BLOOD PROFILE DONE BY YOUR GP ASAP

    Replace the running with walking or no cardio at all. 68kg is quite light for your height

    Id try and get some more protein in your first 2 meals

    Did you read the post above where the op states they are getting blood work done?

    Why do you always go in so aggressively?


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Mars Bar wrote: »
    Did you read the post above where the op states they are getting blood work done?

    Why do you always go in so aggressively?
    I think its more concern than aggression. The op has posted some worrying symptoms. I am not a MD so i can't say anything.

    The op has stated they previously had an ED. This means electrolytes and other minerals can be low. They can be even lower than blood tests show up because the body likes to keep things higher in your system. So the OP needs to tell his Doctor that he has a history of an ED. So he can account for this.
    My entire body and skin is tingling and sire to touch. No muscle pain just generally run down.

    It can be quite important because things can change with ed history people quite quickly. A lot of coaches don't realize this.

    A lot of people who have had eds ..also have exercise addictions.

    I was wondering if the op feels they have an exercise addiction?

    OP don't exercise until you get your bloods done. Also ask for a full medical from your GP heart everything.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 275 ✭✭sweet_trip


    Just a little update, I'm not going to go too into it.

    Basically, it boiled down to not eating enough of the right foods.
    I was not eating enough for the amount of exercise I was doing.

    Dietician said that if I want to train like an athlete I have to eat like an athlete.

    boiled down the workout routine for a month until my nutrition was sorted.
    Slowly working back up to my previous levels but with more varied and correct lifting and cardio routines with better variation, and better rest days.


    bloods and ecg all fine.

    The main thing was this: I was eating too much protein (yes too much) and not enough carbs/fats to process said protein.

    I was fatigued and burnt out because I was depleting all my glycogen stores too and suffering from over-training syndrome symptoms.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 20,650 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    sweet_trip wrote: »
    Hi all. Not sure if this is allowed but here's question.


    I'm always super fatigued while weight lifting. I feel like I've majorly stagnated and struggle with exercise in general for as long as I can remember but as I make progress it's getting worse.

    I've been upping my weightlifting and cardio a lot but every day its such a struggle. Pre workout my body feels like it goes into shut down mode, and my brain says "NO NO NO" but I force myself anyway.

    During the workouts this is pretty much all I feel too but I push on. I'm struggling to progress past 80kg, even with a deload week.

    Background:

    28 male
    68KG
    175cm
    Work sedentry job.

    Wake 6am, home from work 7pm, workout 7pm to 9pm
    Been doing light cardio for years but started upping my game and doing more + weight lifting for 9 months now.

    Diet: Average daily calories 2800kcal.
    Average Protein intake - aiming for 130g
    Supplementing iron.

    Workout routine:

    Cardio:
    Monday - 3.7km run in 20 minutes on track
    Tuesday - 3.7km track run
    Wednesday - 25km cycle
    Thursday - 7km trail run with steep hills.
    Friday - 5.5km backroad run with steep hills
    Saturday - fun day, mountain biking, rock climbing or hiking.
    During winter I substitute cycling with swimming 50 x 25meter.

    Weightlifting: 5 days a week, monday to friday. Immediately post cardio.

    6x6 deadlifts at 80kg
    3x6 deep swimmer press at 30kg (15kg per dumbell)
    5x10 squats at 30kg dumbell.
    5x20 pushups
    5x20 ab rolls
    5x1 30 second planks.


    Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

    I'm exhausted reading this! You may need to take a few days off

    they/them/theirs


    And so on, and so on …. - Slavoj Žižek




  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 20,650 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    sweet_trip wrote: »
    Just a little update, I'm not going to go too into it.

    Basically, it boiled down to not eating enough of the right foods.
    I was not eating enough for the amount of exercise I was doing.

    Dietician said that if I want to train like an athlete I have to eat like an athlete.

    boiled down the workout routine for a month until my nutrition was sorted.
    Slowly working back up to my previous levels but with more varied and correct lifting and cardio routines with better variation, and better rest days.


    bloods and ecg all fine.

    The main thing was this: I was eating too much protein (yes too much) and not enough carbs/fats to process said protein.

    I was fatigued and burnt out because I was depleting all my glycogen stores too and suffering from over-training syndrome symptoms.

    Ignore my last post so. Good to hear you got to the bottom of it.

    they/them/theirs


    And so on, and so on …. - Slavoj Žižek




  • Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭jmlad2020


    Lay off the masturbation/sex dude (seriously)

    This will increase testosterone and reduce fatigue. Get a full night a sleep. No screen time at night before bed.

    This is simple stuff really


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,306 ✭✭✭bobbyy gee


    Try iron tablets 1 a day


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,825 ✭✭✭IvoryTower


    bobbyy gee wrote: »
    Try iron tablets 1 a day

    You can have too much iron, particularly men.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,204 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    I would echo another poster. Do not take iron supplements unless you have been tested.

    Yeah- you need a day off. There is too much quantity and not enough quality. Focus on quality rather than quantity. A rest day is just as important as a gym session.

    I am not a gym bunny but I am a marathon runner and currently training for another one and have run for years. 50-60 miles a week (I run 5 times a week) with a sports coach setting out my programme and I had my bloods tested and VO2 taken (x2).

    You need to decide on your goals. It is hard to build muscle (if that is what you are doing) in the gym and have a heavy cardio programme. Very delicate balance to strike. Strength training is fine but you are to some degree messing your body around with different signals.

    Personally (and I am open to correction) cardio should supplement weights or vice versa. A dog cannot have too masters.

    I found the following helpful every day with breakfast:

    1. 4000 of Vitamin D3 & k2- Made big difference in my personality funnily enough. No mood swings.

    2. 10ml of Omega 3 oil.

    Just my two cents.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,204 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Sorry just to add. You specifically mention not being able to push past 80kg which would suggest to me that lifting is your focus.

    If so, then make it your focus. Scale back the cardio significantly as it is doing nothing for your lifting except sapping your energy.

    Look carefully at your macros (proteins, fats and carbs) which you have done. Simple foods, no sugars or BS carbs. Ditch the white bread and refined carbs.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,204 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Breakfast: 60g oat porridge with 300ml milk, honey + cup of tea - 350kcal/18g protein.
    Snack: banana + coffee - i dont count calories/protein for this.
    Dinner: 3-4 potatos, 2 portion of veg, breaded chicken or something, some butter + glass of milk - 900-1000kcal/40g protein.
    This varies, some days Id have pasta, or curry, etc.

    Snack: fulfill protein bar - 200kcal/20g protein.
    Protein shake: 2 scoops with 500ml water - 230kcal/50g protein
    Evening meal: 3 large eggs with brown bread + butter and orange juice - 580kcal/30g protein.
    Snack: Tea + biscuits - 300 calories/negligible protein.



    I would look to vary your diet a good bit more:-

    - fish (salmon, mackeral)
    - nuts (pecan & walnut) and berries
    - Greek yogurt (full fat)
    - honey and orange juice is bascially pure sugar and I would not be keen
    - sweet potato
    - beans & pulses, salads, olives, avocados- your diet is lacking in colour and it will increase your healthy fats

    Aim for the phytonutrient spectrum i.e. aim to eat every colour every day in your diet.

    Tea and coffee- does absolutely nothing for your lifting.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,779 ✭✭✭Patsy167


    Breakfast: 60g oat porridge with 300ml milk, honey + cup of tea - 350kcal/18g protein.
    Snack: banana + coffee - i dont count calories/protein for this.
    Dinner: 3-4 potatos, 2 portion of veg, breaded chicken or something, some butter + glass of milk - 900-1000kcal/40g protein.
    This varies, some days Id have pasta, or curry, etc.

    Snack: fulfill protein bar - 200kcal/20g protein.
    Protein shake: 2 scoops with 500ml water - 230kcal/50g protein
    Evening meal: 3 large eggs with brown bread + butter and orange juice - 580kcal/30g protein.
    Snack: Tea + biscuits - 300 calories/negligible protein.



    I would look to vary your diet a good bit more:-

    - fish (salmon, mackeral)
    - nuts (pecan & walnut) and berries
    - Greek yogurt (full fat)
    - honey and orange juice is bascially pure sugar and I would not be keen
    - sweet potato
    - beans & pulses, salads, olives, avocados- your diet is lacking in colour and it will increase your healthy fats

    Aim for the phytonutrient spectrum i.e. aim to eat every colour every day in your diet.

    Tea and coffee- does absolutely nothing for your lifting.

    Plenty will disagree with this. Caffeine and lifting is a marriage made in heaven!


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,204 ✭✭✭partyguinness


    Patsy167 wrote: »
    Plenty will disagree with this. Caffeine and lifting is a marriage made in heaven!


    LOL...I will admit I am the biggest caffeine junky in the world for my running. 300mg before a race I'm all over it. No caffeine in the week leading up to a race for max effect. Caffeine does not make me a better or faster runner it just takes the initial edge off for the first few miles.

    Yes I take your point and it takes to 'edge' off but in terms of pure building I am not sure it does anything in itself.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,825 ✭✭✭IvoryTower


    jmlad2020 wrote: »
    Lay off the masturbation/sex dude (seriously)

    This will increase testosterone and reduce fatigue. Get a full night a sleep. No screen time at night before bed.

    This is simple stuff really

    **** and sex doesn't decrease testosterone or else we'd all be ****ed


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 20,650 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    jmlad2020 wrote: »
    Lay off the masturbation/sex dude (seriously)

    This will increase testosterone and reduce fatigue. Get a full night a sleep. No screen time at night before bed.

    This is simple stuff really

    Sex and masturbation both increase your testosterone production.

    they/them/theirs


    And so on, and so on …. - Slavoj Žižek




  • Closed Accounts Posts: 275 ✭✭sweet_trip


    Thanks lads. But as I mentioned above I've got this all sorted now and am working with a fantastic dietician.

    I'm eating a lot more with better focus on carbs and essential fats I was missing out on. Also I'm upping my weight.

    I'm deadlifting 120kg now and have made mad gains in the past month. I feel great.

    No problems with my testosterone, got it checked.

    Scaled back the cardio a fair bit but still doing it about 3 times a week on top of lifting 3-4 times a week.

    I always ensure I get 2-3 days rest minimum per week.

    fwiw I definitely had just turned my old routine into an exercise addiction. It wasn't one bit enjoyable.

    Never felt better now though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 691 ✭✭✭jmlad2020


    Brian? wrote: »
    Sex and masturbation both increase your testosterone production.

    Yes.. that is why guys who **** a lot having weak girly voices and no muscles. Maybe OP is a serial masturbator.

    Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. you will be surprised at the high levels of energy and strength if you abstain.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    jmlad2020 wrote: »
    Yes.. that is why guys who **** a lot having weak girly voices and no muscles. Maybe OP is a serial masturbator.

    Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. you will be surprised at the high levels of energy and strength if you abstain.

    Sex and masturbation are one and the same for impacts on testosterone.

    So men who have sex have weak girly voices and no muscles?

    Seems legit.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9 Phillip876


    I started to follow a plan very similar to yours, and I started to remain fatigued for the whole day. I increased my rest days and added quality nutrients in my diet, which helped me in staying focused on my work for the whole day.


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